Michael Earl Henderson was born on July 7, 1951 in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and moved to Detroit with his mother Rose Williams and his stepfather Earl Henderson, who sang in church. As a kid, he played the cello and then switched to bass. A talented man, he co-starred with a local band before his 12th birthday.
“Mom was always cool with the sounds I was making in the basement and backyard, and later when I started playing in the local bar scene,” he said in the liner notes. When he was 10 or 11, he saved enough money to get on the bus and see the Motown artist’s invoice at the Fox Theater.
“One day I’ll be on stage with all those artists,” he said.
Henderson was a jazz drummer and bandleader sideman until 1976 (the year his time with Davis ended). Norman Connors I invited him to write and record a song for his album “Saturday Night Special”. He sang the song.Valentine love, “With Jean Khan. Henderson wrote and sang the title song for Connors’ next album, “You Are My Starship,” and sang a duet with Phyllis Hyman on his song, “We Both Need Each Other.”
After signing with Buddha Records in 1976, Henderson continued to transform into a sexy crooner and songwriter. The cover of his 1981 album “Slingshot” showed that he was on the beach in a small aqua swimsuit.
When Henderson starred at the Roxy Theater in West Hollywood in 1979, Los Angeles Times pop critic Connie Johnson wrote, “It’s not a platinum sex symbol like Teddy Pendergrass.” “Currently he is in the same league as Peabo Bryson and Lenny Williams.”