Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with

Uriah Heep Uriah Heep may refer to: * Uriah Heep (character), a character in the Charles Dickens novel ''David Copperfield'' *Uriah Heep (band), a British rock band active since 1969 *''Uriah Heep Live ''Uriah Heep Live'' is a double live album by Britis ...

during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah Heep's songs during this period, including the hit singles " Lady in Black" (on which he sang lead vocals), " Easy Livin'" and "

Stealin' "Stealin" (also called "Stealin', Stealin'") is an American blues song from the 1920s. It originated with jug bands, but gained wider popularity after several 1960s contemporary folk musicians recorded it. Although various artists have recorded ...

", as well as " Look at Yourself", and "Free Me".

Biography

Born in Plumstead, south-east London, Hensley moved with his parents, three brothers and sister to

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...

, Hertfordshire, in 1945. He learned how to play guitar at the age of 12 from a Bert Weedon manual. His first gig was at The Mentmore Pen Factory, in Stevenage (September 1960). After that, he played with The Blue Notes, Ken and the Cousins and Kit and the Saracens (1962). In 1963, this band evolved into The Jimmy Brown Sound, and they recorded some now lost songs. At this time, Hensley's first "professional" opportunity almost came about: they were to back Ben E. King on a British visit, but it never happened. In early 1965, Hensley formed a band called The Gods, with the young guitarist Mick Taylor, well known later for his work with

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

and The Rolling Stones. Hensley wrote most of the material, sang and played the

Hammond Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...

B3 organ as the band already had Taylor on guitar. The Gods' line-up included, at one time or another, vocalist and guitar/bass player

Greg Lake Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP). Born and b ...

(later of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), bass player Paul Newton (later the first

bassist), drummer Lee Kerslake (later also of Heep), bassist John Glascock (later of Jethro Tull), and guitarist Joe Konas. In early 1968, they signed with Columbia Records and recorded two LPs and several singles. Hensley also then played on a one-album side project of The Gods initially planned to become their third album, but was recorded and eventually released in 1969/1970 under the moniker Head Machine's ''Orgasm''. The album was produced by David Paramor (producer of "The Gods") and both Hensley and Kerslake featured, along with John Glascock on bass, Brian Glascock on drums, and David Paramor on vocals, all under pseudonyms. Hensley played mostly guitar again, as in the beginning of his career. Although Paramor was credited as composer, the songs bear many of Hensley's influences. The album was released before Hensley joined Toe Fat, and might almost be considered a prototype for the harder side of his future work in Uriah Heep. The band eventually split but Cliff Bennett, from the Rebel Rousers, decided to move in a more "progressive" direction and asked The Gods to join him. Under the name Toe Fat they released two LPs, but only the first featured Hensley. Paul Newton asked Hensley (Christmas 1969) to join forces in Spice, as they were looking for a keyboard player to make their sound less bluesy and more progressive, in keeping with the current trend. In January 1970, Spice changed its name into

. Also in the line-up were guitarist Mick Box and vocalist

David Byron David Garrick (29 January 1947 – 28 February 1985), better known by his stage name David Byron, was a British singer, who was best known in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist with the rock band Uriah Heep. Byron possessed a powerful oper ...

. With Uriah Heep, Hensley found a place to develop and showcase his songwriting and lyrical abilities as well as his keyboard and guitar playing. The band's "classic" line-up featured Hensley, Byron, Box, Kerslake and bassist

Gary Thain Gary Mervin Thain (May 15, 1948 – December 8, 1975) was a New Zealand bassist, best known for his work with British rock band Uriah Heep. Biography Thain was born in Christchurch. He had two older brothers, Colin and Arthur. He recorded in ...

, plus the management provided by Gerry Bron ( Bronze Records). During his time with Heep (1970–1980), they recorded 13 studio albums, and the live album ''Uriah Heep Live – January 1973'' along with many compilations and singles. Hensley also recorded his first two solo albums, ''Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf'' (1973) and ''Eager To Please'' (1975) during this time. He was supported mainly by Mark Clarke and Bugs Pemberton. After the departure of bassist Gary Thain (who died in 1975) and vocalist David Byron, other musicians were brought into the Heep family: John Wetton ( Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, later of U.K. and Asia), Trevor Bolder (from

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, later of Wishbone Ash) and John Lawton (

Lucifer's Friend Lucifer's Friend was a German rock band, formed in Hamburg in 1970 by guitarist Peter Hesslein, singer John Lawton, bassist Dieter Horns, keyboardist Peter Hecht, and drummer Joachim Reitenbach. The group was an early practitioner of heavy m ...

), among others. In 1980 Hensley left the band, unhappy with the musical direction they had chosen. After trying to put a new band together in the UK (Shotgun), he later moved to the US and played a few gigs in North America as The Ken Hensley Band. Around this time he released his third solo LP, ''Free Spirit'' (1980). In 1982, Hensley joined

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

, a hard rock Florida-based band. With them, he recorded two albums (1983's ''

Siogo ''Siogo'' is the sixth album by the American Southern rock band Blackfoot, released in 1983. It is the first of two albums featuring former Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley. Although the band told their record company that "Siogo" was an In ...

'' and 1984's ''

Vertical Smiles ''Vertical Smiles'' is the seventh studio album by Southern rock band Blackfoot. It is the second and last album to feature former Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley and the first without guitarist Charlie Hargrett who left during the recordi ...

''). Although the group achieved some success, Hensley left after Bron informed him of Heep vocalist David Byron's death in 1985. After 1985, Hensley lived in semi-retirement in St Louis, Missouri (US), making a few appearances with W.A.S.P., Cinderella and others. W.A.S.P.'s frontman Blackie Lawless stated that "Ken Hensley wrote the rule book for heavy metal keyboards as far as I'm concerned." Hensley also owned "The Attic" Recording studio in St. Louis. In 1994, ''From Time To Time'', a collection of lost recordings, was released featuring rare songs recorded by Hensley between 1971 and 1982, as well as some early versions of Heep's classic songs, played by Hensley and his roommates at that time, namely guitarist Paul Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke (both of

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

). Other musicians on the songs were bassist Boz Burrell ( King Crimson and Bad Company), guitarist

Mick Ralphs Michael Geoffrey Ralphs (born 31 March 1944, Herefordshire) is an English musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. Career Ralphs began his career as a teenager, playing with b ...

( Mott the Hoople, Bad Company), drummers Ian Paice (

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

, Whitesnake) and Kenney Jones ( The Small Faces, The Faces, The Who), amongst others. In 1999, Hensley's musical activities began to increase, besides his work with St Louis Music. He recorded an album, ''A Glimpse of Glory'', together with his band Visible Faith. During the fourth Uriah Heep Annual Convention in London, May 2000, plans were made for a one-off concert by the so-called "Hensley/Lawton Band". Hensley was joined by former Uriah Heep singer John Lawton, their first public collaboration since the latter's departure from Uriah Heep in 1979. With them were Paul Newton (the band's original bassist) and two members of Lawton's band, Reuben Kane on lead guitar and Justin Shefford on drums. They played a set of old Uriah Heep classics and some of Hensley's solo songs, and the concert was recorded for a CD release, followed by an extensive tour of Europe during Spring and Summer of 2001 culminating with a concert on 12 May in Hamburg, Germany, featuring a full orchestra and a new rendition of Heep's old classic song "Salisbury". After the tour, both Ken and John returned to their respective solo careers. On 7 December 2001, both John Lawton and Ken Hensley appeared on stage with Uriah Heep during the annual Magician's Birthday Party at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. This concert was recorded and released as a CD/DVD. ''Running Blind'', his first effort in 21 years, was released worldwide in 2002 and followed by a world tour with his band called "Free Spirit", that included

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(guitar),

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(bass) and

Pete Riley Pete Riley (born 26 February 1969 in Liverpool, England) is an English acoustic rock singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer of the band Treehouse. Riley moved from Liverpool to North Carolina in the United States in the mid-1990 ...

(drums). After moving to Spain, Hensley released ''The Last Dance'' (with new songs), ''The Wizard's Diary'' (Uriah Heep classics re-recorded in 2004) and ''Cold Autumn Sunday'' (Hensley's solo songs re-recorded in 2005). Featuring a number of special guests, the rock opera ''Blood on the Highway'' was released in May 2007. The story portrays the rise and fall of a rock'n'roll star. Lead vocals role were split between Hensley and

Glenn Hughes Glenn Hughes or Glen Hughes may refer to: *Glenn Hughes (musician), born 1951 *Glenn Hughes (American singer) (1950–2001) *Glenn Hughes (cricketer), born 1959 *Glen Hughes Glen Hughes is an Australian former professional rugby league footbal ...

(ex-

, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), Jørn Lande (ex- The Snakes, Masterplan), John Lawton and

Eve Gallagher Eve Gallagher is an English singer from Sunderland, County Durham associated with the house music scene. Career Eve Gallagher first came to prominence in 1990 with the release of her debut single "Love Come Down". Released on Boy George's More ...

. In September 2008, Hensley went on stage again with former Heep bandmates Lawton, Kerslake and Newton along with ex- Focus guitarist Jan Dumée, for the "Heepvention 2008" fans meeting. Hensley continued to write and record a series of new albums, beginning with a collection of songs under the title of ''Love & Other Mysteries'', recorded near his home in Spain and followed in 2011 by ''Faster'', his first studio recording of new songs with his live band, Live Fire. A CD of one of his solo concerts was released by Cherry Red Records in 2013, shortly followed by a live CD recorded with Live Fire during a September/October tour. ''Trouble'', an album of 10 new songs recorded with a revised Live Fire line-up was released, again by Cherry Red, in September the same year. In later years, Hensley and his wife Monica lived in the village of Agost near

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

in Spain. Hensley died on 4 November 2020, at the age of 75 following a short illness. He had finished an album titled ''My Book of Answers'' before his death, that was released on 5 March 2021.

Bands and guest appearances

Ken Hensley&Sunrize - ROCK ON THE ROCKS TOUR 2011 - Sofia - 27

* The Gods (1965–1969) – lead vocals, keyboards, occasional guitar * Head Machine (1969) – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (This was a one-album project put together by a producer) * Toe Fat (1969) – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards *

(1970–1980) – keyboards, backing and occasional lead vocals, acoustic and slide guitar, primary songwriter * Weed (1971) – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (A one-album side project for Hensley. The other musicians playing on the album are thought to have been from a German band called Virus) * Shotgun (1981) – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars * Ken Hensley Band (1981) – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars *

(1982–1985) – keyboards, backing vocals, slide guitar * W.A.S.P. ('' The Headless Children'', 1989) – keyboards * Cinderella (''

Heartbreak Station ''Heartbreak Station'' is the third studio album by American rock music, rock band Cinderella (band), Cinderella, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It reached No.19 in the Billboard 200 US chart on December 21, 1990, and went platinum fo ...

'', 1990) – Hammond organ * Ken Hensley & Visible Faith (1999) – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars * Bruce Cameron (''

Midnight Daydream ''Midnight Daydream'' is the only studio album by Bruce Cameron, released in 1999. Track listing #"Midnight Daydream" – 6:42 #"Doctor Please" – 4:52 #"Mind Gardens" – 5:24 #"Miles Away" – 3:29 #"Born to Lose" – 5:32 #"I Want to Be Lat ...

'', 1999) – keyboards * Hensley/ Lawton Band (2000–2001) – keyboards, guitars, lead and backing vocals * Ken Hensley/ John Wetton (2001) – keyboards, guitars, lead and backing vocals * Ken Hensley & Free Spirit (2002) – keyboards, guitars, lead vocals * Ayreon (2004) – Hammond solo on ''

Loser Loser or Losers may refer to: *A person who experiences failure *The unsuccessful social class in winner and loser culture Film and television * ''Loser'', a 1996 film directed by Kirk Harris * ''Loser'' (film), a 2000 movie starring Jason B ...

'' from the album '' The Human Equation'' * Ken Hensley & The Viking All-Stars Band (2005) – keyboards, guitars, lead vocals * Ken Hensley & Live Fire (2006–2020) – keyboards, guitars, lead vocals * Maks and the Minors (2007) producer and guest Hammond keyboards on three tracks * Therion (2007) – Hammond solo on ''Trul'' from the album '' Gothic Kabbalah'' * B.T.R. (2008) – keyboards, guitars, lead and backing vocals (The Bulgarian hard rock band played with Hensley on a few occasions most of which also included John Lawton) * Toni Rowland (''Unfolding'', 2010) – keyboards, guitars, producer * Sunrize (2011) – Touring together with the Bulgarian rock band Sunrize during their ''Rock on the Rocks tour 2011''. * Vanexa (2016) - Hammond on 'The traveler' from the album 'Too heavy to fly' * Blind Golem (2021) - Slide guitar and keyboards on ‘The Day Is Gone’ from the album ‘A Dream Of Fantasy’

Discography

Solo albums

*''Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf'' (1973) - AUS #57 *''Eager to Please'' (1975) *''Free Spirit'' (1980) *''The Best of Ken Hensley'' (compilation, 1990) *''From Time to Time'' (1994) *''A Glimpse of Glory'' (1999) *''Ken Hensley Anthology'' (compilation, 2000) *''Running Blind'' (2002) *''The Last Dance'' (2003) *''The Wizard's Diary Vol. 1'' (compilation, CD/DVD, 2004) *''Cold Autumn Sunday'' (2005) *''Elements – Anthology 1968 To 2005'' (compilation, 2006) *''Inside the Mystery'' (compilation, 2006) *''Blood on the Highway'' (2007) *''Live Fire'' (DVD, 2007) *''Blood on the Highway – Release Concert'' (live DVD, 2008) *''Love & Other Mysteries'' (2012) *''Live Tales'' (live, 2013) *''Rare & Timeless'' (compilation, 2018) *''My Book of Answers'' (2021)

With Uriah Heep

*'' ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble'' (1970) *'' Salisbury'' (1971) *'' Look at Yourself'' (1971) *'' Demons and Wizards'' (1972) *''

The Magician's Birthday ''The Magician's Birthday'' is the fifth album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released in November 1972 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. The concept was "based loosely on a short story" written by keyboardist Ken Hen ...

'' (1972) *''

Uriah Heep Live ''Uriah Heep Live'' is a double live album by British rock group Uriah Heep (band), Uriah Heep, released in April 1973 in the US by Mercury Records, and in May 1973 in the UK by Bronze Records. It was the band's first live album. The album was ...

'' (live, 1973) *'' Sweet Freedom'' (1973) *'' Wonderworld'' (1974) *'' Return to Fantasy'' (1975) *''

The Best of Uriah Heep ''The Best of Uriah Heep'' (also known as ''Best of...'') is the title of the most successful compilation album by the British rock band Uriah Heep. It was released by Bronze Records and Mercury Records in three distinct editions with roughly th ...

'' (compilation, 1975) *'' High and Mighty'' (1976) *''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' (1977) *'' Innocent Victim'' (1977) *'' Fallen Angel'' (1978) *'' Conquest'' (1980) *'' Live at Shepperton '74'' (live, 1986) *''Live in Europe 1979'' (live, 1986) *''Still 'Eavy Still Proud'' (compilation, 1990) *''Rarities From The Bronze Age'' (compilation, 1991) *'' The Lansdowne Tapes'' (1993) *''A Time of Revelation'' (1996) *''Live in San Diego 1974'' (live, 1997) *The Magician's Birthday Party (live, recorded 2001, released 2002) *''Chapter & Verse – The Uriah Heep Story'' (compilation, 2005)

With The Gods

* Genesis (1968) * To Samuel A Son (1969) * The Gods Featuring Ken Hensley (1976)

With Head Machine

* Orgasm (1969)

With Toe Fat

* Toe Fat (1970)

With Weed

* Weed...! (1971)

With Blackfoot

(1983) *

(1984) * KBFH Presents Blackfoot Live 1983 (live, 1998)

With John Lawton

* The Return (live, 2001) * Salisbury Live (live, 2001)

With John Wetton

* More Than Conquerors (live, 2002) * One Way Or Another (live, 2002)

With Ken Hensley & Live Fire

* Faster (2011) * Live Fire LIVE (live, 2013) * Trouble (2013) * Live in Russia (live, 2019)

Books

*''Uriah Heep – 10 Jahre Rockmusik'', Markus Ott and Ken Hensley (1980) *''When Too Many Dreams Come True – The Ken Hensley Story'' (2006) *''Easy Livin' Ken Hensleyn vuodet 1970-1980'', Mika Järvinen (2013)