Artist description A great songer songwriter backed by an outstanding roots-rock band.

Music Style Singer/songwriter, roots rock, Americana, folk, alt. country.

Musical Influences Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, The Band, Hank Williams

Similar Artists Hearts and Minds, High Plains Drifters, Steve Earle, John Prine, John Hiatt, Kelly Willis, Lucinda Williams, Marshall Crenshaw, Freedy Johnston.

Artist History Singer/songwriter/guitarist/author Bruce Henderson was born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Henderson honed his playing in the fertile music scene of Austin, Texas before relocating to New York City to form “Hearts and Minds, “ a roots-rock band with guitarist Andy York and drummer Mark Feldman. Hearts and Minds released one album for A&M Records. After the band's breakup, Bruce Henderson wrote a nonfiction book (Waiting on Plume/Penguin) and formed the New York club band "High Plains Drifters," with Andy York, as well as Saturday Night Live Band members G.E. Smith on guitar, and Paul Ossola on bass and Shawn Pelton on drums. Pelton was later replaced with McCartney drummer Steve Holley when Pelton made a commitment to playing with Shawn Colvin's band. Henderson then decided to also step out on his own as a recording artist. Bruce Henderson's 1997 solo debut on "The Wheels Roll," made quite a splash, hitting #11 on the national Gavin Americana chart and receiving high praise from press across the country, including Rolling Stine, USA Today, and No Depression. His live shows (with the members of the High Plains Drifters) in support of The Wheels Roll, both solo acoustic and with his full band, earned rave reviews, as did his appearances on Public Radio's national "The World Cafe," and the roots-rock "Western Beat Roots Revival" radio shows. For the new "Beyond The Pale CD," Bruce Henderson is again teamed with several longtime collaborators: noted Australian producer/guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst (Paul Kelly, The Dingoes), bassist Paul Ossola (Saturday Night Live, The Roches), drummer Steve Holley (Paul McCartney, Junior Brown) and keyboardist/accordionist Charlie Giordano (Joe Cocker, Pat Benatar). A fellow Hearts and Minds alum, lead guitarist Andy York (John Mellencamp, Marshall Crenshaw), joins them for several cuts. While the focus is on Henderson's songwriting, "Beyond the Pale" also features Henderson songs cowritten and sung with collaborators Matthew Grimm of New York's Hangdogs and rocker Curtis Stigers. All of these accomplished musicians join Bruce Henderson on a dark-but-hopeful tour of the Americas which parallels his own personal journey. From the flatlands of Oklahoma to the hills of Austin, Texas from the sands of Mexico to the canyons of New York City, from lust to love to heartbreak to hope, Henderson's songwriting and singing provide powerful images worthy of real thought. Henderson, was honored by his fellow musicians including Jules Shear, Marshall Crenshaw, Freedy Johnston, Curtis Stigers, Amy Rigby, and rock legend Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople) at a fundraising concert, "The Bruce Henderson Charity Ball" in January, 1999. With "The Wheels Roll," Henderson became a literate ambassador for the wave of singer/songwriters celebrating the American experience. The journey begins again. Now, Bruce Henderson is ready to take you "Beyond the Pale."

Group Members Bruce Henderson, guitar and lead vocals, Andy York, lead guitar, Kerryn Tolhurst, lead guitar, lap steel, tipple, mandolin, G.E. Smith, lead guitar, Paul Ossola, bass, Steve Holley, drums, Shawn Pelton, drums, Charlie Giordano, accordion, piano and organ, Paul Carbonara, lead guitar, Tommy Allen, percussion, guest vocals from Christine Ohlman, Matthew "Banger" Grimm, Danny Malone, and Curtis Stigers.

Instruments Three guitars, bass and drums, plus pedal steel guitar, fiddle, Hammond B-3 organ.

Albums "The Wheels Roll" and "Beyond the Pale"

Press Reviews "Bruce Henderson . . . The Wheels Roll, an album that solidifies his reputation for songs that are savvy and accessible."- USA Today... "Bruce Henderson is to New York what Dwight Yoakam is to Los Angeles: a relocated son of the soil who writes about small town hearts and minds with a fresh perspective gained from big-city living."- Rolling Stone... "It's been a long time coming for the release of Bruce Henderson's second album, Beyond The Pale. The songs here have more than a tinge of blue; yet they are well-written, well-produced, and so easy on the ears."- Gavin Report... "Henderson may claim he's been corrupted into ‘City Folk,' but the singer-guitarist still exhibits plenty of his Oklahoma-born and Austin-honed roots."- Nashville Tennessean... "Beyond the Pale features Henderson's trustworthy voice and idiosyncratic lyrics that remind us all of life's wonders. If you thought "The Wheels Roll" was great, wait until you hear this one!"- The Album Network... "With a voice as parched as the Oklahoma plain that gave him birth -- and a dark sense of humor that's every bit as dry--singer-songwriter-guitarist Bruce Henderson builds on the strengths of his debut and makes his second album a true standout.KEVIN R. CONVEY, Boston Herald... "The stories are the stars on "Beyond the Pale,'' 10 tales of desperation and desolation in America's heartland... Beyond The Pale will fit in the alt-country section of your collection, but it's similar to what John Mellencamp and others were doing 15 years ago - four-square tunes expertly played with few frills but plenty of passion. And the songs are special."- Steven Wine, Associated Press... "A New Yorker by way of his native Oklahoma, Bruce Henderson's heart is still out on the plains, where the horizon goes on forever, where life isn't as simple as it seems on the surface, and where the earth itself is ready to swallow up the weak....Similar gut-wrenching twists dot Henderson's mesmerizing songs, making BEYOND THE PALE a rich and memorable experience from first cut to last." David McGee, Barnes & Noble.com... "The rootsy Oklahoma rocker's first disc was amiable, but Beyond the Pale is arresting, from the bleakly bopping "Flatlands," an unsparing tale of familial dysfunction, to "Look at you Now," wherein a shop owner lectures the corpse of a young robber he's just blown away. Add a brace of wrenching tunes about the one that got away and a confessional about being "Bone Tired, shot to hell," and you've got an album that cuts deeply with an existential blade.- Parke Puterbaugh, Stereo Review's Sound and Vision... "...Bruce Henderson could easily be overlooked. He shouldn't be. The Oklahoma-raised New Yorker's second album, Beyond the Pale (Valley Entertainment), comes after he survived a bout with cancer, and it is a darkly compelling Americana gem... That Henderson gets you involved in these lives -- and keeps you coming back to them -- is a tribute to his storytelling." - Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer... "Henderson's cinematic good looks and Hank Williams-high voice helped win over East Coast fans to his bittersweet, Southwestern-flavored songs of love and longing."- Erik Philbrook, ASCAP Playback..." With one of the most accessible Americana albums all year, Henderson has scored a success."- Austin Chronicle... "In fact, hidden beneath the disc's, easy, rootsy sound is the heart of a real singer-songwriter. . .George Strait should cover "City Folk" Immediately . . . " - No Depression Magazine... ". . . a fine record full of big-sky yearnings for lost love and the open road, from the eight-cylinder songs "I Can Drive" and "White Lines/Blacktop" to the night winds of "Big Moon" and "Feet of Clay. - Thomas Conner, Tulsa World... ". . . He also has a knack for traditional rock n' roll that he pulls off with disarming style and warmth." - New York Press...

Additional Info Band members from Hearts and Minds, High Plains Drifters, Saturday Night Live band, John Mellencamp Band, Wings

Location New York, NY - USA

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