Alton Reynolds Hendrickson (May 10, 1920 – July 19, 2007) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist and occasional vocalist.

Biography

When he was five years old, Hendrickson's family moved to California, where he grew up. He played early in his career with the Gramercy Five,

Ray Linn Ray Linn (October 20, 1920 in Chicago, Illinois – 4 November 1996 in Columbus, Ohio) was an American jazz trumpeter. Linn's first major engagements came in the late 1930s, playing with Tommy Dorsey (1938–41) and Woody Herman (1941-42). ...

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, and

Freddie Slack Frederick Charles Slack (August 7, 1910 – August 10, 1965) was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader. Life and career Slack was born in Westby, Wisconsin, United States. He learned to play drums as a boy. Later he took ...

, then worked with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

in both smaller and larger ensemble settings. He played with

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

on several occasions in the late 1940s through the end of the 1950s, and also played with

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in hi ...

, Bill Holman,

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" gu ...

Johnny Mandel John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet (TV series), The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad (TV series), T ...

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 3 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United S ...

, Andre Previn,

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (; December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he ...

Boyd Raeburn Boyd Albert Raeburn (October 27, 1913 – August 2, 1966) was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophone, bass saxophonist. Career He was born in Faith, South Dakota, United States. Raeburn attended the University of Chicago, where he led a ...

Shorty Rogers Milton "Shorty" Rogers (born Milton Rajonsky; April 14, 1924 – November 7, 1994) was an American jazz musician, one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in demand for his skills as an arra ...

, and

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

. In 1962, he appeared at the

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...

alongside

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

. He also worked as an accompanist and session musician for many popular vocalists, such as

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

Ella Mae Morse Ella Mae Morse (September 12, 1924 – October 16, 1999) was an American singer of popular music whose 1940s and 1950s recordings mixing jazz, blues, and country styles influenced the development of rock and roll. Her 1942 recording of " Cow-Co ...

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...

, and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

(''

Viva Las Vegas ''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American rock and roll musical film directed by George Sidney, written by Sally Benson, choreographed by David Winters, and starring Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair ...

''). He also worked with arrangers like

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

, and

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

, and did sessions for television and film. Hendrickson died of a heart attack at his home in North Bend, Oregon, at the age of 87.

Discography

As sideman

With

Ray Conniff Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s. Biography Conniff was born November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United S ...

* ''Friendly Persuasion'' (Columbia, 1964) * ''Speak to Me of Love'' (CBS, 1964) * ''You Make Me Feel So Young'' (Columbia, 1964) With

Earl Grant Earl Grant (January 20, 1931 – June 10, 1970) was an American pianist, organist, and vocalist popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Grant was born in Idabel, Oklahoma. Though he would be known later for his keyboards and vocals, Grant also ...

* ''The End'' (Decca, 1958) * ''Beyond the Reef and Other Instrumental Favorites'' (Decca, 1962) * ''Winter Wonderland'' (Decca, 1972) With

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

* '' Come Fly with Me'' (Capitol, 1958) * '' Come Dance with Me!'' (Capitol, 1959) * '' All Alone'' (Reprise, 1962) * '' September of My Years'' (Reprise, 1965) * '' The World We Knew'' (Reprise, 1967) With others *

Laurindo Almeida Laurindo José de Araújo Almeida Nóbrega Neto (2 September 1917 – 26 July 1995) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He was one of the pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the firs ...

, ''Guitar from Ipanema'' (Capitol, 1964) *

Georgie Auld Georgie Auld (May 19, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Early years Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1929. Before the family left Canada, Auld ...

, ''In the Land of Hi-Fi'' (Mercury, 1956) * Jesse Belvin, ''Mr. Easy'' (RCA, 1960) * Johnny Best, ''Dixieland Left and Right'' (Mercury, 1961) *

Harry Betts Harry Betts (September 15, 1922 – July 13, 2012) was an American jazz trombonist. Background Born in New York and raised in Fresno, California, he was active as a jazz trombonist and played with Stan Kenton's orchestra in the 1950s. He can be h ...

, ''The Jazz Soul of Doctor Kildare'' (Choreo, 1962) *

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

, ''Great! Great! Great!'' (Dot, 1961) *

Pete Candoli Walter Joseph "Pete" Candoli(June 28, 1923 – January 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton and worked in the studios of the recording and television industries. Career A native ...

, ''Blues When Your Lover Has Gone'' (Somerset, 1961) * Frank Capp &

Nat Pierce Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...

, ''Juggernaut'' (Concord Jazz, 1977) *

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, ''Session at Midnight'' (EMI, 1972) *

Herman Clebanoff Herman Clebanoff (May 2, 1917 – January 13, 2004) was an American concert violinist and conductor. Background Herman Clebanoff was born on May 2, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, to his Russian immigrant parents. Starting violin lessons at the b ...

, ''Exciting Sounds'' (Mercury, 1961) * Herman Clebanoff, ''Lush, Latin & Bossa Nova Too!'' (Mercury, 1963) *

, '' Rosie Solves the Swingin' Riddle!'' (RCA Victor, 1961) * Rosemary Clooney, ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'' (Reprise, 1963) *

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

, '' Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays'' (Capitol, 1962) *

Peggy Connelly Peggy Connelly (September 25, 1931 – June 11, 2007) was an American singer and actress. Early years Connelly's parents were Mr. and Mrs. George F. Connelly, and she has four siblings. As a teenager, she sang for military personnel in Texas in ...

, ''Peggy Connelly'' (Bethlehem, 1956) *

Scatman Crothers Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986) was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show ''Chico and the Man'', and Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's '' The ...

, ''Rock 'N' Roll with Scat Man'' (Tops, 1956) *

Maxwell Davis Thomas Maxwell Davis, Jr. (January 14, 1916 – September 18, 1970), was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist, arrangement, arranger, bandleader and record producer. Biography Davis was born in Independence, Kansas in 1916. In 1937, h ...

, ''Compositions of Duke Ellington and Others'' (Crown, 1960) *

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...

, '' Love Swings'' (Atco, 1961) *

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian–American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizin ...

, ''Black Magic Woman'' (Columbia, 1971) * Percy Faith, ''Bouquet of Love'' (Columbia, 1962) *

Frances Faye Frances Faye (November 4, 1912 – November 8, 1991) was an American cabaret and show tune singer and pianist. Born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, she was a second cousin of Danny Kaye. Career Born as Frances Cohe ...

, ''I'm Wild Again'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * Frances Faye, ''Swinging All the Way with Frances Faye'' (Verve, 1962) *

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

, ''The Venezuela Joropo'' (Pacific Jazz, 1967) * Ted Gärdestad, ''

Blue Virgin Isles ''Blue Virgin Isles'' is the fifth studio album and international debut album by Swedish singer-songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released in November 1978 by Epic Records in the UK and Polar Music in Scandinavia. Background Recording The ''Blue Virgin ...

'' (Polar, 1978) *

, ''The New Continent'' (Limelight, 1965) * Conrad Gozzo, ''Goz the Great!'' (RCA Victor, 1955) *

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...

, ''Lorne Greene's American West'' (RCA Victor, 1965) *

Richard Greene Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series ...

, ''Ramblin'' (Rounder, 1979) * Guitars Unlimited, ''Quiet Nights and Brazilian Guitars'' (Capitol, 1966) * Guitars Unlimited, ''Tender Is the Night'' (Capitol, 1969) *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java (instrumental), Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn (album ...

, ''Horn a-Plenty'' (RCA Victor, 1962) * Al Hirt &

, '' Beauty and the Beard'' (RCA Victor, 1964) * Diana Hubbard, ''LifeTimes'' (Waterhouse, 1979) * Gordon Jenkins, ''France 70'' (Time, 1962) * Beverly Mahr, ''Gordon Jenkins Presents My Wife The Blues Singer'' (Impulse, 1963) * Gordon Jenkins, ''Paris I Wish You Love'' (Time, 1964) *

, ''To Swing or Not to Swing'' (Contemporary, 1955) * Barney Kessel, ''Contemporary Latin Rhythms'' (Reprise, 1963) *

, ''St Louis Blues'' (RCA Victor, 1958) *

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

, '' Jump for Joy'' (Capitol, 1958) * Peggy Lee, '' Pretty Eyes'' (Capitol, 1960) * Peggy Lee, '' If You Go'' (Capitol, 1961) * Peggy Lee, '' I'm a Woman'' (Capitol, 1963) * Peggy Lee, '' Mink Jazz'' (Capitol, 1963) * Peggy Lee, '' Guitars a là Lee'' (Capitol, 1966) * Skip Martin, ''Scheherajazz'' (Golden Guinea, 1959) * Skip Martin, ''Perspectives in Percussion'' (Somerset, 1961) * Matty Matlock, ''Dixieland'' (Mayfair, 1957) *

, ''Billy May's Big Fat Brass'' (Capitol, 1958) * Billy May, ''Sorta-May'' (Creative World, 1971) *

Lincoln Mayorga Lincoln Mayorga (March 28, 1937 – July 3, 2023) was an American pianist, arranger, conductor and composer who worked in rock and roll, pop, jazz and classical music. Life and career Pop music in the 1950s and 1960s Mayorga was born in Los An ...

, ''Lincoln Mayorga & Distinguished Colleagues'' (Sheffield Lab, 1971) * Eddie Miller, ''Frat Hop'' (Tops, 1957) *

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

, '' The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees'' (Rhino, 1968) * Mark Murphy, ''

Playing the Field ''Playing the Field'' is a BBC television drama series following the lives of the Castlefield Blues, a fictitious female football team from South Yorkshire. Outline Inspired by Pete Davies's book ''I Lost My Heart to the Belles'' – which was ...

'' (Capitol, 1960) *

Ruth Olay Ruth Olay (July 1, 1924 – September 3, 2021) was an American jazz singer who was born in San Francisco, the daughter of a Rabbi and a professional chorister mother. Moving to Los Angeles while still an infant, Olay became a fixture in Hollywood ...

, ''Soul in the Night'' (ABC, 1966) * Dave Pell, ''Dave Pell's Prez Conference'' (GNP Crescendo, 1978) * Dave Pell, ''In Celebration of Lester Young'' (GNP Crescendo, 1979) * Andre Previn, ''Andre Previn Plays Gershwin'' (RCA Victor, 1955) * Andre Previn, ''Let's Get Away from It All'' (Decca, 1955) * Googie Rene, ''Romesville!'' (Class, 1959) *

Howard Roberts Howard Mancel Roberts (October 2, 1929 – June 28, 1992) was an American jazz guitarist, educator, and session musician. Early life Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona to Damon and Vesta Roberts, and began playing guitar at the age of 8 — a ...

, ''Guilty!!'' (Capitol, 1967) *

& Andre Previn, ''Collaboration'' (RCA Victor, 1955) *

, ''Che!'' (Tetragrammaton, 1969) * Paul Smith, ''Latin Keyboard & Percussion'' (Verve, 1960) *

Joanie Sommers Joanie Sommers (born Joan Drost, February 24, 1941) is an American singer and actress. Her career has focused on jazz, standards and popular song. Early in her career she was billed as "The Voice of the Sixties"; she also collaborated with promin ...

& Laurindo Almeida, ''Softly, the Brazilian Sound'' (Warner Bros., 1964) *

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an United States, American jazz Trombone, trombonist and singer. He led both of his bands himself and was a sideman for Paul Whiteman's orchestra. From 1946 to 1951, he played ...

, ''Swing Low Sweet Spiritual'' (Capitol, 1957) *

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

, '' I Dig the Duke! I Dig the Count!'' (Verve, 1962) * Mel Tormé, ''

Mel Tormé Sings Sunday in New York & Other Songs About New York ''Mel Tormé Sings Sunday in New York & Other Songs About New York'' is a 1963 studio album by Mel Tormé, of songs about New York City. Track listing # "Sunday in New York" (Carroll Coates, Peter Nero) – 2:34 # " Autumn in New York" (Vern ...

'' (Atlantic, 1963) * Joe Williams, ''Prez & Joe: In Celebration of Lester Young'' (GNP, 1979) *

Paul Williams Paul Williams may refer to: Authors * Paul Williams (Crawdaddy) (1948–2013), American music and science fiction journalist; founder of ''Crawdaddy'' and the Philip K. Dick Society * Paul Williams (Irish journalist) (born 1964), Irish journalis ...

, '' Here Comes Inspiration'' (A&M, 1974) *

Si Zentner Simon Hugh Zentner (June 13, 1917 in New York City, United States – January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American jazz trombonist and big-band leader. Zentner played in the bands of Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey in the ...

, ''Rhythm Plus Blues'' (Liberty, 1963)

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

* * *
Al Hendrickson recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hendrickson, Al 1920 births 2007 deaths American jazz guitarists 20th-century American guitarists People from Eastland, Texas Jazz musicians from Texas

Biography

Discography

As sideman

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links