Joe Henderson was born in Lima, Ohio on April 2, 1937. He was born into a large family with 9 brothers and 5 sisters. One of his older brother’s introduced him to jazz. He had a collection of jazz records that Henderson liked to listen to. Lester Young was one of his first influences. When he was about 9 he learned how to play Lester Young’s solo on D.B. Blues with his brother’s help.

Henderson was influenced by all kinds of music, but he was most strongly drawn to bebop. In his teens he started playing at some dances around town. He learned to play the flute and bass to broaden his musical opportunities, but tenor saxophone was still his main instrument. He attended Wayne State University. Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris and Donald Byrd were among his classmates. In 1960 he joined the army. He served in the army for two years.

Here’s Joe Henderson performing with Herbie Hancock in 1993.