André De Shields sings ‘Believe in Yourself’ at Billie Allen Henderson Memorial – YouTube
It doesn’t feel possible, but Billie Allen Henderson left us just over ten years ago, and yesterday would have been her 101st birthday. In my mind, and in my heart, she is still very much here, tho I do so wish she would answer me more clearly when I speak to her now; I have so many questions about the theatre, playwriting, and producing… I think she and Luther would both be proud of the work I am doing with “Joe Williams: Here’s to Life.”
Also, I sure could use a few of her homemade soup recipes. They were the best medicine Luther had in those last couple of years, and, after he was gone, those soups nourished and warmed my soul on those cold winter days I spent with Billie while working on Luther’s biography, tentatively titled “Seeking Harmony.” I promised Billie I would tell Luther’s story and I am so sad that I could not do so before she died. Now, finally, I have been able to devote the necessary time and can see the finish line. Stay tuned.
There have been a lot of challenges in writing Luther story, and I was often asked “Why him?” And maybe even ‘why now?’ Because, whether or not you know his name, he had a major impact on the world of music. Not just on Broadway musicals, but also in the blending of Eurocentric and ethnocentric music, including symphonic orchestrations of jazz classics. His music lives on not just on recordings but in live performances. Here are some samples:
Ten Good Years, an original Luther composition (one of Billie’s favorites) written for The Nancy Wilson Show at the Coconut Grove,
That Doo Wah Thing from Classic Ellington conducted by Sir Simon Rattle,
and Saints Hallelujah, one of my favorites by the Canadian Brass and appropriate to this post.
Enjoy!