March 30, 2018 released a new disc Ken Hensley. Rare & Tmeless (Rare and Immortal) is released by Bmg Records. The musician says about this new disc: “It features 15 songs that have been written throughout my career, starting from the 70s and ending today. This includes previously unknown versions of popular compositions, remixes and two completely new tracks. booklet for the publication you can find photos of manuscripts with lyrics, as well as rare photos from my personal collection. "
Ken Hensley says he is grateful to the record company for allowing him to choose the songs for this collection on his own, which, in his opinion, will best help him trace his career from the very beginning to today. This disc makes it possible to listen to the already familiar works of an outstanding musician and composer. This article about the creative path and discography of Ken Hensley will be interesting to both his longtime fans and those who are just starting to get acquainted with his songs.
Childhood
Kenneth William David Hensley was born on August 24, 1945 in London. At the age of 12, he began to persuade his parents to buy him a guitar. Mom and Dad could not resist the perseverance of the young music lover for a long time, and the boy received the coveted instrument.
He learned to play from the then-popular book of Bert Widon. At the age of 15, he gave his first recital. After that, the young musician participated in many amateur groups. In 1963, his band The Jimmy Brown Sound recorded several songs that are considered lost. The guys were rehearsing hard, dreaming of playing with Ben I. King during his British tour.
The gods
In early 1965, Ken Hensley, along with young guitarist Mick Taylor, who later played with John Mayall and the Rolling Stones, formed a band called The Gods. The hero of this article wrote most of the songs performed by this ensemble. He participated in the group as a vocalist. Each member of this collective had to play an instrument.
Since the position of the guitarist was already taken by Mick Taylor, Ken Hensley had to master the Hammond organ. The composition of The Gods at different times included such musicians as Greg Lake (later famous in King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), John Glaskok (who later played in Jethro Tull), as well as members of the future "Jurai hip": drummer Lee Kirsleika and bassist Paul Newton. In early 1968, they signed to Columbia Records and released 2 albums and several singles at this studio.
Ken Hensley Albums
The third disc of the group (now called Head Machine) is Orgasm. During his recording, Ken Hensley again played mainly on the guitar. The music of this album is usually considered as a prototype of the heaviest compositions "Juraj hip".
After the release of this disc, the team broke up. At the same time, the English group Rebel Rousers ceased to exist. Her vocalist Cliff Bennett decided to create a new band and invited several members of The Gods to join him, including Ken Hensley.
The group was called Toe Fat. She recorded 2 albums, but only on the first of them did the hero Hensley play.
Creation of "Jurai Hip"
Participating in the above listed teams, Ken Hensley gained fame as a keyboard player, whose manner of playing is perfect for progressive rock. Wanting to make their music more intellectual, members of the Spice band suggested Ken join their band. Soon his name changed to "Jurai Hip". Ken Hensley is considered a member of the classic composition of this team.
With her, he recorded 13 studio and one live album. In parallel with working in a group, he managed to create two solo discs: Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf and Eager to Please. In 1980, Ken Hensley left Jurai Hip due to disagreement with the producers.
Life after Uriah Heep
Immediately after leaving the band, Ken Hensley recorded his third solo album, Free Spirit. Two years later, in 1982, he became a member of the Blackfoot group from Florida. With her, he recorded two studio CDs.
In 1985, Hensley settled in the city of St. Louis (Missouri). Leading a secluded lifestyle, he still sometimes participated in the recordings and concerts of such groups as WASP, Cinderella and others. The vocalist of the first of these groups once said: "I believe that Ken Hensley is a model for all keyboards playing in the style of Heavy Metal."
In 1999, along with his band Visible Faith, the musician recorded the disc A Glimpse of Glory.
In 2004, he moved to Spain and there he continued to regularly release albums with new material, as well as records with unreleased compositions of past years and modern re-hits of his hits. In 2005, his CD entitled Cold Autumn Sky was released. Ken Hensley’s song "Romance", loved by many of his fans, can be heard on this disc. In 2007, the musician recorded a rock opera of his own composition Blood on the Highway.
In addition to Ken Hensley himself, the vocal parts on this album were performed by Glenn Hughes, John Lawton and other singers
The latest to date disc with the new songs of the hero of this article was recorded with the group Live Fire and was released in 2013. It is called Trouble.
In an interview, Ken Hensley said he plans to begin work on creating a new album in 2019.