Bill Henderson (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Director
In the early months of 1967 Bill Henderson’s first professionally recorded song LOOKING AT A BABY (co-written with 2 of his band mates in THE COLLECTORS) was released and quickly rose to the top of the charts in Canada. A few singles later and signed to Warner Brothers, The Collectors’ first album, with their twenty minute major opus the “WHAT LOVE: SUITE” became a huge cult classic in Western North America, England, Germany and the Netherlands.
The album influenced hundreds of artists with it’s daring originality, even catching the ear of Canadian decision makers, who commissioned the COLLECTORS to create all of the music for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka Japan and represent a vital young Canada to the world. Melody Maker Magazine in England proclaimed their first album one of the ten best of the sixties decade while in Time Magazine Gerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead called Bill “the best guitarist in rock today”.
In 1969, the band shifted focus and personnel and re-emerged as CHILLIWACK. Bill’s RAINO and LONESOME MARY were early successes for the band which, like CRAZY TALK, FLY AT NIGHT, BABY BLUE, CALIFORNIA GIRL (a song about Canadians having to work and live in the USA to achieve success in the music business.), COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN, MY GIRL (GONE GONE GONE), WHATCHA GONNA DO and numerous other Chilliwack hits, can still be heard on radio to this day. Also on the airwaves lately is Chilliwack’s newly recorded live CD, THERE AND BACK and soon to be released, a rocking commentary on life patenting issues: PATENT ON THE WIND.
Over the last 40 years Bill has been a singer, songwriter, composer of music for film, television and theatre; guitarist and record producer; winner of Juno, Genie, SOCAN and other music awards; solo artist and member of the musical groups THE COLLECTORS, CHILLIWACK and ULRICH HENDERSON FORBES (UHF); past president of SOCAN and the Songwriters Association of Canada and past co-chair of the Canada Music Council.
For more information please visit Bill’s website at
www.gonegonegone.com.