Billy Henderson (American singer)
Billy Henderson (August 9, 1939 – February 2, 2007) was an American singer, best known for being an original member and founder of The Spinners, a soul vocal group.
The Spinners were formed in 1954 by five friends in High School while growing up in Royal Oak Township Michigan USA. They had several hits, especially in the 1970s, such as "I'll Be Around" (1972) and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick), "The Rubberband Man," and "It's a Shame."
"It's a Shame" is a song co-written by Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett and produced by Wonder as a single for The Spinners on Motown's V.I.P. Records label. [1] The single became the Detroit-reared group's biggest single on the Motown Records company since they had signed with the company in 1964 and also their biggest hit in a decade. The lineup of the Spinners included original members Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson and Bobby Smith and lead vocalist G.C. Cameron. The quintet recorded the single in 1970. The song, which is about a man who complains about a lover's "messin' around" on him, became a huge hit for the group reaching number-fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-three on the R&B singles chart, making it their biggest hit to date. The song was the first song Wonder produced for another act by himself.
The Spinners were nominated for six Grammy Awards and they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the second star for a musical group consisting of African-Americans.
In February 2007, Henderson died at the age of 67 of complications caused by diabetes. His grave is located at Woodlawn Cemetery.
External links
- Billy Henderson at Find a Grave
- Billy Henderson at the Internet Movie Database
- Associated Press
- Billboard: Spinners Vocalist Billy Henderson Dies
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