Rootsy singer/songwriter
Bruce Henderson, born and raised in Oklahoma, got his start playing in Austin, TX, where he attended college. In 1983, he moved to New York City, where he formed the band Hearts and Minds, which released an album on A&M Records. The group broke up, and Henderson wrote a nonfiction book, Waiting (published by Plume/Penguin). He then re-emerged musically as a member of the High Plains Drifters alongside guitarists
G.E. Smith (best known for his stint as the musical director of the Saturday Night Live band) and
Andy York (another Hearts and Minds alumnus and also a longtime member of
John Mellencamp's backing unit). Striking out on his own, Henderson debuted in 1997 with
The Wheels Roll, released on Omad/Paradigm. He prepared a second album,
Beyond the Pale, but after finishing it, was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and the disc's release date was suspended until he could recover and tour behind it. By the time he was healthy enough to perform again, his record label had gone out of business. Henderson then placed the album with Valley Entertainment, which brought it out in June 2000. ~ Jason Ankeny