Larry Henley | |
|---|---|
 Henley in 1963 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Larry Joel Henley June 30, 1937 Odessa, Texas, US |
| Died | December 18, 2014(2014-12-18) (aged 77) |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1957–2014 |
| Formerly of | The Newbeats |
Larry Joel Henley[1] (June 30, 1937 – December 18, 2014) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing (withJeff Silbar) the 1989 hit record "Wind Beneath My Wings". He is also known for his distinctive falsetto singing voice, which he used prominently when inthe Newbeats, a pop trio best known for their hit song "Bread and Butter".
Henley was born to Carl Henley and Helen Quinn[2] inOdessa, Texas on June 30, 1937.[3] Larry's mother Helen, as well as all her sisters, was a country singer who sang as "Kewpi Timms".[1][4][5] She had performed withCowboy Slim Rinehart on the radio stationsXEPN andXEG.[4] His dad worked in an oilfield.[5]
He grew up inOdessa, Texas with three sisters, Barbara Henley, Jeanette Henley Chisholm and Pam Lutrell as well as a younger brother, Reggie Henley. He had originally planned on an acting career before becoming a singer and songwriter.[6] He was a friend ofRoy Orbison, who lived 20 miles (32 km) away from Henley, and was one of the inspirations for getting him into music.[7][4][8] The only instrument Larry knew how to play was the violin, which he learned as a child and never played after his childhood.[5]
In 1957, Henley was working for Phillips chemical company, Phillips 66, when he moved toSouthern California when he was twenty years old with aspirations of being an actor or singer, also attending college at the time.[4][5] He appeared in "Rent-a-Gent", an Australian film shot inHonolulu.[5] After winning a talent show inSan Diego, he gota job as an opening act forThe Johnny Otis Show.[4] After a few yeares of performing in California, lack of money disillusionment led to Henley getting a job in the oil fields nearShreveport, Louisiana and later as a wire line serviceman inNew Iberia.[7][4]
While visiting relatives in Shreveport, his brother-in-law told The Dean and Mark Combo, consisting of brothers with the surname Mathis who were the house band for The Diamond Head Lounge, that Henley was once a famous singer and convinced Henley to join the brothers on stage.[7] Henley then started working with the brothers and toured the southern US. Before the band made it big, Henley recorded a few solo records forHickory Records inNashville.[4]
Dean and Mark travelled to Nashville to be with Larry and after they were discovered byMercury Records, they established themselves as the pop groupThe Newbeats.[7] He was the lead singer for the Newbeats, officially formed in 1964, singing in a distinctivefalsetto.[9] Henley's memorable falsetto voice came by accident: "just something I discovered I could do. I’d sing along withRay Charles andMargie Hendricks records, and I could do the Ray Charles part and then I could do the Margie Hendricks part. Everybody thought that was cute so I’d sing a few Ray Charles songs like that, and people started saying, "You should record like that, that’s a real interesting voice,".[5]
The group had three hits that charted in the top 20 of Billboard magazine, with one of them, "Bread and Butter", reaching No. 2 on the Billboard charts and selling over a million copies. They toured Australia and New Zealand withRoy Orbison,Ray Columbus and the Invaders and theRolling Stones on the "Big Beat '65" tour.[10] The group's last single was released in 1974.
Henley was a friend ofBobby Goldsboro and it was because of Henley's urging that Goldsboro sang the song "Honey".[11]
Henley had a solo album,Piece a Cake, released in 1975.[12]
He co-wrote with Red Lane "'Til I Get It Right" forTammy Wynette, a 1973 No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles,[13] later covered byBarbra Streisand andKenny Rogers. Other #1 country hits were his songs "Is It Still Over?" (performed byRandy Travis), "Lizzie and the Rainman" (performed byTanya Tucker), and "He's a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen)" (performed byJanie Fricke).[14] Other songs included "Shotgun Rider" forDelbert McClinton; "You're Welcome to Tonight" byLynn Anderson andGary Morris; and "The World Needs a Melody" byThe Carter Family withJohnny Cash.[15][16]
He was a staff songwriter forTree International Publishing in Nashville.[5]
The song "Wind Beneath My Wings" (written by Henley andJeff Silbar) was a U.S.#1 hit forBette Midler and has since totaled around 6 million radio air plays.[17] The song earned Henley and Silbar theGrammy Award for Song of the Year for 1989, and Bette Midler theRecord of the Year award.[18][19] The song was originally recorded byRoger Whittaker in 1982 and has since been covered by numerous artists.
He was a 2012 inductee into theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.[7] "Bread and Butter" has been used inSunbeam Bread advertisements and multiple films, while "Wind Beneath My Wings" was part of the soundtrack forBeaches (1988).[9]"Love Is on the Air" written by Henley with Jim Hurt and Johnny Slate, performed byLou Rawls was used inThe Cannonball Run.[20]
At the time of his death, he was managed by Charlie Andrews.[6]
Henley was married and had a son, born when he was nineteen.[5]
On December 18, 2014, Henley died ofLewy Body Dementia inNashville, Tennessee at age 77.[14] He had been suffering from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.[14] He is buried at Kelsey Cemetery inGilmer, Texas.
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