Sinky” Hendricks a Musician’S Musician

Belford C. “Sinky” Hendricks A Musician’s Musician STANLEY WARREN reat music often draws on diverse sources and great musicians typi- G cally defy categorization. The men and women who redefine the form and content of the musical genre in which they work often live “be- fore their time” and are recognized only at the end of a long career or after death. Scores of well-known Indiana musicians have made significant con- tributions to the world of music. Fans of jazz will recognize the names of Wilbur and Sidney DeParis, horn players from Crawfordsville;Speed Webb, band leader from Peru; and Sid Catlett, drummer from Evansville. India- napolis was home to saxophone player Beryl Steiner, trombonist J. J. Johnson, pianist and vocalist Russell Smith, orchestra leader Reginald DuValle, singer and vaudevillian Noble Sissle, pianist Carl Perkins, bass- ist Leroy Vinnegar, brothers Wes, Monk, and Buddy Montgomery, and the members of the Ink Spots.’ Far less known to jazz lovers is the name of Belford C. “Sinky” Hen- dricks, composer, arranger, pianist, and conductor from Evansville, Indi- ana. Yet it would be difficult to find an adult who lived during the 1950s or the 1960s who has not hummed a tune written or arranged by Hendricks. Stanley Warren is Dean Emeritus of Education, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana ‘On jazz in Indiana and Indianapolis, see Duncan Schiedt, The Jazz State of Indiana (Pittsboro, Ind., 1977); David Baker, “Jazz,” in Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, eds. David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows (Bloomington, Ind., 1994). INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY, 100 (June 2004). 0 2004, Trustees of Indiana University BELFORD C. HENDRICKS 187 Belford Hendricks and an Early Band Courtesy Jeffrey Bibbs, Sr. Why, then, is he still relatively unknown? One reason is that Hendricks often worked behind the scenes as arranger or conductor. But just as important, much of the music that he wrote and arranged defies easy categorization. As a promotional piece released for the Mercury Records album Belford Hendricks and Orchestra said of him: “He’s at ease in many musical settings.” With a background in jazz and the blues, he could perform and write swing music for the big-band sound of the Count Basie Orchestra, but he could also create a lush, pop sound for singers such as Dinah Wash- ington and Nat King Cole. As a music lover, I was surprised that I had never heard of Hendricks until a casual conversation I had with his nephew, Jeffrey Bibbs, Sr. This soon led to longer, more serious talks with Bibbs and his mother, Belfords sister Dorothy Hendricks Bibbs. As a result of those conversations, I began to organize the materials and stories that Jeffrey and his mother pro- vided to me.2 Below I offer a brief biographical sketch of Hendricks, an account of some of his most important collaborations, some resources for 2Dorothy Hendricks Bibbs, interview with author, Indianapolis, May 12,2001;Jeffrey Bibbs, Sr., interview with author, Indianapolis, May 8,2001. 188 INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY further research into his life and work, and a selected discography for those who would like to hear some of the music Hendricks helped to create. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Hendricks was born in Evansville, Indiana, in 1909 to parents Frank and Melissa. In 1924, at age 15, he graduated from the town’s segregated Douglas High School and enrolled at the Indiana State Teacher’s College in Terre Haute. In 1920s Indiana, state schools were the only higher education open to most black students. As a non-scholarship student from a family of modest means, Hendricks was unable to live the life of a tradi- tional four-year student. He worked nights and weekends and had to sit out some semesters for lack of funds. Whenever possible, Hendricks made money playing piano with local groups in Evansville and Terre Haute. He also found it necessary, however, to supplement that income by teaming with his friend Walter Bean to work for his meals at the Elks Lodge and Mother Eaton’s Restaurant in Evansville, as well as the Terre Haute House in his college In the early 1930s Hendricks began to spread his musical wings. He played with the Paul Stewart band in Terre Haute. In his hometown, he played for white audiences at the New Yorker club and at the McCurdy Hotel, where he also worked as a bus boy. Hendricks also played in black Evansville clubs such as the Shangri-La and the Casablanca. In 1935, he finally graduated from college with majors in science and music. Fellow students remembered Belford for a song-“Zoom, Zoom”-which was always on the tip of his t~ngue.~ After college, Hendricks left Indiana to enroll in an adult education program at New York University. He also studied the organ at Columbia University, took private lessons from A. Jack Thomas in harmony, arrang- ing, and composition, and further studied composition under Rudolph Schramm. During these years he married Mayetta Bean, a sister of his 3DorothyBibbs interview; Walter Bean, interview with author, Indianapolis, May 18,2001. On blacks in 1920s Evansville, see Darrel Bigham, We Ask Only a Fair Trial: A History of the Black Community ofEvansville, Indiana (Bloomington,Ind., 1987); in Indiana in general see Emma Lou Thornbrough with Lana Ruegarner, Indiana Blacks in the Twentieth Century (Bloomington,Ind., ZOOO), chap. 3. +Lemeir C. Price, “Our Black History: Belford “Sinky” Hendricks,” News 4 You, February 1992, 22-23; Sharon L Glick, Office of Registration and Records, Indiana State University, letter to author, May 5,2003. BELFORD C. HENDRICKS 189 college friend Walter. The difficulties of supporting a family during the Depression, coupled with the many hours Hendricks spent pursuing his educational and professional goals, put a strain on the marriage; the couple remained together for more than a decade, then ~eparated.~ Belfords service in the Army during World War I1 brought him opportunities to meet and perform with artists who visited military camps to entertain the troops. His contacts with the musicians he accompanied- among them, singer and actress Lena Horne-proved to be of great value in his later career.6 After the war Hendricks and his wife resettled in Evansville. The city hosted an active music scene during the late 1940s, and Hendricks was a major contributor. His piano playing graced the stages of several clubs and hotel lounges, but he could switch to another instrument when necessary. Walter Bean later recalled that “He . could play just about any instrument.” Hendricks also developed a reputation by playlng on local radio shows, including “The Breakfast Club” and “Toast and Coffee.”’ For all of this exposure, however, Hendricks was forced to supplement his income by working as a mail carrier. Engagements were too in- consistent, and pay from musical work was never enough to support him- self and his family. Belford and Mayetta divorced in the late 1940s. Seeking new opportunities, Belford moved to New York City in 1950 to pursue his musical career.* Hendricks discovered that he was already known to many musicians in the city by word of mouth, despite his relatively anonymous midwestern career. Through early connections, Hendricks was able to secure a spot on the Arthur Godfrey talent show, a launching board for many entertain- ment careers. But luck deserted Hendricks when he reached the studio. He was told that his chosen and well-rehearsed selection was too similar to that of another contestant and that he would have to perform another piece of music. Under pressure, Hendricks played well but did not win the c~mpetition.~ Such ill luck did not last long, however. Shortly after his arrival in 5“Resumeof Belford C. Hendricks,” copy in possession of Dorothy Bibbs; Dorothy Bibbs interview; Walter Bean interview. ”Jet Magazine, 58, August 21, 1980,58. ’Walter Bean interview; Price, “Our Black History,” 22. Walter Bean interview. qeffrey Bibbs interview; Jacquelin Bibbs, interview with author, Indianapolis, May 8, 2001. 190 INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY Hendricks as a Mail Carrier in 1940s Evansville CourtesyJeffrey Bibbs, Sr. the city, Hendricks began to associate with many noted musicians whom he had previously only dreamed of meeting. Remembering those years, he later said, “I knew I was that good, but not that lucky.”1oOne of the most important of these early associations, and one which (according to his nephew) taught Hendricks much of what he learned about the music busi- ness, was with the Count Basie Orchestra. Hendricks was a dose friend of a regular member of the group and sat in for him during vacations and illnesses. Thus Hendricks was able to play with the orchestra on several occasions, and his working relationship with Basie led to a writing col- laboration between the two men, the result of which was the 1954 album King of Swing.” loon the history ofjazz in New York City, see S. B. Charters and L. KunstadtJazz: A History ofthe New York Scene (New York, 1984). For biographical information on the musicians mentioned here and elsewhere in this article, see The New Grove Dictionary ofJnzz, ed. Barry Kemfeld (2nd ed., London, 2002); or online, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy, http://www.grovemusic.com. “Jeffrey Bibbs interview;Walter Bean interview. BELFORD C. HENDRICKS 191 As Hendricks’s career continued, he was increasingly called on for his breadth of expertise as a composer, arranger, and conductor. He be- came such a prolific composer and arranger that he often used pen-names to avoid competition among his own tunes. The name he used most often was Bill Henry, but he also used variations such as Belford Cabell Hendricks, Sinky Hendricks, and Belford Clifford Hendricks.

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