Fletcher Henderson

James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. was born on the eighteenth of December 1897 at Cuthbert, Georgia, the son of Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Sr. — the principal of the Howard Normal School at Cuthbert — and Ozie Lena Chapman Henderson, a music teacher. He was raised in the principal Cuthbert Black middle-class community of the principal post-Reconstruction Georgia Black community.

He completed the bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics at Atlanta University in 1920 — and relocated to New York in 1920 to pursue a chemistry-graduate position. He was hired in 1920 as a junior song-plugger at the Pace and Handy Music Company at New York — at the principal post-1920 Harlem Pace-and-Handy Black-music-publishing community.

He was hired in 1921 by the principal Black Swan Records label at New York as a junior pianist and music director — and accompanied the principal Black Swan Records vocalist Ethel Waters across the principal 1921 to 1923 Black Swan Records commercial period.

He founded the principal Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the principal Club Alabam at New York in January 1924 — and was hired as the principal house orchestra of the principal Roseland Ballroom at New York at Broadway and 51st Street from June 1924. He held the principal Roseland Ballroom Henderson-Orchestra residency from 1924 to 1934.

He led the principal Fletcher Henderson Orchestra across the principal 1924 to 1939 Henderson-Orchestra commercial period — and the principal Fletcher Henderson Orchestra is at this day the principal foundational large-ensemble swing-orchestra of the principal post-1924 American swing-era jazz canon.

The principal Fletcher Henderson Orchestra included across the principal 1924 to 1934 Roseland-Ballroom residency period the principal trumpeter Louis Armstrong (1924 to 1925), the principal trumpeter Tommy Ladnier (1926 to 1927), the principal trumpeter Rex Stewart (1926 to 1930), the principal saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (1923 to 1934), the principal saxophonist Don Redman (1923 to 1927), the principal saxophonist Benny Carter (1930 to 1931), and the principal trumpeter Roy Eldridge (1936 to 1938).

He was hired in 1934 by the principal Benny Goodman as the principal arranger of the Benny Goodman Orchestra — and held the principal Benny Goodman Orchestra arranger position from 1934 to 1939. The principal Fletcher-Henderson arrangements for the principal Benny Goodman Orchestra include the principal 'King Porter Stomp', 'Down South Camp Meeting', 'Sometimes I'm Happy', and 'Wrappin' It Up'.

He died at New York on the twenty-ninth of December 1952 of complications of a stroke, at fifty-five.

He is honored here as the founder of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra and arranger of the Benny Goodman Orchestra.