Henry Gray

Henry Gray's remarkable 60-year blues career began at the age of 16 in Kenner, Louisiana, and later on in Chicago. In 1956, Howlin' Wolf asked Henry to join his band, where he remained until 1968. During the fifties and sixties, Chess records employed Henry as sideman on many recordings, and he recorded frequently with J. D. Miller's Louisiana Excello band. He’s worked with a multitude of major stars, including Taj Mahal, BB King, and Guitar Slim. During the last thirty years, Henry has performed at virtually every New Orleans Jazz Festival, as well as festivals in Chicago, Montreal, Baton Rouge, San Francisco, Memphis, and many other festivals around the United States and in Europe. In 1988, Blind Pig Records released Henry's first U.S. LP, Lucky Man. More recently, Henry received a Grammy nomination for his 1998 release A Tribute to Howlin' Wolf. The Rolling Stones also paid homage to Henry by having him play at Mick Jagger's 55th birthday bash in Paris. In the summer of '99, Henry joined Marva Wright and her band for a 30-day Louisiana music European tour produced by Blue House Records. Henry Gray will perform at this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest with his band, the Cats, and vows to continue keepin' the blues alive.

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