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Henry Oden

Nu-neo-West Coast Blues, too funky for blues, too bluesy for funk.

Henry Oden grew up in Richmond, California. Born the 8th day of February 1947 to parents who migrated from the rural south to work in the Kaiser Shipyards of Richmond, Henry’s father would order him his first guitar from a Montgomery Ward mail order catalogue. Robert Kelton, a neighbor and former Jimmy McCracklin guitarist, would soon give Henry his first guitar lesson. Within one year of his first lesson, and not yet legally old enough to enter night clubs, Henry could be found at Sunday jam sessions around Richmond. Henry has accompanied a who’s who of blues luminaries in his 40 plus years as musician. Jimmy Reed, Big Mama Thornton, Pee Wee Crayton, High Tide Harris, the King Brothers, L.C. "Good Rocking" Robinson, Buddy Ace, Michael Bloomfield, Bill Withers and Little Joe Blue are but a few. During the 60’s Henry was the bassist with Freddy and the Stone Souls, lead by Freddy Stewart, Sly Stone's Brother. This band would reconfigure and back The Delegates, Roger Collins, Little Ronnie and the Chromatics and Fillmore Slim as Sly’s and house band at Little Bo Peep’s in San Francisco. Henry would go on to join Berkeley based, funk-soul band, Loading Zone and record with Loading Zone’s lead singer Linda Tillery when the group disbanded. By the end of the 60’s Henry was performing with Tony Bartlett’s show band "Heavens Expressway" in gambling casinos throughout Nevada. By the 70’s Henry’s attention had turned to songwriting and composing. Henry undertook music studies with the late Ed Kelly and also enrolled in creative writing courses at Oakland’s Laney College. Henry would go on to join the King Brothers' band and tour with Freddie King. Returning home, Henry performed with Snooky Flowers house band at the El Cid on San Francisco’s Broadway strip. It was during the early 70’s that Henry met a budding and talented vocalist, Bianca Thornton a.k.a. Lady Bianca. Henry would devote the remainder of the decade attending to the development of Lady Bianca. In the 80’s, Henry tuned-up his bass and as if he had never rested it and was soon a member of Mark Naftilin’s Blue Monday Party Band. The band would appear at numerous festivals and make several documentaries including Percy Mayfield - Poet Laureate, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, and Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield. Road tours with Cool Papa, Chris Cain and Beverly Stovall and a recording with Clifton Chenier at the San Francisco Blues Festival kept Henry’s calendar full. Henry would go on his first international tour with the San Francisco Blues Festival and have several of his compositions were recorded on the Encore label by J.J. Malone and Troyce Keyes. In 1984 Henry hosted a blues celebrity night at Your Place in Oakland, California until being contacted by Joe Louis Walker regarding a band being put together to back Earl King and Johnny Adams. July 1985 found Henry touring Canada the U.S. and Japan with the Crescent City duo. Henry would continue to perform and record with Joe Louis Walker as his "rock solid bass player" through 1990 and Joe Louis Walker’s rise to prominence. That year Henry parted company with the Walker organization and moved to Canada. There he recoded with bluegrass artist Doug Cox, performed as a street musician and taught guitar and bass by day while writing and producing biographical material at night. In late 1992, Henry returned to the Bay Area. Enjoying the challenge of being a street minstrel Henry joined forces with the legendary "Big Bones" while finishing recording projects started in Canada. In 1993 Joe Louis Walker contacted Henry asking him to rejoin his efforts and assist in his forthcoming album. Henry agreed, leading to two of his compositions being featured on the album. By 1995, Henry had parted company with Joe Louis Walker once again. This time he headed to Arkansas as an Artist in Residence for Wildwood Center for Performing Arts 'Every Person is Creative' program. Henry soon found his musical knowledge being sought after and was hired to teach guitar and bass at the South Arkansas Cultural Center. Henry pulled out of Arkansas at the end of the 1996-97 school year. During the remainder of 1997 he briefly toured the United States and Canada with Sonny Rhodes. In 1999, Henry returned to the classroom, this time as a student. While pursuing a bachelors degree, Henry continued to stay musically active, as a member of "Blues Beat" the house band at John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room, recording with Jimmy Dawkins, Pete Sears and jazz vocalist Betty Joplin, appearing with Jimmy Johnson, Earl Thomas, Ed Thompson, Craig Horton, Sue Mack, Tracey Nelson and touring the United States, Canada and Japan with Maria Muldaur. (quoted from Henry Oden's page at myspace.com)

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