Henry Gray was born on January 19, 1925, in Kenner, Louisiana. He created the outline for post World War II Chicago blues piano. Playing for twelve years with legendary Howlin’ Wolf, Henry Gray has remained prominent for decades as an original blues voice in Chicago and Louisiana.
Henry Gray has performed at virtually every New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival since its beginning. A Grammy Nominee for “A Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf’,” he also performed at Mick Jagger’s 55th birthday party in Paris in 1998 and is featured in Clint Eastwood and Marin Scorsese blues films. Henry received a prestigious National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship award in 2006.
In 2015, Delta Groove Music released a selection of collaborations between Henry Gray has and harmonica virtuoso Bob Corritore made over a 19-year period. Vocalists featured include Robert Lockwood Jr., John Brim, Nappy Brown, Tail Dragger and Dave Riley. Guest instrumentalists include Bob Margolin, Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher, Big Jon Atkinson, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Bob Stroger, Chico Chism, June Core, Doug James and others.
Partial Discography
* Louisiana Swamp Blues, Vol. 2 (Wolf Records, 1990)
* Blues Won’t Let Me Take My Rest (Lucky Cat Records, 1999)
* Don’t Start That Stuff (Last Call Records, 2000)
* Henry Gray Plays Chicago Blues (Hightone Record, 2001)
* Watch Yourself (Lucky Cat Records, 1999)
* Henry Gray and the Cats: Live in Paris CD/DVD (Lucky Cat Records, 2003)
* The Blues of Henry Gray & Cousin Joe (Storyville Records, 2004)
* Times Are Gettin Hard (Lucky Cat Productions, 2009)
* Lucky Man (Blind Pig, 2011)
* Vol. 1: Blues Won’t Let Me Take My Rest (Delta Groove Music, 2015)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
