Park Foundation Music App

Home > Artists

Gordon Henderson

Gordon Henderson is an influential Dominican musician, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. As a student in the 1960s, he performed in talent shows singing soul and R&B. He was also an early calypsonian under the name "Mighty Bee." In the 1970s, Henderson formed the band "Voltage 4" and had success touring Martinique and Guadeloupe. He later joined [a1344075] as their lead singer, where he penned and recorded the hit song "Love," gaining popularity across the Caribbean and beyond, particularly in Suriname and the Netherlands. Henderson is best known for founding the band [a203394] in the 1970s, which he dubbed "cadence-lypso," blending calypso and creole that helped dominate the French Caribbean music market. Henderson achieved great success performing cadence-lypso with Exile One, and their success in France was influential. Considered a pioneer of modern Caribbean music, his style of cadence-lypso is recognized as laying the foundation for the development of zouk and soca. In the 1980s, he played a pivotal role in establishing Tropic FM in Paris, France, a radio station targeting the Caribbean Diaspora. He also spearheaded the creation of the annual World Creole Music Festival in Dominica. His composition "Jamais Voir Ça" sold over 2.5 million copies in a Brazilian version recorded by [a1080926] under the title "Quero Voce". In addition Gordon Henderson has been the recipient of numerous gold records (sales over 100,000) in France. In 2016 he received the Trailblazer Award in Washington DC from the Caribbean Institute of Cultural Studies.