Nubian Jak Community Trust
Russell
Henderson
1924
Musician and pioneering
pan artist
Led the first ever carnival
parade on the streets
of Notting Hill
in 1965
UK Centre for Carnival Arts
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Russell Audley Ferdinand "Russ" Henderson MBE (7 January 1924 – 18 August 2015) was a jazz musician on the piano and the steelpan. He is most widely recognised as one of the founding figures of the Notting Hill Carnival in London, United Kingdom.
Russell Henderson was born in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where he grew up. He founded the Russell Henderson Quartet in the 1940s and was soon well known in Trinidad, accompanying calypsonians such as Lord Pretender, Mighty Growler and Roaring Lion. He was also pianist for Beryl McBurnie's dance troupe at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, and taught melodies to the steelpan pioneer Ellie Mannette of Invaders Steelband.
In 1951, Henderson travelled to England to study piano tuning at the North London Polytechnic.
He settled in England and founded Britain's first steelband combo (The Russ Henderson Steel Band) with Mervyn Constantine and Sterling Betancourt in late 1952. They played their first gig at The Sunset Club at 50 Carnaby Street. Other compatriots Henderson worked with in the early London days were calypsonians Lord Kitchener and Young Tiger.
Henderson was vitally involved in building up Notting Hill Carnival, having played at the first Children's Carnival there in 1964. He was a friend of the 606 Club in London, where he performed a monthly show with his revised jazz quartet, sharing the evening with the Al Whynette Band. In his retirement he gave numerous interviews with BBC Radio 4 and BBC Four on his Notting Hill past.
Russell Henderson died on 18 August 2015 at the age of 91.