Henderson, Fletcher

Fletcher Henderson African-American bandleader and arranger Fletcher Hamilton [some sources give James Fletcher] Henderson, Jr., Cuthbert, Georgia, December 18, 1897; New York City, December 29, 1952. Henderson’s mother was a classical pianist, and his younger brother, Horace (1904–1988), would also become a pianist and bandleader. Henderson attended Atlanta University from 1916 to 1920, then moved to New York. He found a job as a pianist-demonstrator for the firm of Pace and Handy, and then…