Henry W. Shead, Sr.

Henry Wallace Shead, Sr., whose musical repertoire is virtually unlimited, was a pianist, singer and songwriter extraordinaire. Born in Fordyce, Arkansas, on March 31, 1941, Henry was raised in Little Rock. The son of a reverend, Henry Arthur Shead, Henry was one of five children.

Henry met his wife, Jeanette Mazique, while attending college in Pine Bluff. They married in January of 1964 and had four children: Henry, Todd, Lori and Rohn.

He became a high school choral director and music teacher, all the while continuing to work in local nightspots like the Drummer‘s Club in Little Rock. In 1971, he moved to Los Angeles where he made his acting debut appearing with Henry Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss and Jane Alexander in William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life". He wrote and arranged music for stage plays and television, sang the title song for a United Artist film, did studio work on a Johnny Mathis album, and recorded for the Liberty/United Artists and Cream labels. Shead created national radio jingles and appeared on network television with Dinah Shore, Johnny Carson and Jerry Lewis. He has also performed at parties for the Rockefellers, Pearl Bailey, The Carpenters, President Lyndon Johnson, President Bill Clinton, Henry Mancini, Sergio Mendes, hotelier Peter Morton, Ed McMahon and Barbra Streisand. In Las Vegas, the city where he lived since 1974, Shead entertained at most of the major hotels, with long engagements at the Aladdin, Stardust, Hacienda, MGM Grand, Caesar’s Palace and Sahara. In 1977, the Henry Shead Band with Denise Clemente was voted Las Vegas' Best Lounge Act of the Year. His last long-term run was at AJ's Steakhouse at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, retiring in 2007. In October 2006, Henry was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.