It is with great sadness that I must write of the death of a dear friend. After a brave struggle with cancer, Joseph Henry passed away on Sunday night. He will be missed deeply by the entire Desco-Daptone family. Though I know that he had much more music inside him which he wanted to share with the world, I prefer to think of the music and memories that he left us with.

I met Joseph in 1995 after he responded to a want-ad I'd placed in the Village Voice looking for a front man for a band I was putting together. We auditioned tens of singers before him, but none after. We called the band Joseph Henry and the East Side Soul Congregation. We did covers of what I considered funk classics at the time: "You Got to Be A Man", "I Feel Funky", "Bad Luck", "I Turned You On", and as per his request "Funky Broadway", among others. Don Bonus was in that band too, who would later go on to be a driving force behind the early Desco records. We never cut a record with that band but I think I have some burning rehearsal tapes in a box somewhere. I'm going to try to dig them out this week. We did a couple of shows in the East Village here in New York, but never really got it together. Soon after that I met Phillip Lehman who would later become my partner in Desco Records. It wasn't until about a year or two later that we brought Joseph into our studio on 41st St. to record a 45'. "Who's the King? (You Know That's Me)" would become our best known single and the record that would help us gain some recognition in the global funk scene. DJ Keb Darge began hammering the record at his Legendary Deep Funk party at Madame Jo Jo's in London and hasn't really stopped playing it since. From there the record spread. I think that at this point the record is considered by many to be a permanent part of the funk canon. Personally, I always thought that the B-side "I Feel Right" was overlooked. It's mellow, but he puts such a feeling on it.

I remember when he came in to record "Who's the King". He sang down the first verses just like I had them on the paper, but by the end he was all worked up and sweating and started completely screwing up the words. He really lifted that song out of mediocrity with his improvisation and raw energy. That was how he sang all the time. With all his soul. He had a way of making happiness have it's own sound.

It was a few years later, the summer of 1999 I think, when he came in to do the vocals on the Mighty Imperials' Thunder Chicken record. He brought a lot to that record. He improvised a lot and made every track feel like a family barbecue. His sense of humor was only rivaled by his sense of rhythm. He used both of them on that record. It was his idea to turn one of the Imperials' jams into Eddie Floyd's "Never Found A Girl", which in many people's opinion is the gem of the album. The Imperials were probably 16 at the time. They were probably a little blown away by the way he came in stomping. It was really a funny scene to remember. Of course he could have come in with a skeptical attitude, seeing these skinny little white babies trying to play funk. But that wasn't his way. He came in and heard the groove and didn't flinch. I remember him walking in and coming straight to the mic to start singing. Just like that! They were playing some groove and he just came in singing. I remember rushing to get a level on the mic and hitting record. I think that was "Joseph's Popcorn", but I'm not sure. He liked those kids right away. He seemed to like almost everybody. He loved to bullshit and smoke with us and he always had a story or two for you. He had a lot of stories and he knew just how to tell him. I'd be trying to cut something and I couldn't get the session going cause he'd have everybody rolling on the ground over something.

We used to do shows with him and the Soul Providers on the Bowery at CBGB's Gallery and at Baby Jupiter down on Orchard. Both clubs have closed down since. Those were great parties. He knew how to work a band and he knew how to work a crowd.

I remember at my wedding he showed up in a bright red suit with a matching hat and looked so clean I think some people thought he was the groom.

I have a lot of pictures of him. I'll try to put some up on the website. Some were at shows. Some in the studio. Some just hanging out. He seems to be smiling in all of them, and that's how I'm going to remember him.

"Who's the king?" Don't worry Joseph, that record is going to be spinning for a long, long time and we ain't never gonna forget who the king was.

Lovingly,

Bosco, Gabe, and the whole Daptone family

Joseph Henry is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. When I find out where they would like condolences sent I will post it here. Until then feel free to read or post thoughts and memories of Joe on Reverend Easemore's website: http://www.reverendeasemore.com. Or email them to reverendeasemore@yahoo.com

Joseph's funeral will be on Monday, December 5th, 9:30am at:

First Baptist Church -Eastern Pkwy (at Rogers Ave.)
Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Anybody who would like to attend the funeral is welcome. Letters of
condolence or memories of Joseph should be sent to:

Angeline Henry
495 Van Buren St.
Brooklyn, NY 11221