Rising Stars: Meet Brad “Bad” Henderson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad “Bad” Henderson.

Brad, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was absolutely enamored with music at a very young age. I use to sit in a rocking chair on the front porch of my family business “The Old Chickahominy House” in Williamsburg, VA., and sing when I was just 3 years old. I wanted to play guitar after hearing 50s icons like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry.

My first guitar teacher quit and told my mother I would never be able to play guitar. This didn’t stop me, I was already picking out melodies by ear and went on to excel with some great local teachers like Jay Urgo. I went on to soak up as much as I could by listening to Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, and Van Halen.

My first paid gig was at 17, playing guitar in a “pop” show at Busch Gardens, it was there that I first met and jammed with The Wooten Brothers. After a summer stint at Berklee College of Music and a couple of years of college, I dropped out and headed to Hollywood to study guitar at the Musicians Institute.

I graduated with Honors and received a Certification in “Fusion Guitar”. I tried to learn as much about music as I could and not just focus on one style. Music is always changing and if you can only play one style, you may find yourself unemployed when the trends shift.

It was the late ’80s and I soon found myself in a Hard Rock band headlining clubs on the Sunset Strip like The Roxy, Gazzarri’s, and The Whiskey. “Shock” was one of those bands and it was unique in that they had a Horn Section so it wasn’t the typical “Hair Band” and I could incorporate some of the groove playing that I learned from Regi Wooten.

While a lot of the local bands mined the same formula that was soon to go stale, we incorporated Funk and even some Hip-Hop into our metal stylings. In 1994, I made the move to Nashville. My first gig in town was a Smooth Jazz gig with Michael Fair. It was a huge stylistic jump from playing Hard Rock but I had the musical training to make that shift.

I’ve gone on to play on Number One albums and receive a Gold Record. I’ve toured all over the U.S., Canada, and Asia. I’ve played in small clubs, theaters, arenas, and stadiums. I still love playing music and now enjoy passing on the music “bug” to my baby daughter Mia.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been an extremely bumpy road with some smooth stretches in between. Sometimes the road is only as bumpy as you make it. I would say if you’re going to pursue music for a living, be ready to struggle and accept the challenges you will face. It’s not easy getting paid to do something you love.

If you are only in it for the money, there’s a huge possibility you will end up disappointed. It’s not how many times you get knocked out but how many times you get back up. Learn to use the challenges you will face as motivation to make things happen. I have found that when I’m at my lowest point, that is when I work my hardest to make things happen.

Success can oftentimes lead to complacency. At a very early age, I was told by many people that I would not be able to make living playing music. I tuned them all out, I had a dream that continues today. For 33 years, I’ve been playing guitar for a living. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Since moving to Nashville, I’ve done just about any kind of work you can get playing guitar. I played thousands of club gigs playing all kinds of music. I’ve played on sessions featuring artists like Darrius Rucker, Keith Urban, and Walker Hayes. I’ve toured with artists like Chely Wright, Trick Pony, Gary Lewis, the Playboys, and Colt Ford.

I’ve backed Jake Owen, Jamie Johnson, Deniece Williams, Wynonna Judd, Charlie Daniels, and many others. I’ve written songs for original projects “Suitcase Pimps, “Loadsock”, “Rapnexx”, and “Stone Padre”. I’ve produced records for “Stone Padre” and Erik Blue’s album “Midnight Glow”.

Rapnexx was one of the first groups to incorporate Rap and Country Music and was featured on Jimmy Iovine’s Farmclub TV show on the USA Network. I’ve also done hundreds of corporate gigs with Erik Blue and the Number One Party Band.

I’ve always prided myself on being prepared, being on time, and always playing the best I can each moment. What sets me apart is my ability to play the right part with the right sound regardless of what genre I’m playing. Lately, I’ve been enjoying recording guitar parts for people all over the world via Airgigs.com.

What does success mean to you?
Success is getting to do what you love with people you love to work with. All the money in the world won’t make you happy in an unhappy situation.

I’m only as good as the people I work with, I’ve been lucky to work with some of the best. Special thanks to Mom and Dad, Michael Fair, Erik Blue, John Billings, Scatt Springs (R.I.P.), Elijah Reginald Wooten, Jo Wooten, Victor Wooten, Rudy Wooten, FutureMan, Rodger Carter, Bob Nellis, Nioshi Jackson, Smitty Smith, Paul Chapman, Tim Haines, Rachel Rodriguez, Mike Radovsky, Steve Forrest, Nick Rather, and many more.

Success is sharing life with my wife Lisa and baby daughter Mia.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badbradjams/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradguitar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC99nZNhFmY145rvHw2NAZew
• Other: https://www.airgigs.com/user/BadBradGuitar

Image Credits
Jeff “Minty” Mintline and Craig Landschoot