The Headhunters are an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music.
The Headhunters | |
|---|---|
 Herbie Hancock and The Headhunters in 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | United States of America |
| Genres | Jazz fusion |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | Columbia, Verve Forecast, Basin Street, P-Vine, Owl Studios |
| Past members | |
History and band name
editHancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with a stronger funk component.[1] He chose the name of the group, "Headhunters", while doing Buddhist chanting.[1] The name pleased him because it made a triple reference to the jungle, to intellectual concerns, and to sexual activity.[1]
In 1973, the band comprised Hancock (keyboards), Bennie Maupin (saxophone, clarinet), Harvey Mason (drums), Paul Jackson (bass), and Bill Summers (percussion). Their first album, Head Hunters, sold more than one million copies.[2]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US Jazz (Trad) [3] |
US Jazz (Cont) [3] | |||
| Head Hunters (Herbie Hancock album) |
|
21 | — | — | |
| Thrust (Herbie Hancock album) |
|
— | — | — | |
| Flood (live album with Herbie Hancock) |
— | — | — | ||
| Man-Child (Herbie Hancock album) |
|
— | — | — | |
| Survival of the Fittest |
|
126 | 12 | — | |
| Straight from the Gate |
|
— | — | — | |
| Return of the Headhunters! (with Herbie Hancock) |
|
— | — | 9 | |
| Evolution Revolution |
|
— | — | — | |
| Platinum |
|
— | — | — | |
| Speakers in the House |
|
— | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| On Top: Live in Europe |
|
Chronology
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c Shteamer, Hank (2020-04-12). "Flashback: Herbie Hancock Scores a Jazz-Funk Smash With 'Head Hunters'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "The Headhunters | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Peak chart positions for albums and singles charting on the United States charts:
- "The Headhunters – Artist US chart history". Allmusic. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- "Survival of the Fittest – US chart history". Allmusic. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
External links
edit- The Headhunters on AllMusic
- The Headhunters on discogs
- "The Headhunters". NNDB.
- Pond, Steven F. (2005). Head Hunters: the Making of Jazz's First Platinum Album / by Steven F. Pond. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472034482.