Bill Henderson (born March 19, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois, died April 3, 2016) began his show business career in the early 1950's. Possessing a vibrant, blues-influenced voice, he sang in the Chicago area, often with Ramsey Lewis. In the late 1950's, he spent some time in New York and began playing and recorded for Vee-Jay (1959-61), with leading musicians including Horace Silver, before returning to Chicago to continue singing with Lewis. He spent two years as featured singer with the Basie Band, shared a recording date with Oscar Peterson, and recorded on Horace Silver's Senior Blues and worked with Count Basie in Las Vegas in 1965. Shortly after, Bill Cosby brought Mr. Henderson into the acting profession.

Since then, Bill Henderson has lived in Los Angeles, pursuing an active career in film and television that makes his appearances as a jazz singer rare events. He occasionally appeared live in clubs and more often for television and recordings. Mr. Henderson was twice nominated for Grammy Awards: for Street of Dreams, and Tribute to Johnny Mercer (1981). In 1999 he appeared as one of the vocalists on Charlie Haden and Quartet West's Grammy-nominated CD The Art of the Song with Shirley Horn. Mr. Henderson's voice is also heard singing ballads over the final credits of the independent film Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire. His television credits include starring roles in Take the High Road (1980), Ace Crawford Private Eye (1983), and Dreams (1984). He appeared in guest roles in The Twilight Zone, Happy Days, Sanford and Son, Harry-O, Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, Hart to Hart, The Incredible Hulk, Benson, Hill Street Blues, The Facts of Life, Hardball, Picket Fences, In the Heat of the Night, NYPD Blue, ER, Malcolm Eddie, 7th Heaven, and Cold Case Files.