Herbie Hancock Biography (1940-)

Full name, Herbert Jeffrey Hancock; born April 12, 1940, in Chicago, IL; sonof Wayman Edward (a government meat inspector; some sources cite grocery store clerk) and Winnie Belle (a secretary; maiden name, Griffin) Hancock; brother of Jean Hancock (a songwriter); married Gudrun Meixner (a decorator and artcollector), August 31, 1968; children: Jessica Dru. Addresses: Office: Hancock Music, 1880 Century Park E., Suite 1600, Los Angeles, CA 90067-1661.; Manager: Kushnick Pernick Management, 3 East 28th St., Sixth Floor, New York, NY 10016.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Composer, musician, actor
Birth Details: April 12, 1940; Chicago, Illinois, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
Eddie Wayne, 'Round Midnight (also known as Autour de minuit), Warner Bros., 1986
Himself, Stand by Me: Aids Day Benefit, 1987
Himself, Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones (also known as Listen Up), 1991
Himself, Indecent Proposal, Paramount, 1993
Film Work
Music performer, L'homme aux yeux d'argent, 1985
Music arranger and conductor, 'Round Midnight (also known as Autour de minuit), Warner Bros., 1986
Musician (electric piano), Traffic (also known as Traffic--DieMacht des Kartells), USA Films, 2000
Television Appearances
Series
Host, Future Waves, BET Jazz, 2001
Host of the series Rock-School, PBS.
Episodic
Gideon, Concrete Cowboys, CBS, 1981
Himself, "Firestorm," Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (also known asThe New Mike Hammer), CBS, 1985
Performer, Birdland, 1992
Also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, NBC; The MikeDouglas Show, CBS; Phil Donahue, syndicated; Saturday Night Live, NBC; and Sesame Street, PBS.
Miniseries
Jazz, 2001
Specials
Sun City, MTV, 1985
"Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis," Great Performances, PBS,1986
Host, Showtime Coast to Coast, Showtime, 1987
A Jazz Session--Sass and Brass, Cinemax, 1987
Late Night with David Letterman Fifth Anniversary Show, NBC, 1987
Celebrating a Jazz Master: Thelonious Sphere Monk, PBS, 1987
Host, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Showtime, 1988
"A Duke Named Ellington," American Masters, PBS, 1988
Newport Jazz '88, PBS, 1988
All-Star Tribute to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBC, 1989
Grammy Living Legends, CBS, 1989
Our Common Future, syndicated, then Arts and Entertainment, 1989
The Neville Brothers: Tell It like It Is, Cinemax, 1989
Host, Showtime Coast to Coast: American Music, Showtime, 1990
Host, Showtime Coast to Coast: The London Sessions, Showtime, 1990
The Best of Cinemax Sessions, Cinemax, 1990
Miles and Friends, Bravo, 1992
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1992
In Performance at the White House, PBS, 1993
An American Reunion: The 52nd Presidential Inaugural Gala, CBS, 1993
"Miles Davis: A Tribute" (also known as "Miles at Montreux"), Great Performances, PBS, 1993
Host, "Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters," Great Performances, PBS, 1994
"Partners," Directed By, Showtime, 1994
Nissan Presents a Celebration of America's Music, ABC, 1996
Blue Note--A Story of Modern Jazz (also known as Blue Note), 1996
Awards Presentations
Presenter, American Video Awards, 1985
The 28th Annual Grammy Awards, 1986
Performer, The 29th Annual Grammy Awards, 1987
The American Music Awards, 1987
The 30th Annual Grammy Awards, 1988
The American Music Awards, 1988
The 22nd Annual NAACP Image Awards, 1990
The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards, 1990
Presenter, The American Music Awards, 1992
Presenter, The 35th Annual Grammy Awards, 1993
Presenter and performer, Cybermania '94: The Ultimate Gamer Awards, 1994
The 39th Annual Grammy Awards, 1997
Television Music Director
Specials
The Neville Brothers: Tell It like It Is, Cinemax, 1989
Showtime Coast to Coast: American Music, Showtime, 1990
Showtime Coast to Coast: The London Sessions, Showtime, 1990
RECORDINGS
Albums
My Point of View, Blue Note, 1963
Inventions and Dimensions, Blue Note, 1963
Takin' Off, Blue Note, 1963
Empyrean Isles, Blue Note, 1964
(With Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, and Wayne Shorter) Speak No Evil, 1964
Succotash, Pausa, 1964
Maiden Voyage, Blue Note, 1965
Speak like a Child, Blue Note, 1968
Herbie Hancock, Blue Note, 1968
The Prisoner, Blue Note, 1969
Fat Albert Rotunda, Warner Bros., 1970
Mwandishi, Warner Bros., 1971
Crossings, Warner Bros., 1972
Sextant, Columbia, 1972
Head Hunters (also known as Headhunters), Columbia, 1973
Thrust, Columbia, 1974
Death Wish (original soundtrack), Columbia, 1974
The Best of Herbie Hancock, Blue Note, 1974
Dedication, CBS/Sony, 1974
Flood, A & M, 1975
Man-Child, Columbia, 1975
Love Me by Name, Arista, 1975

Happy the Man, GB Records, 1976
Secrets, Columbia, 1976
V.S.O.P., Columbia, 1976
Kawaida, Columbia, 1976
Live in Japan, Columbia, 1977
(With Carter, Hubbard, Shorter, and Tony Williams) V.S.O.P.: The Quintet Live, Columbia, 1977
(With Carter and Williams) The Herbie Hancock Trio, Columbia, 1977
Tempest in the Coliseum, Columbia, 1977
(With Chick Corea) In Concert, 1978, Polydor, 1978
Sunlight, Columbia, 1978
The Piano, Columbia, 1978
(With Corea) An Evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea in Concert, Columbia, 1979
Direct Step, Columbia, 1979
Feets Don't Fail Me Now, Columbia, 1979
Live under the Sky, Columbia, 1979
In Concert: Duets Live, CBS, 1979
Jingle Bells Jazz, Columbia, 1979
Hancock Alley, Manhattan Records, 1980
Mr. Hands, Columbia, 1980
Monster, Columbia, 1980
Greatest Hits, Columbia, 1980
Magic Windows, Columbia, 1981
(With Carter and Williams) The Herbie Hancock Trio with Ron Carter andTony Williams, 1981
Double Rainbow, Columbia, 1981
By All Means, MPS Records, 1981
(With Carter, Wynton Marsalis, and Williams) The Herbie Hancock Quartet, Columbia, 1982
Lite Me Up, Columbia, 1982
Future Shock, Columbia, 1983
Sound-System, Columbia, 1984
Hot and Heavy, Star Jazz Records, 1984
(With Foday Musa Suso) Village Life, Columbia, 1985
'Round Midnight (original soundtrack; also known as Autour de minuit), Columbia, 1986
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (original soundtrack), Warner Bros., 1986
Jazz Africa, Live, Verve, 1986
Third Plane, Carerre, 1986
(With Dexter Gordon) The Other Side of 'Round Midnight, Blue Note,1987
Perfect Machine, Columbia, 1988
Vibe Alive, CBS Records, 1988
Songs for My Father, Blue Note, 1988
The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years, Blue Note, 1988
Herbie Hancock: A Jazz Collection, Columbia, 1991
Herbie Hancock: The Collection, Castle Communications, 1991
The Very Best of Herbie Hancock, Sony Music, 1991
(With Whoopi Goldberg and Bill Summers) Koi and the Kola Nuts, Rabbit Ears, 1991
The Best of Herbie Hancock, Volume II, Sony Music, 1992
Dis Is Da Drum, Mercury, 1994
Jamming, Royalco, 1994
(With Michael Brecker, Al Foster, Greg Osby, Buster Williams, and vocalist Bobby McFerrin) The Herbie Hancock Quintet Live, Jazz Door, 1994
(With Gene Jackson and Jeff Littleton) The Herbie Hancock Trio: Live in New York, Jazz Door, 1994
Cantaloupe Island, Blue Note, 1994
Mwandishi Herbie Hancock: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings, Warner Archives, 1994
Herbie Hancock: Dance Singles, Sony Records, 1995
Jammin' with Herbie, Prime Cuts, 1995
The New Standard, Verve, 1996
In Concert Live, Tristar, 1996
(With Shorter) 1 + 1, Verve, 1997
Gershwin's World, Verve, 1998
Return of the Headhunters, Hancock/Verve Records, 1998
Future2Future, Transparent Music, 2001
Also recorded Corea/Hancock, Polydor; Herbie Hancock, BlueNote; Hot and Heavy; (with V.S.O.P.) Live under the Sky, Columbia; and Magic Windows, Columbia.
Albums; Contributor
The Sorcerer, Columbia, 1962
Miles Davis in Europe, Columbia, 1963
My Funny Valentine, Columbia, 1964
E.S.P., Columbia, 1965
Miles Davis, Nefertiti, Columbia, 1967
Miles in the Sky, Columbia, 1968
Davis, Filles de Kilimanjaro, 1968
Davis, In a Silent Way, Columbia, 1969
Joe Zawinul, Zawinul, Atlantic, 1971
Bobby Womack, Safety Zone, United Artists, 1975
Davis, Circle in the Round, 1979
George Benson, Give Me the Night, 1980
Alphonse Mouzon, By All Means, Pausa, 1981
Mouzon, Morning Sun, Pausa, 1981
Quincy Jones, The Dude, A&M, 1981
(And producer) Wynton Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, 1982
Manu Dibango, Electric Africa, Celluloid, 1985
Mandingo, Watto Sitta, 1987
Jones, Back on the Block, Qwest, 1989
George Clinton, Hey Man ... Smell My Finger, 1993
Manifestation: Axiom Collection II, Axiom, 1993
(And producer) A Tribute to Miles, Qwest, 1994
Axiom Funk, Funkcronomicon, Axiom, 1995
Jones, Q's Jook Joint, Qwest/Warner Bros., 1995
Tony Williams, Wilderness, 1996
Videos
Rockit (music video), 1983
The Best of Latin Jazz, RMM Records & Video, 1997
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, 2000
Video Games
Composer, Tomcat Alley, 1994
Poetry reader, Invisible Universe, 1995
Other Recordings
Herbie Hancock Presents Living Jazz (interactive CD-ROM), GraphixZone, 1996
WRITINGS
Film Music
Herbie (student film), 1966
(As Herbert Hancock) Blow-Up (also known as Blowup), Premier Productions, 1966
The Spook Who Sat By the Door, United Artists, 1973
Death Wish, Paramount, 1974
A Soldier's Story, Columbia, 1984
'Round Midnight (also known as Autour de minuit), Warner Bros., 1986
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, Columbia, 1986
(With Michael Kamen) Action Jackson, Lorimar, 1988
Colors, Orion, 1988
Harlem Nights, Paramount, 1989
Livin' Large! (also known as The Tapes of Dexter Jackson),1991
Songs
"You Bet Your Love," Sunburn, 1979
"I Thought It Was You," The Bitch, 1979
"Cantaloupe Island," American Pop, 1981
L'homme aux yeux d'argent, 1985
"Hardrock," Fast Forward, 1985
"Watermelon Man," "Chan's Song," "I Love a Party," and "Call Street Blues," 'Round Midnight (also known as Autour de minuit), Warner Bros., 1986
"Wipe Out," Back to the Beach, 1987
"Livin' Large," Livin' Large, 1991
"Cantaloop," Super Mario Bros., 1993
"Cantaloop," Jimmy Hollywood, Paramount, 1994
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)," Renaissance Man, Buena Vista, 1997
"Just around the Corner," Donnie Brasco, Columbia/TriStar, 1997
Other songs include "Groove Is in the Heart (the Deee-Remix)," Can't Hardly Wait; "Groove Is in the Heart," Charlie's Angels; "Watermelon Man," Out of Sight; and a song in the film Office Space.
Film Lyrics
It Takes Two (also known as Me and My Shadow), 1995
Television Composer
Series
Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert (animated), CBS, 1969
Episodic
"Koi and the Kola Nuts," We All Have Tales, Showtime, 1992
Other Television Music
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (animated special), CBS, 1974
The George McKenna Story (movie), CBS, 1986

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 20, Gale, 1998
Contemporary Musicians, Volume 25, Gale, 1999

Periodicals

Billboard, September 29, 2001, p. 11
Down Beat, January, 1990, pp. 16-21, 56-57; June, 1994, pp. 16-20;April, 1996, pp. 22-25; October, 1998, p. 58; February, 1999
Ebony Man, October, 1996, p. 6
Entertainment Weekly, March 8, 1996, p. 63; March 15, 1996; October 9, 1998
Jet, April 1, 1996, p. 22
Musician, December, 1998
Music Week, July 4, 1998, p. 9

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