The Headhunters

The Headhunters was a jazz fusion band formed by iconic jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock (born April 12, 1940). Growing more interested in electronic keyboards and funk music, Hancock had already disbanded his band Mwandishi before forming The Headhunters. The original line-up was comprised of Herbie Hancock (keyboards), Harvey Mason (drums), Bill Summers (percussion), Paul Jackson (bass), and Bennie Maupin (saxophone/clarinet). The band’s first album, Head Hunters (1973), was released under Herbie Hancock’s name. While the album didn’t scale the charts, it sold extremely well and is now considered one of jazz fusion’s defining albums. Harvey Mason left the band and was replaced by drummer Mike Clark by the time the band released the album Thrust (1974), again released under Herbie Hancock’s name. The band’s first album under their own name was Survival of the Fittest (1977), their first album that did not feature Herbie Hancock as an active member (although he was still credited as producer). The album introduced guitarist DeWayne Blackbyrd McKnight to the line-up. The album rose to Number 12 on Billboard’s Traditional Jazz Albums chart. In 1977, they released the album Straight from the Gate, which introduced yet another change in the line-up. However, the band split up shortly afterwards. In 1998, members of the band reunited with Herbie Hancock for the album Return of the Headhunters, which reached Number 9 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Different incarnations of The Headhunters – featuring several original members - released the albums Evolution Revolution (2003), Platinum (2011), and Speakers in the House (2018). Bassist Paul Jackson died on March 18, 2021.

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