Hank Horton

Bass, Vocals

 

 

Hank Horton's parents were college music teachers in North Carolina. While he received his earliest training as a percussionist and jazz guitarist he also performed in large regional theatre productions into his teens. When his family moved to Michigan he also switched to the bass. His first band as a bass player was Azrael, named after the mythological Greek angel who separated the soul from the deceased body. He started earning a real living as a musician while still in high school. He went on to Central Michigan University to major in string bass performance, earning his bachelor's degree in three years.

While finishing his master's at Michigan State University (also in string bass performance), he paid for his schooling by playing in the trio Frenz. They served as the house band at the Bishop Inn in Lansing for three years, mostly playing and singing the AOR hits of the day. Keyboardist C.J. Vanston, a Michigan musical compatriot, moved to Chicago, eventually working with Dennis DeYoung for his solo album, "Back To The World." Vanston sent for Horton whose chops made him a very in-demand studio musician and live jobber. He toured with DeYoung for the "Boomchild" album.

The biggest hit that Horton has played on so far is a record he didn't play on at all. For Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" Horton's friend Vanston sampled Hank's unfretted bass and played the bassline on the keyboard synth. While he's worked with such musical polarities as symphonies and Elvis impersonators, he's most excited about working with the James Young Group. "This album is my first where I'm really an equal partner. I'm not a sideman. I'm really a member."