Open Door Management

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Singer, Lyricist and Drummer, was born September 16, 1921, in Newark, Ohio, the ninth child and seventh son of Reverend and Sister Willie Carrington Hendricks, of the African-American Episcopal Church. Little Johnny, as he was called, began singing alongside his mother at the age of six. By the age of nine, he was singing secular songs around Toledo, Ohio and bringing home money, which helped feed the family of seventeen during the "Great Depression" that hit in 1929. Toledo was one of the main “switch towns” at that time, trains coming from New York en route West stopped in Toledo to switch engines. Passengers were allowed to detrain and hang around for as long as they liked, continuing their journey at their whim. Toledo was a lively town in those days, somewhat like Kansas City under the Pendergast machine. The hippest and most active club was in what was then Toledo’s ghetto, was called "The Waiters and Bellmen’s Club." One of the neighbors and friends of the Hendricks family were the Tatums, one of whose sons, Arthur, played the piano. Although he was nearly totally blind, Art got Little Johnny the job as Vocalist in the shows at the “Waiter’s and Bellmen’s Club.” Since Little Johnny was only 13 at the time, he had to spend time in between shows downstairs. Tatum went on to become perhaps the greatest jazz pianist in history. Since every jazz singer or musician came through Toledo at one time or another, little Johnny Hendricks had, by the time he was 14, met them all; Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake, Jimmie Lunceford, Fats Waller, Claude Hopkins, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nathaniel Cole (he had not yet become Nat “King” Cole and still a non-singing Jazz pianist), Jay McShann with young Charlie Parker, plus many others. World War II interrupted his invaluable jazz education program as Hendricks entered the United States Army in 1942, serving three years and four months in The European Theater of Operations. On the victory ship bringing him home, he heard a recording, “Salt Peanuts,” by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The first thing he did on disembarking was to buy as many bebop records as he could find. He had heard THE music that he wanted to sing the rest of his life. He found gigs immediately and began working steadily around northwestern Ohio and southern Michigan. Meanwhile, he enrolled in the University of Toledo under the G.I. Bill as a pre-law student. During this time Charlie Parker and his Quintet came through Toledo and someone suggested to “Bird” that he let Jon Hendricks sit in, and Bird agreed. Bird (Charlie Parker) suggested to Hendricks that he come to New York and when Jon told him, “I don’t know anybody in New York,” Bird replied, “You know me.” Jon asked, “Where will I find you?” He replied without a moment's hesitation, “Just ask anybody.” Incredulously, Hendricks fairly flew off the bandstand.

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