- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRobert Henke
- Nickname
- Wild Willard
- One of four children - two boys and two girls - Bob 'Willard' Henke was born Robert Henke on 29 April 1951 in Pennsylvania, USA and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1964. Up to the age of 13, in Pennsylvania, there was a Hammond organ in his family living room, which he learned to play. When the family moved to Arizona, his father "had to take the organ out to his gig" and so Willard took up the guitar. From a musical family, his grandfather played theatre organ for silent movies and in night clubs and his father also played in night clubs as well as teaching music. His mother "was the quintessential 1950s house wife".
"I had a decent upbringing and my childhood was relatively calm. It got a little shakier when I was a teenager, of course. Once I got into a rock and roll band". He played in Phoenix in the Red and White Blues Band with musicians "with a San Francisco connection" who went on to become The Tubes, including Roger Steen. He played in the studio alongside Nashville musicians at the age of 18 and, towards the end of the 1960s, joined Goose Creek Symphony: "We just started in the studio, with no real prospects or anything; we just started recording Charlie Gearheart's original songs and it turned into an album, which eventually got picked up by Capitol records". The group appeared on Episode #24.15 (1970) alongside Bobbie Gentry (who they toured with) in 1970. "And then I didn't go off the road for the next 10 years. 300 days of the year, 10 years straight".
He was given the nickname Willard at high school: "It was a joke I ended up playing on myself". In the 1970s, Goose Creek Symphony had a silver Eagle bus and he was one of the drivers. "Wild Willard" was his CB handle on the radio, which stuck as his nickname. "Most people call me Willard".
In the mid-1970s, Goose Creek Symphony disbanded for a much-needed break. At the same time, Dr. Hook guitarist Rik Elswit was diagnosed with melanoma. Ted Hacker, who worked for both bands, suggested Willard to replaced Elswit "because he knew that Goose Creek was done for a while". "I got the call and a week later I was on the road". One of his first gigs with the band was on Episode #4.7 (1976). "I worked with Ron Haffkine on the fourth Goose Creek Symphony album, so I was familiar with Ronnie and his style of production. He produced the one Goose Creek album we had on Columbia Records, called 'Do Your Thing But Don't Touch Mine'."
It was with Dr. Hook in the late 1970s that Willard was awarded "a couple of dozen gold silver and platinum albums". "That was my time to go around the world a few times and play on some top ten records like 'Sharing the Night Together' and 'When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman' and 'Sexy Eyes' and those records. Getting to play with studio players that we used for those albums was fabulous: the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the A-Team in Nashville".
In the 1980s, Willard toured with Glen Campbell for six years, playing bass guitar. He also teamed back up with Goose Creek Symphony on a number of occasions: in the mid-1980s, early 1990s and twice in the 2000s. In 2007, he formed a duet with his friend Alan and began playing regularly at a Mexican food restaurant near his home for over a decade. "I lost two families being on the road, so I've learned by lesson. I have two boys from previous marriages."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jay Haywood
- Played guitar and keyboard in the following American country bands: Five Too Many (1965-66, 2001); Red and White Blues Band (1966-67); Thackery Rock (1967-68); Goose Creek Symphony (1968-75, 1985-86, 1991, 2004, 2008-15); Zorox (1975); Dr. Hook (1976-80); Glen Campbell (1988); The Jeff Dayton Band (1989); The Old Cowhands (1995-97); Duet On The Road (2007-). Has also played with Bobbie Gentry and many others.
- He was an official member of Dr. Hook from autumn 1976 to spring 1980. During this his period with the band, they released and promoted the albums 'Makin' Love and Music' (1977), 'Pleasure and Pain' (1978) and 'Sometimes You Win' (1979). His electric guitar soloing can be heard on the track 'What a Way to Go' (1977) and his acoustic guitar playing can be heard on the hit 'Sharing the Night Together' (1978).
- Appeared on the first seven Goose Creek Symphony albums: 'Est. 1970' (1970), 'Welcome To Goose Creek' (1971), 'Words Of Earnest' (1972), 'Do Your Thing But Don't Touch Mine' (1973), 'Head For The Hills' (1975), 'Oso Special' (1985), 'Live At Appalshop' (1991). He guested on 'Goose On The Lake' (2004), rejoined the group for 'The Same Thing Again' (2008) and also appears on the retrospective 'Live In Canada 72 & 74' (2013).
- Temporarily replaced ill Dr. Hook guitarist Rik Elswit in 1976. When Elswit returned the following year, Willard remained in the group; making numbers back up from six to seven (effectively filling the role of George Cummings, who left in 1975 but was not replaced). Willard left the group early in 1980 after a string of disco hits with the group: 'Sharing the Night Together', 'When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman', 'Sexy Eyes' and 'Better Love Next Time'.
- One of his first appearances with the group Dr. Hook was on Episode #4.7 (1976) in September 1976, recorded shortly after he joined, standing in for guitarist Rik Elswit.
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