Henry Glover
Musician · 1921–1991 · Hot Springs, Arkansas
Best known for
Songwriter
Henry Glover was the multi-instrumentalist songwriter, producer, and A&R man who, more than any one engineer or executive, gave King Records its postwar character — cross-cutting country, R&B, blues, and gospel out of a single Cincinnati building. His own catalog includes the standard “Drown in My Own Tears” and the Delmore Brothers co-write “Blues Stay Away from Me,” both of which entered the bluegrass and rockabilly repertoire.
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- Born Henry Bernard Glover on May 21, 1921, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to a bathhouse attendant and a homemaker.
- Earned a music degree at Alabama A&M in Huntsville in 1943.
- Played trumpet with Buddy Johnson’s big band in 1944 and Lucky Millinder’s orchestra the following year.
- Joined King Records in the late 1940s, working simultaneously as producer, arranger, songwriter, engineer, talent scout, A&R man, and trumpet player.
- Wrote “Drown in My Own Tears,” first cut by Lula Reed and later a hit for Ray Charles.
- Co-wrote “Blues Stay Away from Me” with the Delmore Brothers; the song became a country, bluegrass, and rockabilly standard.
- Left King in 1958 for Roulette Records, where he worked with Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Sonny Stitt, and Ronnie Hawkins.
- Died of a heart attack on April 7, 1991, in St. Albans, New York, at age 69.
