Jon Hendricks

John Carl Hendricks, known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists, such as the big-band arrangements of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He is considered one of the best practitioners of scat singing, which involves vocal jazz soloing. Jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called him the "Poet Laureate of Jazz", while Time dubbed him the "James Joyce of Jive". Al Jarreau called him "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet—maybe that's ever been".

16 September 1921

Born on the same birth date (16 September 1921): Korla Pandit • Ursula Franklin

Born on the same birth day (16 September): Angelo Maria Amorevoli • Daoguang Emperor • Frank Leslie Walcott • Jiajing Emperor • K. D. Arulpragasam • Kirsty Coventry • Kyle Lafferty • Legedu Naanee • Lilia Cuntapay • Ross Greenberg

Born in the same month (September 1921): Bernard Waber • Constance Baker Motley • Dinko Šakić • Frank McGee (journalist) • Harry Secombe • Jim McKay • John McHale (baseball) • John Ritchie (composer) • Leaford Bearskin • Marguerite Higgins • Milton Subotsky • Paul Poberezny • Paulo Freire • Peter A. Peyser • Robert Muldoon • Sheila MacRae • Stanisław Lem • Thurston Dart • Turgut Cansever • Willem Frederik Hermans