(PR) Rock music legend Ken Hensley, who is best known for his work with classic rock groups Uriah Heep and Blackfoot, has just unveiled possibly his most important work to date - the rock opus Blood On The Highway. Germany's Politur Rock Records has just released the critically acclaimed masterpiece in which Hensley, who has recorded 13 studio albums and one highly acclaimed live 2-LP set with one of Britain's hardest rocking ensembles Uriah Heep, could not be more excited!Rock΄n`Roll in the Seventies - a particularly colourful chapter in music history. There's been hardly another era in the annals of popular music that has had an equally significant influence on the developments to come, proved to be a lasting inspiration for many artists and changed so much in political and social terms. Ken Hensley experienced the golden Seventies in his position as a true rock star. As Uriah Heep 's main songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and keyboardist until 1980, but also as a successful solo artist with numerous impressive releases in his own right, he went through countless ups and downs, enjoyed successful concerts, suffered difficult phases, yet only ever wanted one thing: to continue his life as a musician. From the stuff that well over thirty years of a wistful musician's dreams are made of, Ken Hensley has now written and composed an album that is exciting and sounds authentic to the last note. Blood On The Highway is much more than a pure concept album. It's a memoir of a golden decade, Hensley 's tribute to perhaps the most important era of the genre and a haunting rock album full of emotions, vitality and dynamism. Or, as Hensley puts it: "Blood On The Highway tells a very special story that is autobiographic to a large extent, but also reflects the experiences of many of my friends and colleagues. It's the story of the Seventies from a rock musician's perspective."
Hensley was supported by a number of renowned singers whose voices suit the individual songs. "I wanted to reflect the different characters of those days, the many facets that Rock΄n`Roll consisted of back then," he explains, substantiating his selection: "Jψrn Lande has so many voices within his voice and, as a self-confessed student of '70s rock, captures perfectly the energy and passion of the great singers of that time. The charismatic Norwegian singer recorded five tracks ('This Is Just The Beginning', 'Blood On The Highway', 'You've Got It', 'Okay (This House Is Down)' and 'We're On Our Way'); Glenn Hughes (ex-Trapeze, Deep Purple) lent his voice to two. "Glenn sings on 'The Last Dance', and I absolutely wanted him on 'What You Gonna Do ', a number that raises the all-decisive question after years of excess and, later, rejection: Where do you want to go with your life?"
Ken Hensley still has his dreams: for example to perform Blood On The Highway on stage. "One of my dreams is to perform the album with my band, the guest vocalists and a 25-piece string section in as many big cities as possible, not only in England and America, but also all over Europe, Australia and Japan." The idea doesn't seem far-fetched as Ken Hensley performed his fascinating rock opera, Blood On The Highway, in Hamburg, Germany on May 22, 2007. Likewise, his autobiography (under the same title) is to be released on July 20th and a live DVD is scheduled for release later this year.
