Photo: ICM-International Creative Management (management) · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
The Headhunters
Group · United States · formed 1973
American jazz-fusion band
Also known as Headhunters · Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters · ヘッドハンターズ
Timeline
17 events+ Member joins 7▣ Album 6− Member leaves 2◆ Formed 1★ Debut release 1
1970s
· Member joins
Bennie Maupin joins the band
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Bill Summers joins the band
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Harvey Mason joins the band
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Herbie Hancock joins the band
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Paul Jackson joins the band
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Harvey Mason leaves the band
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Mike Clark joins the band
source: musicbrainz
· Debut release
Debut release: Survival of the Fittest
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight joins the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight leaves the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography138 words · 2 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1369561658
Biography
The Headhunters is an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fuses jazz, funk, and rock music.
History and band name
Hancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with a stronger funk component. He chose the name of the group, "Headhunters", while doing Buddhist chanting. The name pleased him because it made a triple reference to the jungle, to intellectual concerns, and to sexual activity.
In 1973, the band comprised Hancock (keyboards), Bennie Maupin (saxophone, clarinet), Harvey Mason (drums), Paul Jackson (bass), and Bill Summers (percussion). Their first album, Head Hunters, sold more than one million copies.
After releasing three studio albums together, Hancock departed to pursue other projects, and the band carried on without him with his blessing. Hancock has occasionally returned for one-off projects with the group.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 10 | 58.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | 49 | 90th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (11 release groups · 6 studio albums)
Albums · 6
1975 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 6 tracks · 41:14
A1God Make Me Funky9:41A2Mugic3:34A3Here and Now7:06B1Daffy's Dance6:10B2Rima8:15B3If You've Got It, You'll Get It6:281977 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 45:07
A1Straight From the Gate5:31A2Mayonnaise5:33A3Ms. Yum Yum6:50A4Don't Kill Your Feelings4:36B1Descending Azzizziuh (The Beginning of a Dream)4:02B2I Remember I Made You Cry5:24B3Pork Soda4:00B4Dreams3:19B5Silhouette5:521998 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 54:04
1Funk Hunter6:592Skank It3:073Watch Your Back4:404Frankie and Kevin4:535Premonition7:346Tip Toe4:147Two but Not Two6:018PP Head3:469Kwanzaa5:54106/8 - 7/86:562011 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:10:44
1Platinum (intro)0:512Mission Statement4:013Reality of It0:174Salamander7:105I Predict a Good Year0:126D-Funk (Funk with Us)4:497I Feel Really Good About0:118Tracie6:029Rehearse Everybody0:1410Paging Mr. Wesley5:3311M Trane8:5012Apple Tree5:2013Palm Nut6:5514Years of Touring0:1115Congo Place4:5616On the Road0:1717Head Hunting4:5018Skizness3:5119Soul Glow5:3120Platinum (outro)0:432022 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 8 tracks · 44:11
1Kongo Square5:162Rocking At the Mole House3:503HH 756:044Over the Bar6:005Vaspurakan5:136Stoop5:297Actual Proof5:058Stop Watch7:142024 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 39:23
1The Stunt Man5:592Attitude Of Gratitude5:423Embraceable You7:054ESP4:065Avant Clark4:126The Sandcastle Headhunter9:237New Levels - New Devils2:56
Album · 4
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Evolution RevolutionSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks · 1:06:211Hindewhu for You0:20 2Slick It4:14 3God Make Me Funky5:24 4Headhunting4:34 5BPM0:37 6Everything5:04 7Loft Funk6:23 8On the Shores of Amore4:21 9Take No Prizzonerz3:24 10Gotta Be Strong4:00 11Woody Shaw2:44 12Fonkyfried (If the Bluenotes Don't Gitcha)5:39 13Martell on the Rocks5:23 14Nutcracker5:37 15Yekola4:03 16Evolution Revolution4:34 | Compilation | 14 March 2002 | |
| 2005 | 2005-06-05 Bonnaroo, Manchester, TNSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 1:21:181Watermelon Man12:42 2Safiatou, Frankenstein15:21 3Butterfly10:01 4Stitched Up6:11 5Spider17:22 6Chameleon10:31 7Hang Up Your Hang Ups9:10 | Live | 5 June 2005 | |
| 2008 | On Top: Live in EuropeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:25:20Disc 1 14 String Drive7:57 2Swamp Thing10:45 3Sly9:56 4Watermelon Man11:52 5Loft Funk9:10 6Butterfly13:35 Disc 21Neckbones8:01 24 String Drive (radio edit)4:26 3God Make Me Funky1:22 4Butterfly (radio mix)5:22 5Shekere Elegua / Chameleon2:54 | Live | 27 June 2008 | |
| 2023 | Live From Brooklyn BowlSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 1:11:021Four String Drive10:52 2Rocking at the Mole House13:20 3Headhunter Jam7:43 4Butterfly9:44 5Watermelon Man9:30 6Loft Funk7:12 7Chameleon5:43 8Hey Pocky A-Way6:58 | Live | 11 August 2023 |
Single · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Stunt ManSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 5:591The Stunt Man5:59 | 16 August 2024 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put The Headhunters head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 10 | 58.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | 49 | 90th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennie Maupin | 1973 | present | |
| Bill Summers | 1973 | present | |
| Harvey Mason | 1973 | 1974 | |
| Herbie Hancock | 1973 | present | |
| Paul Jackson | 1973 | present | |
| Mike Clark | 1974 | present | |
| DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight | 1975 | 1978 | guitar |
| Mino Cinelu | — | present |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herbie_Hancock_and_The_Headhunters_1975.JPGaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d382bea5-76e5-4b10-9e93-2be1188d967bdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d382bea5-76e5-4b10-9e93-2be1188d967bcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q645865genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q645865seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Headhuntersbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Headhunters
Why this artist is in the database
- List of funk musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: ICM-International Creative Management (management) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q645865 · MusicBrainz: d382bea5-76e5-4b10-9e93-2be1188d967b
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