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Herbie Hancock
artist

Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock is a jazz artist. 227 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Jazz · Best jazz albums

2 followers
4.2 /5
18 ratings
227
Releases
1960–2026
Active years

Discography

98Rank them 1 vs 1 →Two covers at a time. Pick the one you rate higher, we build the order.Every record on one board, your ratings already placed. S to D, then save it as a list.
Head Hunters cover4.4

Most popular

Head Hunters

1973 · 4 tracks

Singles & EPs

41

Live & compilations

88

Credits

16

Records Herbie Hancock worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Appears on

14

Releases by other artists featuring Herbie Hancock.

Featured tracks

20

Videos

1

Collaborators

15

Past shows

All past shows →

Community

More about Herbie Hancock

Honors

30
  • Grammy Awards

    ×13

    Grammy Awards

    • 2010 · Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
    • 2010 · Best Jazz Performance
    • 2007 · Best Contemporary Jazz Album
    • 2004 · Best Jazz Performance
    • 2002 · Best Jazz Instrumental Album
    • +8 more
  • MTV Video Music Awards

    ×5

    MTV Video Music Awards

    • 1984 · Best Visual Effects
    • 1984 · Best Editing
    • 1984 · Best Art Direction
    • 1984 · Best Concept Video
    • 1984 · Most Experimental Video
  • Grammy Hall of Fame

    ×2

    Grammy Hall of Fame

    • 2008
    • 1998
  • Soul Train Music Awards

    ×2

    Soul Train Music Awards

    • 1999 · Best Jazz Album
    • 1997 · Best Jazz Album
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame

    ×1

    Hollywood Walk of Fame

    • 1994 · star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • NEA Jazz Masters

    ×1

    NEA Jazz Masters

    • 2004
  • Academy Award for Best Original Score

    ×1

    Academy Award for Best Original Score

    • 1987
  • Polar Music Prize

    ×1

    Polar Music Prize

    • 2025
  • Grammy Award for Album of the Year

    ×1

    Grammy Award for Album of the Year

    • 2007
  • Kennedy Center Honors

    ×1

    Kennedy Center Honors

    • 2013
  • Library of Congress Living Legend

    ×1

    Library of Congress Living Legend

    • —
  • César Award for Best Music Written for a Film

    ×1

    César Award for Best Music Written for a Film

    • 1987

Award data from Wikidata; photos via Wikimedia Commons — click a photo for its author and license.

Herbie Hancock at a glance

Born in
Chicago
From
United States
Active since
1961
Instruments
piano, flute, synthesizer, musical keyboard, keytar, electric piano
Member of
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Labels
Mercury Records, Columbia Records, PolyGram, Warner Bros. Records, Blue Note, Verve Records
Educated at
Manhattan School of Music, Grinnell College, Hyde Park Academy High School, Wendell Phillips Academy High School

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace music synthesizers and funk music (characterized by syncopated drum beats). Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

Read more

Hancock's best-known solo works include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. Hancock is a member of Sōka Gakkai International. On July 22, 2011 at a ceremony in Paris, Hancock was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of Intercultural Dialogue.

Herbie Hancock in brief

How many Herbie Hancock releases are on Riffiter?
227 releases are catalogued, spanning 1960 to 2026.
What genre is Herbie Hancock?
Herbie Hancock is catalogued under Jazz.
What is the most recent Herbie Hancock release on Riffiter?
Summer Jazz: Herbie Hancock, released in 2026.
What awards has Herbie Hancock won?
Herbie Hancock has 30 award wins on record, including Grammy Awards (13×), MTV Video Music Awards (5×), Grammy Hall of Fame (2×).

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