BY Michael cook
David Henney was so much more than a “DJ” to me. Rarely are there people in your life that challenge you to be the best you can be and encourage you even when you don’t think you have it in you. That was David. He encouraged me to start writing years ago, and while he may not always agree with what I wrote (“PLEASE,” he would say, “no more Beyonce!”) he always was incredibly supportive. We shared so many wonderful tea dances and nights on the phone, and our annual nights at his place in Philadelphia for New Year’s Eve were becoming a tradition. The amount of music we shared, talked about and poured over was a master class for me in music. Some of the best memories I have are times with David. I’ll miss him tremendously. And as you will see in the tributes below, many others will also.
Kristine W
(Recording Artist)
This new single “Everything I Got” is actually dedicated to David Henney! It reads on the CD: ”This CD is dedicated in memory of dance promoter David Henney, who instilled the love of dance music in everyone he met!” David really was a great guy. I saw him at Lady Bunny’s show in NYC in February, and we laughed about how many four-letter words we heard in an hour and how much we loved it! He was a good person and so passionate about dance music. He was also very supportive of artists, too.
Hex Hector
(DJ, Producer, Remixer)
I’m grateful I got to spend some time with David in the booth at Paradise Asbury Park, where he held court for many years, this past Memorial Day weekend. It was Paradise’s first big weekend of the 2012 season. About an hour and a half into my set, David storms the booth and yells, “Welcome to the gayborhood, Hex!” From that moment on, we laughed our asses off for the next three hours! I’m gonna miss my friend dearly! One of the funniest persons I’ve ever known. That’s how I’ll remember David!
Anthony Arnone
(Manager, Paradise)
David was my best friend for over 13 years. He had the biggest heart and would do anything for me and anyone. Not a lot people understood him, but I did, and we did a lot together. He will be missed a lot, especially by me. He bought me to places that I’ve never been and always had my back no matter what. I loved him a lot.
Shep Pettibone
(Owner, Paradise, Asbury Park)
I remember at a certain point in my life and career how many friends I had—or so I thought, until I needed something or there wasn’t something I could give them. Then it dawned on me that so many friends are “users,” and my “friendships” dwindled. It’s at this point you remember the saying that if you can count on one hand your friends, then you are doing well. You learn this through life experience. Well, I am at that point in life where the fingers on my hand were just about right.
Point being, I’m so sad that one of those fingers is gone. David, the one since we met has always been there for me, as well as I for him. You don’t realize until you lose a finger just how much you needed it. I miss calling him all the time. Not sure if I’ll ever get over his death, except to say, in David’s words, “snap out of it!” I’m trying, but it will be some time until I find a new “normal” without David in my life. I loved him dearly and always will. I’ve heard that missing someone gets easier every day, because even though it’s one day farther than the last time we saw each other, it’s one day closer to the next time you will.
Leslie Doyle
(Longtime Friend)
David was one of my “top five.” People you can count on five fingers that you know you can rely on no matter what. David was the one who picked me up off the floor the morning my mother died. David was the one who jumped in the water to save me when I almost drowned while parasailing at WMC one year. David was the butch queen who would roll up his sleeves and change a tire. He’d do anything to help a friend. He is simply irreplaceable.
Dave Aude
(DJ, Remixer, Producer)
David Henney was a friend of mine in music and life. I always knew when I spoke to “Miss Henney” that I could expect to laugh about something jovial going on with this record or that record, as that was the way he approached discussing music. If I was playing anywhere near where he was at, I could also expect a surprise visit, which showed how much he cared about his friends and the music that filled his life. I will miss my friend David.
