Born in Cuba City, WI, but raised in Rockford, IL, Ernie Hendrickson grew up on a steady diet of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and The Grateful Dead. These early heroes opened the gates to the deep well of American roots music which he continues to draw inspiration from. Even by the age of 16, Ernie was forming bands searching for his own sound. While attending Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, Hendrickson found himself the leader of The Seed Band, a group that would release three independent records, and found a cult following in the university subculture and surrounding areas. CD sales numbered in the thousands and many more live tapes were circulated before the group disbanded.

Eventually migrating to Chicago in 2003, he struck out on his own and started making inroads in the daunting but fertile americana music scene. His self-released and highly acclaimed first solo record, 2007's Down The Road, was a triumph personally and professionally. The record was engineered by Manny Sanchez (Billy Corgan, Ike Reilly) but saw Ernie himself as the producer. Coming into his own, classic 70's country sounds and heartfelt balladry mingled with blues and tribal beats. Howard Levy's harmonica is sprinkled over crystal clear acoustic guitar arrangements and shimmering pedal steel lines. He would earn merits from Mountain Stage's new song contest for two songs from that record, placing as a regional finalist, along with landing a showcase at Toronto's NXNE, sister fest to SXSW.

Jambase reported "his music easily justifies the mention of his name in the same context as, dare-it-be-said, genre power house Ryan Adams." while others have charged him with the task of keeping alive the spirit of Kristofferson, Gram Parsons, James Taylor, and Tom Petty.

To kick off 2009, with a work ethic that has only increased with time, Hendrickson, now 31, has already finished sessions for his forthcoming second record, Walking with Angels. For this highly anticipated release he sought out famed producer and guitarist Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown). The two felt an immediate chemistry and over five days in early January '09 they recorded basic tracks for 13 songs with some of Bo's partners in crime, drummer Steve Hayes (Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey) and Jon Penner (Junior Brown, Bo Ramsey). Release date for the record is October 13th, 2009.