Even though Henderson began his career as a blues-rock player, it was the influence of jazz that led him to the style of playing and composing that he's now famous for. Besides being a world class player and premier composer, Scott's trademark is his beautiful tone and striking ability to blend jazz with blues, rock and funk, creating a soulful and unique voice on the guitar.

Scott studied arranging and composition at Florida Atlantic University, then moved to Los Angeles in 1980. He toured and recorded with Chick Corea's Elektric Band, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, and was pleased to get the opportunity to work for four years with one of his favorite musicians, Weather Report's Joe Zawinul. He recorded three albums with the Zawinul Syndicate, then left his career as a sideman to form Tribal Tech, one of the most popular fusion groups of the 80s and 90s, recording ten critically acclaimed albums. In 1992, he was named #1 Jazz Guitarist in Guitar Player's Annual Reader's Poll, and in 1991, #1 Jazz Guitarist in Guitar World magazine.

After Tribal Tech, Scott became a solo artist in a guitar trio format, and has been touring extensively since 1997 in over 70 countries. In 2019, he won both Best Guitarist and Best Jazz-Rock/Contemporary Group in Jazz Times Reader’s Poll. “People Mover”, featuring Romain Labaye on bass and Archibald Ligonniere on drums, was voted best fusion album of 2019 by Jazz Times magazine. His first solo album "Dog Party", a welcome retreat to his musical roots, won Best Blues Album of 1994 in Guitar Player Magazine. His next albums "Tore Down House" and "Well to the Bone" paired Henderson with legendary vocalist Thelma Houston. "Vibe Station", released in 2015, was listed by many music critics as one of the top 10 instrumental albums of the year.

Scott has also released two albums with "Vital Tech Tones", a trio collaboration with bassist Victor Wooten and former Journey drummer Steve Smith. In 2009 he began touring worldwide with the HBC Trio, featuring bassist Jeff Berlin and drummer Dennis Chambers, recording their album "HBC" in 2012.

Also very well known as a clinician, Scott is on the faculty at Musician's Institute in Los Angeles, and has written columns for Guitar Player Magazine and many other guitar publications. His instructional books and videos for top publishers such as Hal Leonard Publishing, Alfred Music, and My Music Masterclass, are highly popular with guitarists studying jazz and fusion.