Matt Hensley was born in 1970 in Newport Beach, California, and rew up in Vista. He began skateboarding in 1977 when his mother would drop him off at Surf de Earth skatepark on the weekends.

In the late '80s and early '90s, Matt Hensley became a key figure in H Street’s domination of the skateboard industry. His touring, skate video parts, and determination paid off, transforming him from being just another rad skater to the one every skater wanted to emulate. His influence extended beyond tricks and trophies.

Tony Alva and Doug “Pineapple” Saladino were among Matt's early skateboarding heroes. As the '80s progressed, his list expanded to include legends like Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, John Grigley, John Lucero, Neil Blender, Steve Claar, Tommy Guerrero, Natas Kaupas, Mike Vallely, and Mark Gonzales.

Matt rode everything including ramps, ditches, and backyard pools to a punk rock soundtrack. He explored the limitless street terrain of Southern California and beyond.

Matt Hensley held the world record for the highest ollie before turning pro for H-Street in 1988.

His skating in H-Street’s pioneering videos “Shackle Me Not” and “Hokus Pokus” etched his place in skateboarding history. These 2 videos has a massive influence on skateboarding, paving the way for modern streetskating.

He later joined the Plan B team, which included other future legends.

In 1991, Matt took a break from professional skateboarding and moved to Chicago, studied to be a paramedic, worked at Sessions, studied art, played music, and skated under the radar.

When his friend and H-Street/Plan B co-founder Mike Ternasky died in 1994, Hensley returned to California to help manage and ride for the Plan-B team.

In the late '90s, he joined John Lucero's Black Label Skateboards and filmed a timeless part for the “Label Kills” video.

Matt still rolls for Black Label Skates, supports H-Street’s re-issue program, and plays accordion in Flogging Molly, a Celtic punk band with multiple gold records and international tours.

Matt Hensley Skateboard Videos

H-Street - "Shackle Me Not" Skate Video: Matt Hensley

"Back in '88, the H-Street vibe was very fresh, very cutting-edge, and very raw and unpolished. The following year, World Industries continued with this vibe, and the reason Hensley was seen as such a big influence on street is because he wasn't a big name in skate circles until this point, whereas by contrast, Tommy G and Gonz had been around for a while, but their style of skating at that point in street-terms, was not as cutting edge as the likes of Hensley, Barbee, Natas and Vallely to name but a few. Looking back, H-street was so important because it was like a bridge between the era of the corporate beasts of Powell, Santa Cruz and Vision and the early 90's companies like New Deal, World, Plan B etc."

"The best days of my life from Dec' 85 till August 91' skateboarding, and when the times were cool as fcuk before the piece of shit Internet came along! Danny Way was our King, along with Mark Gonzales, Natas Kaupas, Ray Barbie, Frankie Hill, Steve Saiz, Ron Allen....."

"shackle me not was groundbreaking, this part is mind-melting, doing all that on those old ass late 80's heavy ass fish boards with the gigantic wide heavy wheels is insane. i never watched the old h street videos back in the day, i was too young, i only watched them for the first time like last year and seeing this part blew me away. and i now understand why so many people namedropped hensley so much in the transworld interviews i read when i was in high school and people even still namedrop him in online content today."

 H-Street - "Hokus Pokus" Skate Video: Matt Hensley

"This guy was a lifestyle. Street skating owes its life to guys like Gonz, Natas and Rodney but the cultural impact that Hensley had on street skating during his brief run was unparalleled. Pure influence on wheels."

"Matt was extremely inventive, a genuine creative talent that helped shape street skating into the early 90s."

"Even though Hensley quit pro skating shortly after this, he will forever be my favorite skater. This will always be my favorite part and this song also describes my life perfectly. Thanks for sharing."

"Man, i wonder how many records Subsociety sold cuz of this video back inna day?! I know we made our local order em for us, cuz recording off the tv sucked! I think we bought at least 15-+17 copies of that 7-inch after this. (There were a bunch of us in our skate crew.) And i still rock the chain wallet, thanks Matt Hensley! My wife hates ya for that!"

"I remember going to the premiere of this and losing my freaking mind. Good times."

"My FAVORITE SKATER! Got a black label 8 inch wide from 2002 brand new on my man cave wall! His h street Hensley street deck snapped skating congo in Milwaukee back in 90 also on the wall. Frankie hill Powell board cracked from a handrale in the basement. Ron Allen/steve steadham/jaya bondorov/buster halterman/santa monica airlines team deck with rails n gullwing mach 3's from skating turf skatepark back in 89. I miss skating every damn day"

Plan B - "Questionable" Skate Video: Matt Hensley

"Five years as a pro H Street team leader. Punk rock musician, Skilled Accordion player. Bandmate of Flogging Molly, In the top ten skateboarders of all time, yeah, I'd say Matt's a legend."

"For a year there, everyone had shaved heads, cargo shorts, wallet on a chain, and vans chukkas, and skated with a slight hunch. 90 to 91. I nearly shed a tear when he retired."

"Coolest man alive quite possibly. Amazing pro skate and former accordian player for 10 years of one of the most original and greatest live rock bands of all time Flogging Molly."

"Yup. Matt was such a great influence on me back then. He was leading skating into more tech but he still had his surf influenced style. A couple years later, wheels were tiny, pants were huge, tricks were switch and the style was cockroach. And Matt retired at the top of his game. Can't ask for anything better than that.