American guitarist and singer (born 1943)
George Benson
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Benson performing
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Birth name
| George Washington Benson
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Born
| (
1943-03-22
)
March 22, 1943
(age 81)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, U.S.
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Genres
| |
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Occupation(s)
| - Singer
- musician
- songwriter
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Instrument(s)
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Years active
| 1964?present
[1]
[2]
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Labels
| |
---|
|
Website
| georgebenson
.com
|
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Musical artist
George Washington Benson
(born March 22, 1943)
[3]
is an American
jazz fusion
guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a
jazz
guitarist.
A former
child prodigy
, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, playing
soul jazz
with
Jack McDuff
and others. He then launched a successful solo career, alternating between jazz, pop,
R&B
singing, and
scat singing
. His album
Breezin'
was certified triple-
platinum
, hitting no. 1 on the
Billboard
album chart in 1976.
[4]
His concerts were well attended through the 1980s, and he still has a large following.
[4]
Benson has won ten
Grammy Awards
and has been honored with a
star
on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
Biography
[
edit
]
Early career
[
edit
]
Benson was born and raised in the
Hill District
of
Pittsburgh
,
Pennsylvania
.
[5]
[6]
At the age of seven, he first played the
ukulele
in a corner drug store, for which he was paid a few dollars. At age eight, he played guitar
[5]
in an unlicensed nightclub on Friday and Saturday nights, but the police soon closed the club down. At age nine, he started to record. Out of the four sides he cut, two were released: "She Makes Me Mad" backed with "It Should Have Been Me",
[1]
with
RCA Victor
in New York. Although one source indicates this record was released under the name "Little Georgie",
[5]
the 45rpm label is printed with the name George Benson. The single was produced by
Leroy Kirkland
for RCA's rhythm and blues label,
Groove Records
.
[7]
Benson attended and graduated from
Schenley High School
.
[8]
[9]
As a youth he learned how to play straight-ahead instrumental jazz during a relationship performing for several years with organist
Jack McDuff
. One of his many early guitar heroes was country-jazz guitarist
Hank Garland
.
[10]
[11]
At the age of 21, he recorded his first album as leader,
The New Boss Guitar
, featuring McDuff.
[3]
Benson's next recording was
It's Uptown
with the George Benson Quartet
, including
Lonnie Smith
on organ and
Ronnie Cuber
on
baritone saxophone
. Benson followed it up with
The George Benson Cookbook
, also with Lonnie Smith and Ronnie Cuber on baritone and drummer Marion Booker.
[3]
Miles Davis
employed Benson in the mid-1960s, featuring his guitar on "Paraphernalia" on his 1968
Columbia
release,
Miles in the Sky
before Benson went to
Verve Records
.
Benson then signed with
Creed Taylor
's jazz label
CTI Records
, where he recorded several albums, with jazz heavyweights guesting, to some success, mainly in the jazz field. In addition to his own albums and performances, during this time Benson was a core member of the
CTI All-Stars
collective both touring and recording
[12]
. As well as the collective's live albums, he also played and recorded on a number of the collective's members individual albums. Benson played on
Freddie Hubbard
15th Annual Grammy Awards
winning "Best Jazz Performance by a Group" album
First Light
[13]
as well as five other Hubbard studio albums
[14]
.
His 1974 release,
Bad Benson
, climbed to the top spot in the
Billboard
jazz chart, while the follow-ups,
Good King Bad
(#51 Pop album) and
Benson & Farrell
(with Joe Farrell), both reached the jazz top-three sellers. Benson also did a version of
The Beatles
's 1969 album
Abbey Road
called
The Other Side of Abbey Road
, also released in 1969, and a version of "
White Rabbit
", originally written and recorded by San Francisco rock group
Great Society
, and made famous by
Jefferson Airplane
.
[3]
Benson played on numerous sessions for other CTI artists during this time, including
Freddie Hubbard
and
Stanley Turrentine
, notably on the latter's acclaimed album
Sugar
.
[15]
1970s and 1980s
[
edit
]
Title track sample from George Benson's
Breezin′
album
By the mid-to-late 1970s, as he recorded for
Warner Bros. Records
, a whole new audience began to discover Benson. On 1976's
Breezin'
, Benson sang a lead vocal on the track "
This Masquerade
", a song written by
Leon Russell
. Benson's version (notable also for the lush, romantic piano intro and solo by
Jorge Dalto
), became a huge pop hit and won a
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
.
[16]
(He had sung vocals infrequently on albums earlier in his career, notably his rendition of "
Here Comes the Sun
" on
The Other Side of Abbey Road
album.)
[16]
The rest of the album is instrumental, including his rendition of the 1975
Jose Feliciano
composition "
Affirmation
".
In 1976, Benson embarked on a tour called George & Minnie Live! with soul singer
Minnie Riperton
; she had recently been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and would die in 1979. In addition, Benson appeared as a guitarist and backup vocalist on
Stevie Wonder
's song "
Another Star
" from Wonder's album
Songs in the Key of Life
.
He also recorded the original version of "
The Greatest Love of All
" for the 1977
Muhammad Ali
bio-pic,
The Greatest
,
[16]
which was later covered by
Whitney Houston
as "Greatest Love of All."
[17]
During this time Benson recorded with the German conductor
Claus Ogerman
.
[18]
The live take of "
On Broadway
," recorded a few months later from the 1978 release
Weekend in L.A.
, also won a Grammy.
[16]
The Qwest record label (a subsidiary of Warner Bros., run by
Quincy Jones
) released Benson's breakthrough pop album
Give Me The Night
, produced by Jones.
[16]
Benson made it into the pop and R&B top ten with the song "
Give Me the Night
" (written by former
Heatwave
keyboardist
Rod Temperton
). He had many hit singles such as "Love All the Hurt Away," "
Turn Your Love Around
," "Inside Love," "
Lady Love Me
," "20/20," "
Shiver
," "Kisses in the Moonlight." More importantly, Quincy Jones encouraged Benson to search his roots for further vocal inspiration, and he rediscovered his love for
Nat King Cole
,
Ray Charles
and
Donny Hathaway
in the process, influencing a string of further vocal albums into the 1990s. Despite returning to his jazz and guitar playing most recently, this theme was reflected again much later in Benson's 2000 release
Absolute Benson
, featuring a cover of one of Hathaway's most notable songs, "
The Ghetto
." Benson accumulated three other platinum LPs and two gold albums.
[17]
1990s to present
[
edit
]
In 1990, Benson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the
Berklee College of Music
.
[19]
To commemorate the long relationship between Benson and
Ibanez
and to celebrate 30 years of collaboration on the GB Signature Models, Ibanez created the GB30TH, a limited-edition model with a gold-foil finish inspired by the traditional Japanese Garahaku art form.
[20]
In 2009, Benson was recognized by the
National Endowment of the Arts
as a
Jazz Master
, the United States highest honor in jazz.
[22]
Benson performed at the 49th issue of the
Ohrid Summer Festival
in
North Macedonia
on July 25, 2009, and his tribute show to
Nat King Cole
An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole
as part of the
Istanbul International Jazz Festival
in Turkey on July 27.
In the fall of 2009, Benson finished recording an album entitled
Songs and Stories
with
Marcus Miller
, producer John Burk,
[23]
and session musicians
David Paich
and
Steve Lukather
.
[24]
As a part of the promotion for his album
Songs and Stories
, Benson has appeared or performed on
The Tavis Smiley Show
,
[25]
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
[26]
and
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
.
[27]
He performed at the
Java Jazz Festival
March 4?6, 2011. In 2011, Benson released the album
Guitar Man
, revisiting his 1960s/early-1970s guitar-playing roots with a 12-song collection of covers of both jazz and pop standards produced by John Burk.
[28]
In June 2013, Benson released his fourth album for Concord,
Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole
, which included
Wynton Marsalis
,
Idina Menzel
,
Till Bronner
, and
Judith Hill
. In September, he returned to perform at
Rock in Rio
festival, in Rio de Janeiro, 35 years after his first performance at this festival, which was then the inaugural one.
[29]
In July 2016, Benson participated as a mentor in the
Sky Arts
programme
Guitar Star
in the search for the UK and
Republic of Ireland
's most talented guitarist.
[30]
In May 2018, Benson was featured on the
Gorillaz
single "
Humility
".
[31]
Sample track from George Benson's
Breezin'
album (1976)
On July 12, 2018, it was announced that Benson had signed to
Mascot Label Group
.
[32]
Benson stopped touring internationally at the start of 2024 due to ill health - cancelling a series of UK concerts that summer.
[33]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Benson has been married to Johnnie Lee since 1965 and has seven children. Benson describes his music as focusing more on love and romance, due to his commitment to his family and religious practices, with Benson being a
Jehovah's Witness
.
[34]
Benson has been a resident of
Englewood, New Jersey
.
[35]
Discography
[
edit
]
Awards
[
edit
]
Grammy Awards
[
edit
]
List of
Grammy Awards
received by George Benson
[36]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Australian ABCTV Flashez interview January 1, 1977.
- ^
"45 discography for Groove Records"
.
Globaldogproductions.info
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Richard S. Ginell.
"George Benson: Biography & History"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Roberts, David (2006).
British Hit Singles & Albums
(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 54.
ISBN
1-904994-10-5
.
- ^
a
b
c
Bird, Christiane (2001).
The Da Capo Jazz And Blues Lover's Guide to the U.s.
.
Da Capo Press
. p.
196
.
ISBN
0-306-81034-4
. Retrieved
September 8,
2012
.
Hill District George Benson.
- ^
Mitchem, Stephanie Y.; Townes, Emilie Maureen (2008).
Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life
.
ABC-CLIO
. p. 111.
ISBN
978-0-275-99375-7
. Retrieved
September 8,
2012
.
- ^
Sulzer, Will.
"Roots Vinyl Guide"
.
rootsvinylguide.com
.
- ^
"NEW ? Pittsburgh's Schenley school ? whose alums include Andy Warhol and George Benson ? to close"
.
The Tribune-Democrat
. June 26, 2008
. Retrieved
September 12,
2012
.
- ^
Smydo, Joe (December 10, 2005).
"Panel to study if Schenley High can survive"
.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
. Retrieved
September 12,
2012
.
- ^
"Hank Garland living in shadow of his greatness"
.
Today.com
. Associated Press. July 8, 2004
. Retrieved
September 12,
2012
.
- ^
Upchurch, Frances (December 20, 1978).
"But Hank Sugarfoot Garland Was To Play His Guitar Again"
.
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
. Retrieved
September 12,
2012
.
- ^
"The Story of the CTI All-Stars Live"
.
www.ctproduced.com
. Retrieved
June 17,
2024
.
- ^
"Freddie Hubbard Grammy Award and Nominations"
.
www.grammy.com
. Retrieved
June 17,
2024
.
- ^
"Freed Hubbard Discography Featuring George Benson as a sideman"
.
www.discogs.com
. Retrieved
June 17,
2024
.
- ^
"Stanley Turrentine Catalog"
.
www.jazzdisco.org
. Retrieved
May 9,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Colin Larkin
, ed. (1993).
The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music
(First ed.).
Guinness Publishing
. pp. 19/20.
ISBN
0-85112-733-9
.
- ^
a
b
"Digital Videos | Episodes (TV Series)"
. VH1. March 14, 2017. Archived from
the original
on January 28, 2007
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
"The Work of Claus Ogerman"
.
Bjbear71.com
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
Chapman, Charles H. (October 7, 2010).
Interviews With the Jazz Greats...and More!
. Mel Bay.
ISBN
978-1-60974-367-3
– via Google Books.
- ^
"Ibanez.com"
. Ibanez.com. Archived from
the original
on April 23, 2010
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/818255
- ^
National Endowment for the Arts (March 22, 1943).
"NEA Jazz Masters: George Benson, Vocalist and Solo Instrumentalist (Guitar)"
. Nea.gov. Archived from
the original
on May 29, 2010
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
"Biography"
. George Benson. August 25, 2009. Archived from
the original
on February 8, 2010
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
"Stevelukather.net - News"
. Archived from
the original
on January 25, 2009
. Retrieved
January 29,
2009
.
- ^
"Tavis Smiley . Shows . George Benson . October 6, 2009"
. PBS. October 6, 2009. Archived from
the original
on February 14, 2010
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
"Jimmy Kimmel Live Tomorrow Night, Wednesday Sep. 23!"
. George Benson
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
Mergner, Lee.
"Jazz Articles: George Benson Appearing With The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show"
.
Jazztimes.com
. Archived from
the original
on March 14, 2012
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
"George Benson: Guitar Hero"
.
Bluesandsoul.com
. Archived from
the original
on December 22, 2016
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
"G1 ? Benson e Ivan Lins levam 'risada mais gostosa' e choro ao Rock in Rio ? noticias em Rock in Rio 2013"
.
G1.globo.com
. September 15, 2013
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
"Tony Visconti, George Benson and Milo? confirmed as mentors in Sky Arts' new series of Guitar Star"
.
Corporate.sky.com
. March 8, 2016. Archived from
the original
on August 7, 2016
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
Ross, Alex Robert (May 31, 2018).
"Gorillaz Confirm New Album 'The Now Now,' Share New Song, 'Humility'
"
.
vice.com
.
- ^
"Mascot Label Group Celebrates Breakthrough Year"
.
Mascot Label Group
. Retrieved
July 12,
2018
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"George Benson - Cancelled -"
.
- ^
Walden, Celia (April 6, 2010).
"George Benson interview: love songs are one of the things in life that last"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. Retrieved
May 28,
2013
.
- ^
Stewart, Zan,
"The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats"
,
The Star-Ledger
, September 28, 2003, backed up by the
Internet Archive
as of September 27, 2008. Accessed September 15, 2017. "George Benson ? A longtime resident of Englewood, Benson is a superb jazz guitarist who has found fame as a pop vocalist."
- ^
"Past Winners Search"
. GRAMMY.com
. Retrieved
December 12,
2011
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Live albums
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Compilations
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Singles
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1950s
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1960s
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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International
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National
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Academics
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Artists
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People
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Other
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