From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American singer
Jo Jo Benson
|
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Birth name
| Joseph M. Hewell
|
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Born
| (
1938-04-15
)
April 15, 1938
Phenix City, Alabama
, U.S.
|
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Died
| December 23, 2014
(2014-12-23)
(aged 76)
Columbus, Georgia
, U.S.
|
---|
Genres
| R&B
,
soul
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Occupation(s)
| Singer, club owner
|
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Labels
| SSS International
|
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Musical artist
Joseph M. Hewell
(April 15, 1938 ? December 23, 2014) was an American
R&B
and
soul
singer better known under his stage name
Jo Jo Benson
. He was best known for his recordings in the late 1960s with
Peggy Scott
.
Life and career
[
edit
]
He was born in
Phenix City, Alabama
, and began singing in
nightclubs
when in his teens. He joined
Chuck Willis
as a
backing singer
in the 1950s, before joining forces with fellow singer
Peggy Scott
, who previously backed
Ben E. King
, in a duo. The pair were heard and encouraged by record producer
Huey Meaux
,
[1]
and were recruited by
Shelby Singleton
's SSS International label in
Nashville, Tennessee
, in order to record duets.
[2]
Their first recording for the label, "Lover's Holiday", reached #8 on the
Billboard
R&B chart
and #31 on the pop chart in 1968, eventually becoming a
gold record
. They followed it up with "Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries", which was also a hit and for which they were nominated for a
Grammy
.
[3]
Benson and Scott had two more hits in 1969, "Soulshake" and "I Want to Love You Baby", and released two albums together,
Lover's Heaven
and
Soulshake
.
[4]
[5]
[6]
The pairing of Benson and Scott split up in 1971. Benson later owned several nightclubs in the
Chattahoochee Valley
, and was seriously wounded in a shooting incident in 1979.
[3]
He and Scott temporarily reunited in the mid-1980s for an album. In 1999, Benson recorded a solo album,
Reminiscing in the Jam Zone
, which
Living Blues
magazine called "among the finest soul albums of the year - indeed, of the decade". In 2001, he followed it up with the album
Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha
.
[4]
On December 23, 2014, Jo Jo Benson was found dead at a motel in
Columbus, Georgia
, at the age of 76. The coroner's office stated that he died of natural causes.
[3]
Discography
[
edit
]
Chart singles with Peggy Scott
[
edit
]
Year
|
Single
|
Chart Positions
|
US Pop
[7]
|
US
R&B
[5]
|
1968
|
"Lover's Holiday"
|
31
|
8
|
"Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries"
|
27
|
8
|
1969
|
"Soulshake"
|
37
|
13
|
"I Want to Love You Baby"
|
81
|
24
|
Albums
[
edit
]
With Peggy Scott
[
edit
]
- Lover's Heaven
(1969)
- Soulshake
(1969)
- Nothing Can Stand In Our Way
(1984)
Solo
[
edit
]
- Reminiscing in the Jam Zone
(1999)
- Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha
(2001)
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Johnny W. Sumrall, Jr.,
Classic Magnolia Rock: History of Original Mississippi Rock and Roll 1953-1970
, AuthorHouse, 2008.
- ^
Stuart Rosenberg,
Rock and Roll and the American Landscape: The Birth of an Industry and the Expansion of the Popular Culture, 1955-1969
, iUniverse, 2009; p. 95: "One of the best examples of country soul was the duo of Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson, who recorded with producer Shelby Singleton in Nashville and whose song 'Soul Shake' was likely the first soul record that featured a steel guitar (played ...Joseph Hewell, in 1941, in Phenix City, Alabama) moved to Pensacola, Florida to begin their career because they wanted to follow Pensacola recording artists James & Bobby Purify. Scott & Benson first teamed up with legendary Texas ..."
- ^
a
b
c
Alva James-Johnson,
"Jo Jo Benson dies at Victory Drive motel"
Archived
2014-12-23 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Ledger-Enquirer
, December 23, 2014.
- ^
a
b
Biography by Greg Prato,
Allmusic.com
. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^
a
b
Whitburn, Joel
(1996).
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995
. Record Research. p. 391.
- ^
Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson,
Discogs.com
. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^
Whitburn, Joel (2003).
Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
(1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p.
624
.
ISBN
0-89820-155-1
.
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International
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National
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Artists
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