Brook Benton
| Brook Benton | |
|---|---|
 Promotional photo of Benton. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Franklin Peay |
| Born | September 19, 1931 Lugoff, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | April 9, 1988 (aged 56) Queens, New York, United States |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, soul |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1958–88 |
| Labels | Mercury, Cotillion, RCA |
Brook Benton, born Benjamin Franklin Peay, (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988) was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.
He made a comeback in 1970 with the ballad "Rainy Night in Georgia." Benton scored over 50 Billboard chart hits as an artist, and also wrote hits for other performers.
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Early life and career [edit]
When Benton was young he enjoyed gospel music, wrote songs, and sang in a Methodist church choir in nearby Camden, where his father, Willie Peay, was choir master.[1] So in 1948 he went to New York to pursue his music career. He went in and out of gospel groups such as The Langfordaires, The Jerusalem Stars, and The Golden Gate Quartet. Returning to his home state, he joined a R&B singing group, The Sandmen, and went back to New York to get a big break with his group. The Sandmen had limited success, and their label, Okeh Records, decided to push Peay as a solo artist, changing his name to Brook Benton, apparently at the suggestion of label executive Marv Halsman.[2]
Brook earned a good living writing songs and co-producing albums. He wrote songs for artists such as Nat King Cole, Clyde McPhatter (for whom he wrote the hit "A Lover's Question"), and Roy Hamilton. Soon he released his first minor hit, "A Million Miles from Nowhere". Later he went on to the Mercury label, which would eventually bring him larger success. Also he appeared in the 1957 film Mr Rock And Roll with Alan Freed
Success [edit]
Finally in 1959 he made his breakthrough with his hits "It's Just a Matter of Time" and "Endlessly". "It's Just a Matter of Time" peaked at #3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 chart, while "Endlessly" made it to #12. Both of the first two hits were written by Benton with Clyde Otis. They were originally offered to Nat King Cole, but when Otis became an A&R official at Mercury, he convinced Benton to sign with the label and record them himself, while asking Cole not to record the songs as planned.[3] He followed this success with a series of hits, including "So Many Ways" (#6), "Hotel Happiness" (#3), "Think Twice" (#11), "Kiddio" (#7), and "The Boll Weevil Song" (#2). In 1960, he had two top 10 hit duets with Dinah Washington: "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (#5) and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)" (#7).[4]
He also recorded his own version of "Take Good Care of Her" in 1962. In the mid- and late 1960s, Benton recorded for RCA Records and Reprise Records with minimal commercial success. In 1969 he signed with Cotillion Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, where the next year he had his last major hit with "Rainy Night in Georgia".[4]
Benton eventually charted 49 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, with other songs charting on Billboard′s rhythm and blues, easy listening, and Christmas music charts.[5] The last album made by Benton was Fools Rush In, which was released posthumously in 2005. At one point he was recording on Groove Records.[6]
Death [edit]
Weakened from spinal meningitis, Brook died of pneumonia in Queens, New York City, at the age of 56 on April 9, 1988. He was survived by his wife, Mary and five children, Brook Jr., Vanessa, Roy, Gerald and Benjamin, all of Queens.
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
| Year | Album | United States Pop |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | It's Just A Matter of Time | - |
| 1959 | This Time of Year | 12 |
| 1960 | I Love You In So Many Ways | - |
| 1961 | Golden Hits | 82 |
| 1961 | The Boll Weevil Song And 11 Other Great Hits | 70 |
| 1962 | If You Believe | 77 |
| 1962 | Singing the Blues - Lie to Me | 40 |
| 1963 | Golden Hits, Volume 2 | 82 |
| 1964 | Born To Sing The Blues | - |
| 1964 | Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got) | 156 |
| 1969 | Do Your Own Thing | 189 |
| 1970 | Brook Benton Today | 27 |
| 1970 | Homestyle | 199 |
| 1972 | Story Teller | - |
| 1977 | The Incomparable Brook Benton - 20 Greatest Hits (Warwick) | - |
Singles [edit]
| Year | Single | US Pop | US R&B | US AC | UK Singles Chart[7] | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | "A Million Miles from Nowhere" | 82 | - | - | - | - |
| 1959 | "Endlessly" | 12 | 3 | - | 28 | - |
| 1959 | "Hurtin' Inside" | 78 | 23 | - | - | - |
| 1959 | "This Time of the Year" | - | - | - | - | This Time of the Year |
| 1959 | "It's Just a Matter of Time" | 3 | 1 | - | - | It's Just a Matter of Time |
| 1959 | "So Close" | 38 | 5 | - | - | - |
| 1959 | "So Many Ways" | 6 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 1959 | "Thank You Pretty Baby" | 16 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 1959 | "With All My Heart" | 82 | - | - | - | - |
| 1960 | "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (with Dinah Washington) | 5 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 1960 | "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" | 24 | 5 | - | 50 | Songs I Love to Sing |
| 1960 | "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" | 93 | - | - | - | - |
| 1960 | "Kiddio" | 7 | 1 | - | 41 | - |
| 1960 | "A Rockin' Good Way" (with Dinah Washington) | 7 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 1960 | "The Same One" | 16 | 21 | - | - | - |
| 1960 | "The Ties That Bind" | 37 | 15 | - | - | - |
| 1961 | "For My Baby" | 28 | 2 | - | - | - |
| 1961 | "Frankie and Johnny" | 20 | 14 | 6 | - | The Boll Weevil Song |
| 1961 | "It's Just a House Without You" | 45 | - | 8 | - | - |
| 1961 | "Think Twice" | 11 | 6 | - | - | - |
| 1961 | "The Boll Weevil Song" | 2 | 2 | 1 | 30 | The Boll Weevil Song |
| 1962 | "Hit Record" | 45 | 19 | - | - | - |
| 1962 | "Lie to Me" | 13 | 3 | - | - | Singing The Blues |
| 1962 | "Revenge" | 15 | 12 | - | - | - |
| 1962 | "Shadrack" | 19 | - | - | - | - |
| 1962 | "The Lost Penny" | 77 | - | - | - | - |
| 1962 | "Still Waters Run Deep" | 89 | - | - | - | - |
| 1962 | "Walk on the Wild Side" | 43 | - | - | - | - |
| 1963 | "Hotel Happiness" | 3 | 2 | - | - | - |
| 1963 | "I Got What I Wanted" | 28 | 4 | 14 | - | Singing The Blues |
| 1963 | "Dearer Than Life" | 59 | - | - | - | - |
| 1963 | "My True Confession" | 22 | 7 | 8 | - | Singing The Blues |
| 1963 | "Two Tickets to Paradise" | 32 | 15 | 8 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Another Cup of Coffee" | 47 | 47 | 13 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Going Going Gone" | 35 | 35 | - | - | - |
| 1964 | "A House is Not a Home" | 75 | 75 | 13 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Too Late to Turn Back Now" | 43 | 43 | 14 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Lumberjack" | 53 | 53 | 15 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Do It Right" | 67 | 67 | - | - | - |
| 1965 | "Love Me Now" | 100 | - | 37 | - | - |
| 1965 | "Mother Nature, Father Time" | 53 | 26 | 9 | - | Mother Nature, Father Time |
| 1967 | "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" | 78 | - | 37 | - | - |
| 1968 | "Weakness in a Man" | - | - | 36 | - | - |
| 1968 | "Do Your Own Thing" | 99 | - | 26 | - | - |
| 1969 | "Nothing Can Take the Place of You" | 74 | 11 | - | - | - |
| 1970 | "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home" | 45 | 31 | 4 | - | Home Style |
| 1970 | "My Way" | 72 | 25 | 35 | - | Today |
| 1970 | "Rainy Night in Georgia" | 4 | 1 | 2 | - | Today |
| 1971 | "Shoes" | 67 | 18 | 18 | - | - |
| 1978 | "Making Love is Good for You" | - | 49 | - | - | - |
References [edit]
- ^ French, Howard (10 April 1988). "BROOK BENTON, SINGER OF HIT TUNES KNOWN FOR HIS BALLADS, DIES AT 56". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "Marv Goldberg, Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks: The Sandmen"
- ^ Colin Escott, "Clyde Otis: Looking Back". Goldmine, October 1, 1993, pp. 42-43.
- ^ a b Brook Benton at Allmusic.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 2000), 48-49.
- ^ Shaw, Arnold (1978). Honkers and Shouters. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. p. 463. ISBN 0-02-061740-2.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 54. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links [edit]
- Soulwalking.co.uk - Brook Benton Fan Page
- VH1.com - Artist Listing
- Tsimon.com - Brook Benton Fan Page
- http://www.shewins.com/bio.htm
- Brook Benton at Discogs
- Brook Benton at Find a Grave
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