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Revision as of 21:09, 22 July 2009
George Benson |
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George Benson (born March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American musician, whose recording career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist. He is also known as a pop, R&B, and scat singer.
Biography
Early career
Benson was born and raised in the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended the defunct Connelly High School before dropping out. Benson got his first experience playing straight-ahead instrumental jazz in a several-year stint with organist Jack McDuff. At the age of 21, he recorded his first album as leader, The New Boss Guitar, featuring McDuff. [1]
Benson's next recording was It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet with Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax.[1]. Benson followed it up with The George Benson Cookbook, also with Lonnie Smith and Ronnie Cuber.[1]
Miles Davis employed Benson in the mid 1960s, featuring his guitar on "Paraphernalia" on his 1967 Columbia release, Miles in the Sky. Benson went to Verve Records afterwards. Then, Creed Taylor signed him up for his CTI label, where he recorded numerous albums with jazz heavyweights guesting to limited financial success. 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 Jefferson Airplane, around this time.[1]
1970s and 1980s
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By the mid to late 1970s, as he recorded for Warner Bros. Records, a whole new audience began to discover Benson for the first time. With the 1976 release Breezin', Benson began to put his vocal on tracks such as "This Masquerade". He had used his vocals on songs earlier in his career, notably his rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" on the Other Side of Abbey Road album. He was part of psychedelic soul group Harlem Underground Band during the 1970s, whose song "Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba" was featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[2]
Benson toured with soul singer, Minnie Riperton, in 1976. Riperton had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer earlier that year.
"This Masquerade" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the live take of "On Broadway", recorded two years later from the 1978 release Weekend in L.A., also won a Grammy. Benson made it into the pop and R&B top ten with the song "Give Me the Night", produced by Quincy Jones. On Warner Bros., Benson accumulated three other platinum LPs and two gold albums.[3]
He also recorded the original version of "Greatest Love of All" for the 1977 Muhammad Ali bio-pic, The Greatest, which was later recorded as a cover by Whitney Houston.[3]
During this time Benson recorded with the German conductor, Claus Ogerman.[4]
Later and current career
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Template:Sample box end In 1985 Benson and guitarist Chet Atkins went on the smooth jazz charts with their collaboration "Sunrise", one of two songs from the duo released on Atkins' disc Stay Tuned.
In 1992, Benson appeared on Jack McDuff's Colour Me Blue album.
George Benson toured with Al Jarreau in America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to promote their 2006 album Givin' It Up.
He played during the second Monsoon Cup in Terengganu in 2006 and also Malaysia's 50th Merdeka celebration alongside Al Jarreau in 2007.[citation needed]
In May 2008, for the first time Benson took part in Mawazine Festival in Morocco [citation needed] Benson continues to tour the world performing over 100 shows a year. Benson lives a private life in Arizona, where he is a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.[5]
2009 sees Benson back in the studio recording a new album, with David Paich and Steve Lukather of Toto.[6]
Benson performs at the 49th issue of The Ohrid Summer Festival on July 25th 2009 and his Nat King Cole "Unforgettable" tour in as part of the Istanbul International Jazz Festival on July 27th.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Pop | R&B | Jazz | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | George Benson/Jack McDuff | — | — | — | Prestige |
| The New Boss Guitar | — | — | — | ||
| 1965 | Benson Burner | — | — | &mdash' | Columbia |
| It's Uptown | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | The George Benson Cookbook | — | — | — | |
| Willow Weep for Me | — | — | — | CBS | |
| 1967 | Blue Benson | — | — | #23 | Verve |
| 1968 | Giblet Gravy | — | — | — | |
| Goodies | — | — | — | ||
| 1969 | Shape of Things to Come | — | #38 | #11 | A&M |
| Tell It Like It Is | #145 | #43 | #16 | ||
| The Other Side of Abbey Road | #125 | #18 | — | ||
| 1970 | I Got a Woman & Some Blues | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | Beyond the Blue Horizon | — | — | #15 | CTI |
| 1972 | White Rabbit | — | — | #7 | |
| 1973 | Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon, Vol. 1 | — | — | — | Accord |
| Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon, Vol. 2 | — | — | — | ||
| Witchcraft | — | — | — | Jazz Hour | |
| 1974 | Body Talk | — | — | #10 | CTI |
| 1975 | Bad Benson | #78 | — | #1 | |
| 1976 | Good King Bad | #51 | #18 | #3 | |
| Benson & Farrell | #100 | #27 | #3 | ||
| Breezin' | #1 | #1 | #1 | Warner Bros. | |
| 1977 | In Concert-Carnegie Hall | #122 | #43 | #6 | CTI |
| In Flight | #9 | #2 | #1 | Warner Bros. | |
| 1978 | Space Album | — | — | — | CTI |
| Weekend in L. A. | #5 | #1 | #1 | Warner Bros. | |
| 1979 | Livin' Inside Your Love | #7 | #4 | #1 | |
| Take Five | — | — | — | CTI | |
| 1980 | Cast Your Fate to the Wind | — | — | — | |
| Give Me the Night | #3 | #1 | #1 | Warner Bros. | |
| 1981 | GB | — | — | — | CTI |
| The George Benson Collection | #14 | #5 | #1 | Warner Bros. | |
| 1983 | In Your Eyes | #27 | #6 | #1 | |
| Pacific Fire | — | — | — | CTI | |
| 1984 | 20/20 | #45 | #20 | #3 | Warner Bros. |
| Live in Concert | — | — | — | Design | |
| 1985 | The Electrifying George Benson | — | — | — | Affinity |
| 1986 | While the City Sleeps... | #77 | #21 | #8 | Warner Bros. |
| 1987 | Collaboration (with Earl Klugh) | #59 | #28 | #1 | |
| 1988 | Twice the Love | #76 | #17 | #10 | |
| 1989 | Tenderly | #140 | — | #1 | |
| 1990 | Big Boss Band | — | — | #3 | |
| 1991 | Midnight Moods | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | The Essence of George Benson | — | — | — | Columbia |
| 1993 | Love Remembers | — | #50 | #1 | Warner Bros. |
| 1994 | The Most Exciting New Guitarist on the Jazz Scene | — | — | — | Sony |
| 1995 | The Best of George Benson | — | — | #14 | Warner Bros. |
| 1996 | California Dreamin' | — | — | — | Sony |
| Lil Darlin' | — | — | — | Thunderbolt | |
| That's Right | #150 | #33 | #1 | GRP | |
| 1998 | Standing Together | — | #47 | #1 | |
| Masquerade | — | — | — | Thunderbolt | |
| 1999 | The Masquerade Is Over | — | — | — | Jazz Hour |
| 2000 | Live at Casa Caribe | — | — | — | Columbia River |
| Absolute Benson | #125 | #24 | #1 | GRP | |
| 2001 | All Blues | — | — | — | Bianco |
| 2002 | Blue Bossa | — | — | — | Prestige Elite |
| After Hours | — | — | — | Universe | |
| 2003 | Irreplaceable | — | — | — | GRP |
| 2003 | The Greatest Hits of All | #138 | #74 | #3 | Rhino |
| 2004 | Golden Legends Live | — | — | — | St. Clair |
| 2005 | Jazz After Hours with George Benson | — | — | — | Performax |
| Best of George Benson Live | — | — | #4 | GRP | |
| 2006 | Givin' It Up (with Al Jarreau) | #58 | #14 | #1 | Concord |
| Givin' It Up (with Al Jarreau) (HDS 5.1 SuperDisc) | — | — | — | Monster Music | |
| 2007 | Live from Montreux | — | — | — | Immortal |
Singles
| Year | Title | US Pop |
US R&B |
UK Charts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Supership" | — | — | #30 |
| 1976 | "This Masquerade" | #10 | #3 | — |
| "Breezin'" | #63 | #55 | — | |
| 1977 | "Everything Must Change" | — | #34 | — |
| "Nature Boy" | — | — | #26 | |
| "Gonna Love You More" | #71 | #41 | — | |
| "The Greatest Love of All" | #24 | #2 | #27 | |
| 1978 | "On Broadway" | #7 | #2 | — |
| "Lady Blue" | — | #39 | — | |
| 1979 | "Love Ballad" | #18 | #3 | #29 |
| "Unchained Melody" | — | #55 | — | |
| 1980 | "Give Me the Night" | #4 | #1 | #7 |
| "Love X Love" | #61 | #9 | #10 | |
| 1981 | "Love All the Hurt Away" (with Aretha Franklin) | #46 | #6 | — |
| "Turn Out the Lamplight" | — | #33 | — | |
| "What's On Your Mind" | — | — | #45 | |
| "Turn Your Love Around" | #5 | #1 | #29 | |
| 1982 | "Never Give Up on a Good Thing" | #52 | #16 | #14 |
| 1983 | "Inside Love (So Personal)" | #43 | #3 | #57 |
| "Lady Love Me (One More Time)" | #30 | #21 | #11 | |
| "Feel Like Makin' Love" | — | — | #28 | |
| "In Your Eyes" | — | — | #7 | |
| 1984 | "Late At Night" | — | — | #86 |
| "20/20" | #48 | #15 | #29 | |
| 1985 | "Beyond The Sea (La Mer)" | — | — | #60 |
| "I Just Wanna Hang Around You" | #102 | #24 | #93 | |
| "New Day" | — | #87 | — | |
| "No One Emotion" | — | — | #76 | |
| 1986 | "Kisses in the Moonlight" | — | #13 | #60 |
| "Shiver" | — | #16 | #19 | |
| 1987 | "Teaser" | — | — | #45 |
| 1988 | "Twice the Love" | — | #23 | #91 |
| 1998 | "Standing Together" | — | #62 | — |
| 2004 | "Cell phone" | — | — | — |
References
External links
- Tour dates
- George Benson Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards
- George Benson
- George Benson official homepage
- "Twelve Essential George Benson Recordings" by Bobby Broom (Jazz.com)
- George Benson Guitar Tabs
- George Benson 2006 Interview with Al Jarreau on Sidewalks Entertainment
- Interview with George Benson Recorded by NPR's KJZZ
- American male singers
- American composers
- American jazz guitarists
- American jazz singers
- Smooth jazz guitarists
- Grammy Award winners
- American Jehovah's Witnesses
- Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- African American guitarists
- African American singers
- Groove Records artists
- 1943 births
- Living people
- GRP Records artists