George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

guitarist. A former

child prodigy A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, playing

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

with

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era ...

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 Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

, hitting no. 1 on the ''Billboard'' album chart in 1976. His concerts were well attended through the 1980s, and he still has a large following. Benson has won ten

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s and has been honored with a

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

Biography

Early career

Benson was born and raised in the

Hill District The Hill District is a grouping of historically African American neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, "the Hill" was the cultural center of black life in the city and a major cent ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. At the age of seven, he first played the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

in a corner drug store, for which he was paid a few dollars. At age eight, he played guitar 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", with

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

in New York; although one source indicates this record was released under the name "Little Georgie", the 45rpm label is printed with the name George Benson. The single was produced by

Leroy Kirkland Leroy E. Kirkland (February 10, 1904 or 1906 – April 6, 1988) was an American arranger, bandleader, guitarist and songwriter whose career spanned the eras of big band jazz, R&B, rock and roll and soul. Life and career Born in Columbia, South Ca ...

for RCA's rhythm and blues label,

Groove Records Groove Records was a subsidiary of RCA Victor records, founded by ''Billboard'' writer Bob Rolontz in 1953 as a rhythm and blues label. The label tried hard to break into the R&B market. Piano Red had its first hit but Mickey & Sylvia was its firs ...

. Benson attended and graduated from Schenley High School. As a youth he learned how to play straight-ahead instrumental jazz during a relationship performing for several years with organist

. One of his many early guitar heroes was country-jazz guitarist

Hank Garland Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...

. At the age of 21, he recorded his first album as leader, '' The New Boss Guitar'', featuring McDuff. Benson's next recording was ''

It's Uptown ''It's Uptown'' is the second studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. Background George Benson's second album and the first of two to be produced by John Hammond. Recorded after his move to CBS. Track listing 2007 remastered CD / B ...

with the George Benson Quartet'', including

Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to: * Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player * Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer * Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist * Lonnie Liston Smith (born 1940), American jaz ...

on organ and

Ronnie Cuber Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

. Benson followed it up with ''

The George Benson Cookbook ''The George Benson Cookbook'' is the third studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson, and the second to be produced by John Hammond. Background The Hard Bop Homepage says of the album, "This is basically the George Benson quartet, wit ...

'', also with Lonnie Smith and Ronnie Cuber on baritone and drummer Marion Booker.

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

employed Benson in the mid-1960s, featuring his guitar on "Paraphernalia" on his 1968 Columbia release, ''

Miles in the Sky ''Miles in the Sky'' is a studio album by American trumpeter and composer Miles Davis, released on July 22, 1968, by Columbia Records. It was the last full album recorded by Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and marked the beginning of his foray int ...

'' before Benson went to

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

Benson then signed with

Creed Taylor Creed Bane Taylor V (May 13, 1929 – August 22, 2022) was an American record producer, best known for his work with CTI Records, which he founded in 1967. His career also included periods at Bethlehem Records, ABC-Paramount Records (including ...

's jazz label CTI Records, where he recorded several albums, with jazz heavyweights guesting, to some success, mainly in the jazz field. His 1974 release, ''

Bad Benson ''Bad Benson'' is a 1974 studio album by American guitarist George Benson, released on CTI Records. Track listing # "Take Five" (Paul Desmond) - 7:08 # "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Johnny Mandel) - 2:56 # "My La ...

'', climbed to the top spot in the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' jazz chart, while the follow-ups, ''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic revi ...

'' (#51 Pop album) and ''

Benson & Farrell ''Benson & Farrell'' is an album co-led by American guitarist George Benson and jazz saxophonist and flutist Joe Farrell;Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 both artists had previously released several albums on the CTI labe ...

'' (with Joe Farrell), both reached the jazz top-three sellers. Benson also did a version of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

's 1969 album '' Abbey Road'' called ''

The Other Side of Abbey Road ''The Other Side of Abbey Road'' is a 1970 studio album by American guitarist George Benson of songs from the Beatles' 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was his last album for A&M Records. The front cover is a photograph of Benson by Eric Meola in ...

'', 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 Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

. Benson played on numerous sessions for other CTI artists during this time, including

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

and Stanley Turrentine, notably on the latter's acclaimed album ''Sugar''.

1970s and 1980s

By the mid-to-late 1970s, as he recorded for

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, a whole new audience began to discover Benson. On 1976's '' Breezin''', Benson sang a lead vocal on the track "

This Masquerade "This Masquerade" is a song written by American singer and musician Leon Russell. It was originally recorded in 1972 by Russell for his album '' Carney'' and as a B-side for the album's hit single " Tight Rope". The song was then covered on Helen ...

", a song written by

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

. 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 The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

. (He had sung vocals infrequently on albums earlier in his career, notably his rendition of " Here Comes the Sun" on ''

'' album.) The rest of the album is instrumental, including his rendition of the 1975 José Feliciano composition "

Affirmation Affirmation or affirm may refer to: Logic * Affirmation, a declaration that something is true * In logic, the union of the subject and predicate of a proposition Law * Affirmation (law), a declaration made by and allowed to those who conscienti ...

". In 1976, Benson toured with soul singer Minnie Riperton, who had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer earlier that year and, in addition, appeared as a guitarist and backup vocalist on

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's song "

Another Star "Another Star" is a song written and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album ''Songs in the Key of Life''. It is the final track on side four of the double LP. The flute player Bobbi Humphrey appears in the last section of the song. Rele ...

" from Wonder's album '' Songs in the Key of Life''. He also recorded the original version of "

The Greatest Love of All "The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser, who composed the music, and Linda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 by George Benson, who made the song a substantial hit, peaking at number two on the ...

" for the 1977

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

bio-pic, '' The Greatest'', which was later covered by

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

as "Greatest Love of All." During this time Benson recorded with the German conductor Claus Ogerman. The live take of " On Broadway," recorded a few months later from the 1978 release ''

Weekend in L.A. ''Weekend in L.A.'' is a 1978 live album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. The album was recorded live at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Track listing #"Weekend in L.A." (George Benso ...

'', also won a Grammy. He has worked with Freddie Hubbard on a number of his albums throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. George benson 1986 montreux 16 3

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. 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 Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English songwriter, producer and musician. Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s pop music, disco and funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "St ...

). He had many hit singles such as "Love All the Hurt Away," "

Turn Your Love Around "Turn Your Love Around" is a pop/ R&B single by George Benson. The song was written by Grammy winners Bill Champlin of Chicago, Steve Lukather of Toto and producer and guitarist Jay Graydon to help fill out Benson's 1981 greatest hits album, '' ...

," "Inside Love," " Lady Love Me," "20/20," "

Shiver Shivering (also called shuddering) is a bodily function in response to cold and extreme fear in warm-blooded animals. When the core body temperature drops, the shivering reflex is triggered to maintain homeostasis. Skeletal muscles begin to s ...

," "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 Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

and

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

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 '' Absolute Benson '' is an enhanced studio album by American jazz musician George Benson. It was released by GRP and Verve Records on May 23, 2000 in the United States. Taking a tip from 1999's pop-man-of-the-year Carlos Santana, Benson goes La ...

'', featuring a cover of one of Hathaway's most notable songs, " The Ghetto." Benson accumulated three other platinum LPs and two gold albums.

1990s to present

In 1990, Benson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. To commemorate the long relationship between Benson and

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...

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. Joni Mitchell 1983

In 2009, Benson was recognized by the

National Endowment of the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

as a Jazz Master, the United States highest honor in jazz. Benson performed at the 49th issue of the

Ohrid Summer Festival The Ohrid Summer Festival ( mk, Охридско лето) is a festival founded on 4 August 1961, always taking place between 12 July and 20 August in the city of Ohrid, North Macedonia. Originally, the event was initiated and it played important ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

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 The Istanbul Jazz Festival, formerly Istanbul Festival, ( tr, İstanbul Caz Festivali) is a cultural event held every July in Istanbul, Turkey. It offers a selection of jazz music performances with the participations of famous artists from all ove ...

in Turkey on July 27. In the fall of 2009, Benson finished recording an album entitled ''Songs and Stories'' with

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

, producer John Burk, and session musicians

David Paich David Frank Paich (born June 25, 1954) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist and singer of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the ba ...

and

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

. As a part of the promotion for his album ''Songs and Stories'', Benson has appeared or performed on ''The Tavis Smiley Show'', ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' and ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''. He performed at the

Java Jazz Festival Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JJF) is one of the largest jazz festivals in the world and arguably the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The annual jazz festival is held every early March and was designed t ...

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. In June 2013, Benson released his fourth album for Concord, '' Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole'', which included Wynton Marsalis, Idina Menzel, Till Brönner, and

Judith Hill Judith Glory Hill is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She has provided backing vocals for such artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Josh Groban. In 2009, Hill was chosen as Jackson's duet partner for the song " I Just ...

. 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. In July 2016, Benson participated as a mentor in the Sky Arts programme ''

Guitar Star ''Guitar Star'' is a talent show that has aired on Sky Arts from 9 June 2015 to 2 August 2016 and is presented by Edith Bowman, with judges Huey Morgan, Nitin Sawhney and Helen Sanderson, as they scour across the UK to unearth a world-class guita ...

'' in the search for the UK and

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

's most talented guitarist. In May 2018, Benson was featured on the

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

single "

Humility Humility is the quality of being humble. Dictionary definitions accentuate humility as a low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. In a religious context humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity (i.e. God), and subsequent ...

". On July 12, 2018, it was announced that Benson had signed to Mascot Label Group.

Personal life

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 one of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

. Benson has been a resident of

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from por ...

Discography

Awards

Grammy Awards

List of

s received by George Benson

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, George 1943 births Living people 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American guitarists African-American guitarists African-American jazz guitarists African-American songwriters American funk guitarists American jazz composers American jazz guitarists American jazz singers American Jehovah's Witnesses American male guitarists American male jazz composers American male singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues guitarists American soul guitarists Columbia Records artists Concord Records artists Converts to Jehovah's Witnesses CTI Records artists Grammy Award winners Groove Records artists GRP Records artists Guitarists from Arizona Guitarists from Pennsylvania Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania Lead guitarists Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona Musicians from Pittsburgh Musicians from Englewood, New Jersey Prestige Records artists Schenley High School alumni Singer-songwriters from Arizona Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Smooth jazz guitarists Verve Records artists Warner Records artists