Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Early Years
quartet, 1962-65 1965 worked as side man and led own quartets as guitarist and as song writer and singer 1965-68; Recording artist with Columbia Records
Education
High Schools : Connelly High School (Dropped Out)
Career Start
Started as a Singer
First guitar was engineered by his stepfather Performed at different pub corners Performed at night clubs by age eight
Joe Sample
Wes Montgomery Charlie Christian McCoy Tyner Count Basie Orchestra
Record Labels
Prestige Records: 1964-1965
Columbia Records: 1966-1967 Verve Records : 1968
Best R&B Instrumental Performance Best Pop Instrumental Performance Record of the Year Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
Breezin
This Masquerade
Tommy LiPuma, producer
On Broadway
Moody Mood
Best R&B Instrumental Performance Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Best Pop Instrumental Performance Best Traditional R&B Instrumental Performance
Off Broadway Give Me the Night Being with You God Bless the Child
With Al Jarreau & Jill Scott
Personal Tragedy
Lost one of his sons to kidney failure.
Lost one to crib death. Lost one to gunshot injuries from a bar fight.
Commemoration Song
Was asked by Mohammed Al Fayed to write a song in
memory of his son, who died along with his friend Princes Diana of England in 1997. During the writing, I asked my wife to come listen to what I had written, but when I got to certain parts, it became too difficult. My lips were trembling. I was thinking about my own loses and couldnt get past it. It stopped me cold
Hammond
On Broadway
Won a Grammy award for best Male R&B Vocal
Performance in 1997. Used in movies like BIG BUSINESS and AMERICAN BEAUTY
Masquerade
Written by Leon Russell.
Made top ten hits on Pop and R&B. Made number ten on the board hot 100.
Bibliography
Benson Honored. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sept. 28,
2008, Sooner, Arts & Entertainment. George Benson: Biography from Answers.com. May 2, 2009 WWW.answers.com/topic/george-benson George Benson- The official Site. GeorgeBenson.com. April 28, 2009 WWW.georgebenson.com