George Benson

Jazz guitarist/vocalist George Benson's breakthrough came in 1976 when Breezin' brought him into the pop mainstream; from 1976 through 1983, he racked up seven Top 40 singles. His jazz-pop formula has since been updated by the likes of Earl Klugh and Kenny G, while Benson himself continues to release expert mellow fare - jazz and blues-based pop material with a consistent melodic emphasis.

Benson won a singing contest when he was four years old and later performed on radio as Little Georgie Benson. He took up the guitar at age eight but worked as a vocalist with numerous Pittsburgh R&B bands before playing guitar in public at age 15. Soon after, he began playing sessions outside Pittsburgh. With his groups the Altairs and George Benson and His All-Stars, he recorded for Amy Records. By the late ’50s he had given up singing to concentrate solely on the guitar. In 1965 he moved to New York and met his main influence, Wes Montgomery; John Hammond signed him to Columbia. Though his mainstream jazz albums on Columbia, A&M, and CTI helped him establish a reputation, sales were never outstanding.

In late 1975 Benson signed with Warner Bros., where for the first time in his recording career he was encouraged to sing. Breezin’, winner of three Grammys in 1976, featured Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade,” the first song in history to reach #1 on the jazz, R&B, and pop charts. His success continued throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s (all six Warners albums of the period are platinum sellers). Understated pop funk with vocals modeled on Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, his hits included “On Broadway” (#7, 1978), “Give Me the Night” (#4, 1980), and “Turn Your Love Around” (#5, 1981).

Benson’s sales have remained consistent, but his life hasn’t been without tumult. Becoming a Jehovah’s Witness in the early ’80s, he credited his conversion for his good fortune. However, one of his sons was killed in a 1991 bar fight. In 1988 CTI Records was awarded $3.2 million in a judgment against Warner Bros. Records; Warners, a jury ruled, owed the money in damages for breaching an agreement with Benson. During this period, Benson reaffirmed his jazz roots with live work with Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, and Lionel Hampton. In 1989 Tenderly, with pianist McCoy Tyner, reached the #1 jazz spot; in 1990 Big Boss Band featured a vital partnership with the Count Basie Orchestra. In 1993 Benson, an eight-time Grammy winner, again proved his hitmaking currency when his Love Remembers supplanted Kenny G’s Breathless as the #1 Contemporary Jazz album. In 1998 his Standing Together featured MDRC, a band including Benson’s son Robert. The release incorporated Caribbean and hip-hop elements.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)