George Benson

George Washington Benson (lahir 22 Maret 1943) adalah seorang gitaris, penyanyi, dan penulis lagu Amerika. Ia memulai karir profesionalnya pada usia 19 tahun sebagai gitaris jazz. Seorang mantan anak ajaib, Benson pertama kali menjadi terkenal pada tahun 1960-an, bermain soul jazz bersama Jack McDuff dan lainnya. Dia kemudian meluncurkan karir solo yang sukses, bergantian antara nyanyian jazz, pop, R&B, dan nyanyian scat. Albumnya Breezin' mendapat sertifikasi triple-platinum, mencapai no. 1 di tangga album Billboard pada tahun 1976. Konsernya dihadiri banyak orang sepanjang tahun 1980-an, dan dia masih memiliki banyak pengikut. Benson telah memenangkan sepuluh Grammy Awards dan dianugerahi bintang di Hollywood Walk of Fame. Benson lahir dan besar di Distrik Hill di Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pada usia tujuh tahun, dia pertama kali bermain ukulele di sebuah toko obat, dan dia dibayar beberapa dolar. Pada usia delapan tahun, dia bermain gitar di klub malam tanpa izin pada hari Jumat dan Sabtu malam, tetapi polisi segera menutup klub tersebut. Pada usia sembilan tahun, dia mulai merekam. Dari empat sisi yang dia potong, dua dirilis: "She Makes Me Mad" didukung dengan "It Should Have Been Me", dengan RCA Victor di New York; meskipun salah satu sumber menunjukkan rekaman ini dirilis dengan nama "Little Georgie", label 45rpm dicetak dengan nama George Benson. Single ini diproduseri oleh Leroy Kirkland untuk label ritme dan blues RCA, Groove Records. Benson bersekolah dan lulus dari Schenley High School. Saat masih muda, dia belajar cara memainkan jazz instrumental selama beberapa tahun menjalin hubungan dengan organis Jack McDuff. Salah satu dari banyak pahlawan gitar awalnya adalah gitaris country-jazz Hank Garland. Pada usia 21, dia merekam album pertamanya sebagai pemimpin, The New Boss Guitar, menampilkan McDuff. Rekaman Benson berikutnya adalah It's Uptown dengan George Benson Quartet, termasuk Lonnie Smith pada organ dan Ronnie Cuber pada saksofon bariton. Benson menindaklanjutinya dengan The George Benson Cookbook, juga dengan Lonnie Smith dan Ronnie Cuber pada bariton dan drummer Marion Booker. Miles Davis mempekerjakan Benson pada pertengahan 1960-an, menampilkan gitarnya di "Paraphernalia" pada rilisannya di Columbia tahun 1968, Miles in the Sky sebelum Benson pergi ke Verve Records. Benson kemudian menandatangani kontrak dengan label jazz Creed Taylor, CTI Records, di mana dia merekam beberapa album, dengan bintang tamu jazz kelas berat, dan meraih beberapa kesuksesan, terutama di bidang jazz. Rilisannya pada tahun 1974, Bad Benson, naik ke posisi teratas di tangga lagu jazz Billboard, sementara album selanjutnya, Good King Bad (album Pop #51) dan Benson & Farrell (bersama Joe Farrell), keduanya mencapai tiga besar jazz terlaris. Benson juga membuat versi album The Beatles tahun 1969 Abbey Road berjudul The Other Side of Abbey Road, juga dirilis pada tahun 1969, dan versi "White Rabbit", aslinya ditulis dan direkam oleh grup rock San Francisco Great Society, dan dipopulerkan oleh Jefferson Airplane. Benson bermain di banyak sesi untuk artis CTI lainnya selama ini, termasuk Freddie Hubbard dan Stanley Turrentine, terutama di album terkenal milik Stanley Turrentine, Sugar.

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 guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, playing soul jazz with Jack McDuff 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, 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 Awards and has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Benson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of seven, he first played the ukulele 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 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 for RCA's rhythm and blues label, Groove Records. 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 Jack McDuff. One of his many early guitar heroes was country-jazz guitarist Hank Garland. 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 with the George Benson Quartet, including Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone saxophone. Benson followed it up with The George Benson Cookbook, also with Lonnie Smith and Ronnie Cuber on baritone and drummer Marion Booker. Miles Davis employed Benson in the mid-1960s, featuring his guitar on "Paraphernalia" on his 1968 Columbia release, Miles in the Sky before Benson went to Verve Records. Benson then signed with Creed Taylor'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, climbed to the top spot in the Billboard jazz chart, while the follow-ups, Good King Bad (#51 Pop album) and Benson & Farrell (with Joe Farrell), both reached the jazz top-three sellers. 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 Great Society, and made famous by Jefferson Airplane. Benson played on numerous sessions for other CTI artists during this time, including Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine, notably on the latter's acclaimed album Sugar.