GEORGE BENSON

GEORGE BENSON            GEORGE BENSON, ALAN GOLDSHER
Posted:  Aug. 21, 2014

Over the span of his illustrious five-decade career, George Benson has sold millions of records, performed for hundreds of millions of fans, and cut some of the most beloved jazz and soul tunes in music history. But the guitarist/vocalist is much more than "This Masquerade," "On Broadway," "Turn Your Love Around," and "Give Me the Night." Benson is a flat-out inspiration, a multitalented artist who survived an impoverished childhood and molded himself into the first true—and truly successful—jazz/soul crossover artist. And now, on the heels of receiving the prestigious NEW Jazz Masters award, George has finally decided to tell his story. And what a story it is.

Benson: The Autobiography follows George's remarkable rise from the ghettos of Pittsburgh to the stages of South Africa, and everywhere in between. George Benson is an unparalleled storyteller, and his tales of scuffling on the Chitlin Circuit with jazz legend Brother Jack McDuff, navigating his way through the recording studio with Miles Davis, and performing with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Quincy Jones, Benny Goodman, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan, Count Basie, and Lou Rawls will enthrall devotees of both music history and pop culture.

A treat for serious listeners, hardcore guitar aficionados, and casual music followers alike, George's long-awaited book allows readers to meet the man who is one of the most beloved, prolific, and bestselling musicians of his or any other era.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

In this book about George Benson, I found it to be a very interesting. I did not know that he was from Pittsburgh, PA. But he talks about his family life his mom and his step farther. He gave some credit to him for not only getting him interested in the guitar but also with the different jazz musicians. The different styles of jazz one person was Charlie Christian, he played in Benny Goodman’s band and with a few others before he passed at the age of 23 in 1941, but he left a lot of music. He goes on to talk about how by the time he was a teenager he was already playing in some clubs where he was not of age to drink. But he was always looking to make himself better. He would start playing with a band then they would move on to New York and then be back home again. Finally word spread in New York, like Pittsburgh and he was starting to get more jobs. He liked the idea of not being tied down to one band. But when Miles Davis called him could not say know. But like all of the other bands he was with it was only for a short time. After the sixties he had a few solo records but was still known for his work with other artists. He signed with CTI, known for jazz records he had a top seller in 74 with Bad Benson and two other records released later also were top sellers as well. By 75 he was with Warner Bros records, he was always looking to do his own record not be tied down by a producer who does not know music especially jazz. Then in 76 he released Breezin, this record was a huge hit and “This Masquerade” one the Grammy that year for record of the year. Still one of the best jazz records. He also did a PBS special with Benny Goodman, and he felt like he came full circle as a youngster listening to Charlie Christian play and now here he was playing in the same band. But after that he went on and is still making records or cds and still does concerts. A good story about a fantastic musician. I got this book from net galley.