BLUES-JAZZ
THE CROSSROADS
In his never-ending quest to find musical links between the great jazz and blues guitarists, this issue John Wheatcroft explores the bluesy side of the incredible George Benson.
George Benson
George Benson was born in Pittsburgh in 1943 and was playing ukulele and guitar in public before the age of 10. As a teenager he worked with organist Jack McDuff and recorded his first solo album, The New Boss Guitar, at 21.
George joined the Miles Davis band in the mid 60s, featuring on albums Paraphernalia and Miles In The Sky. Benson continued his solo career with releases for both Creed Taylor’s CTI label and Warner Brothers. In 1976 he recorded the massively successful album Breezin’ and the following year won Grammys for Best Instrumental Performance, Best R&B Performance and Record Of The Year.