1. George Washington Benson was born on March 22,1943 and is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
27 Facts About George Benson
1. 2.
George Benson began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.
3.
George Benson's concerts were well attended through the 1980s, and he still has a large following.
4.
George Benson has won ten Grammy Awards and has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
5.
George Benson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
6.
George Benson attended Connelley Vocational High School on Bedford Avenue in the Hill District.
7.
In 1987, George Benson received an honorary degree from Pittsburgh Public Schools.
8.
Benson's next recording was It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet, including Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone saxophone.
9.
In 1970, George Benson released The Other Side of Abbey Road, featuring renditions of songs from the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.
10.
George 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.
11.
George Benson played on Hubbard's 1971 album First Light, which won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards, as well as five other Hubbard studio albums.
12.
George Benson released a version of "White Rabbit" on the album of the same name in 1972, originally written and recorded by San Francisco rock group Great Society, and made famous by Jefferson Airplane.
13.
George Benson's version, became a huge pop hit and won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
14.
George Benson accumulated three other platinum LPs and two gold albums.
15.
In 1990, George Benson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the Berklee College of Music.
16.
In 2009, George Benson was recognized by the National Endowment of the Arts as a Jazz Master, the United States highest honor in jazz.
17.
George Benson performed at the 49th issue of the Ohrid Summer Festival in North Macedonia on July 25,2009, and his tribute show to Nat King Cole, An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole, as part of the Istanbul International Jazz Festival in Turkey on July 27.
18.
In late 2009, George Benson finished recording an album entitled Songs and Stories with Marcus Miller, producer John Burk, and session musicians David Paich and Steve Lukather.
19.
In June 2013, George Benson released his fourth album for Concord, Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole, which included Wynton Marsalis, Idina Menzel, Till Bronner, and Judith Hill.
20.
In July 2016, George Benson participated as a mentor in the Sky Arts programme Guitar Star in the search for the UK and Republic of Ireland's most talented guitarist.
21.
In May 2018, George Benson was featured on the Gorillaz single "Humility".
22.
On July 12,2018, it was announced that George Benson had signed to Mascot Label Group.
23.
George Benson stopped touring internationally at the start of 2024 due to ill health, cancelling a series of UK concerts that summer.
24.
Benson released a new album, Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon on July 19,2024.
25.
George Benson announced plans for a four-night festival called Breezin' with the Stars planned for January 2025.
26.
George Benson has been married to Johnnie Lee since 1965 and has seven children.
27.
George Benson describes his music as focusing more on love and romance, due to his commitment to his family and religious practices, with George Benson being a Jehovah's Witness.