George Benson Guitar Tab Books, Instruction DVDs, Chord Melody Solos, Transcriptions, Video Lessons

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George Benson - One Incredible Jazz Guitarist!
Compiled & Edited By Steven Herron
  
    Jazz guitar player George Benson was born March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The precocious youngster discovered from the start that he had a fine singing voice and in fact made his public debut at age four at a 4th of July celebration, causing his nickname - "Little Georgie Benson". Hearing the jazz guitar record albums of jazz guitar player Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Band a number of years later on ignited his interest to play guitar. His stepfather, Tom Collier, who also had desires of performing on guitar as a profession possessed an electric guitar which young George desired. Due to the fact that his hands were too small at that point however, he needed to make use of a ukulele instead.

    By the time he was eight, Benson was rewarded with an inexpensive guitar by his stepfather who acknowledged his progress. A local record talent scout observed George's capabilities after hearing him perform on street corners and drove him to New York city. At 10, Little Georgie Benson was signed to a short term recording contract with RCA Victor Records "X" label and taped four sides of R & B tunes which consisted of Ray Charles's "It Should Have Been Me". Only one record single, "She Makes Me Mad", was pressed and the event contributed to Benson's notoriety back home, however his strict stepfather saw the music as too much of a diversion and took George's guitar away!

    Probably the absence of a strong, beneficial focus in his life had some negative results. At age fifteen, Benson got in trouble with the police and did six weeks in reform school. As soon as he was released he joined the Altarrs, an R & B singing band assembled by one of his relatives. Wishing to perform on the guitar again and sing, his stepfather built George a do-it-yourself electric guitar and amplification system for his use. By 17, George Benson was singing and playing out on guitar with the Altarrs and they turned into one of the most popular bands in that locality.

    Listening to the recording "Jazz Winds From a New Direction" that consisted of jazz guitarist Hank Garland and vibraphonist Gary Burton stimulated Benson on to even more exploration. Before too long the recordings of Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian, and Wes Montgomery turned him in a new be-bop direction and he started seriously wood shedding on his guitar along with showing up at many jam sessions. Jazz guitarists like Grant Green and Eddie McFadden taking a trip through Pittsburgh included their praise upon listening to his technique and creativity!

    In 1961, jazz guitarist George Benson got his break through a surprising chance meeting. Hammond organist Brother Jack McDuff was traveling through with his trio minus the guitar player. Benson was promptly recommended to fill the spot and he ended up subbing for the next 3 years while undergoing the most difficult stage of his jazz guitar career. Though he had an outstanding understanding of time and a strong groove, his harmonic and melodic expertise was lacking and he did not comprehend the best ways to read music! With McDuff's constant encouragement Benson studied relentlessly and acquired the needed skills. In the meantime he met jazz guitar music giants Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, and Wes Montgomery. Wes became almost a mentor to the youthful, up and coming guitarist. Prestige Records took notice of his extraordinary jazz guitar style and in 1964 Benson recorded "The New Boss Guitar of George Benson With the Brother Jack McDuff Quartet".

    The huge amount of publicity and critics' recognition motivated Benson to go it alone and he formed his own quartet in 1965. Together with a lot of other jazz musicians of the time, the band scuffled in the clubs till Columbia Record Company talent scout extraordinaire John Hammond noticed him and signed him to the major record label. Wanting to feature him as a singer during those lean times for jazz, Columbia had him sing different tunes on his 2 records. In 1967, Benson left Columbia for Verve Record Company where he recorded 2 record albums.

    Always trying to find an empathetic record label, in 1968 George Benson joined A&M Record Company where he ended up being a stable mate with Wes Montgomery. Wes had actually interceded on his behalf with record producer Herb Alpert and Benson ended up cutting three record albums for the brand new and up and coming label. His manager was Creed Taylor, who had crafted Wes's unqualified pop success by persuading him to play pop tunes with ear-pleasing octaves. A similar course was implemented with Benson to the very same critic's consternation which followed Wes Montgomery's "sellout" and when Taylor left in 1970 to create his own CTI Record Company label, Benson was taken along for the trip.

    The concept of CTI Record Company was very sophisticated! Instead of dealing with jazz as some mystical art reserved for the jazz music elite, Creed Taylor came at it with a pop sensibility. He got the very best young jazzmen around and had them perform standards, contemporary tunes, and originals and then sweetened the arrangements with orchestral backing tracks. After that he wrapped the tunes in visually striking, shiny artwork on the album covers. The results ended up being fantastic! CTI Record Company had sales that were 10 times the amount of most previous jazz releases!

    Jazz guitarist George Benson remained with the CTI Record Company label for 6 years, recording a record every year. His jazz guitar record "White Rabbit" from 1972 was chosen for a Grammy Award and Benson was accorded the honor of playing guitar on Miles Davis's "Miles In The Sky" record. The jazz trumpet virtuoso offered him a spot in his group that consisted of at that time Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Benson refused it as he was happy with the income he was being paid with CTI Record Company, but he was also beginning to chafe under Creed Taylor's creative restraints. As soon as his contract with CTI turned up for renewal in 1976, he signed with Warner Brothers Record Company.

    The famous record labels were starting to acknowledge the broader approval of jazz guitar music that was developing out of fusion and the approval of jazz guitar entertainers like Wes Montgomery and George Benson. With a sympathetic producer like Tony LiPuma, Benson had significantly more input than he experienced at CTI and promptly took advantage of it by bringing in his pal Phil Upchurch to record on rhythm guitar. LiPuma, in what can only be referred to as a stroke of true genius, encouraged Benson to sing once again and recommended "This Masquerade" by Leon Russell as his choice.

    The George Benson album "Breezin" was released in 1976 and scored in the Top Ten pop charts based pretty much entirely on that vocal number. It went platinum, quickly selling millions of copies and received 3 Grammys. His following record album "In Flight" from 1977 followed suit in sales and awards. The formula of jazz, pop, and R & B with Benson's suave, satiny vocals and fast fingers proved a big success all the way through to 1980's "Just Give Me The Night" produced by Quincy Jones.

    The 1980s saw continued commercial success as Benson replayed the formula which began in the late 1970s. Nevertheless, his jazz guitar playing was starting to be showcased less and less and his long term, hardcore jazz guitar fans felt neglected. Beginning with "Tenderly", a terrific record of standards taped in 1989 and the "Big Boss Band" taped with the Count Basie Band, he got back on track with his instrument. Throughout, George Benson has balanced all the components of his know how into a commercially and critically successful lengthy career. Smoky, low down blues, bop classics, and up to date pop music all mix together for an extensive summation of this exceptional jazz guitar player's contribution to the wonderful world of jazz!

Jazz Guitar Chords & Arpeggio Patterns - Stacy McKee This unique book includes 300 jazz guitar chord formations and matching single note arpeggio patterns in a quick reference format that no one has ever done before! Cross indexing makes this manual extremely easy to use and regardless of what style of music you play, we know you will find this to be a valuable, "must have" addition to your library.  Stacy McKee was the featured guitarist with "Les Brown and The Band Of Renown" and for a limited time only, we will include an exclusive copy of his book FREE with your first order!
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