George Benson

April 23, 2020

Good morning.

Today we’re listening to George Benson, an American guitarist and singer from Pittsburgh. He started out at age eight playing guitar on weekends at a speakeasy the cops eventually shut down. The first of his many albums we’re playing today is 1969’s Other Side of Abbey Road, on which he performs jazzy interpretations of songs from The Beatles’ Abbey Road. Next is The Shape of Things to Come, whose title track is our favorite song by him. 1976’s Breezin’ was Benson’s most commercially successful album, reaching #1 and achieving triple-platinum status. This was driven by “The Masquerade,” which Benson sang on and earned him a Grammy for Record of the Year.

The Other Side of Abbey Road by George Benson (30m, some vocals) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

The Shape of Things to Come by George Benson (30m, occasional vocals) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Breezin’ by George Benson (60m, vocals on “The Masquerade” only) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Have a really nice Thursday.