George Benson
born 1943
BiographyGeorge Benson is a jazz and pop singer-guitarist whose love for music began at a very young age. Benson successfully made his first record “She makes me mad” at age 10. As a teenager, he joined a band called Brother Jack McDuff and the Big Soul Band. He later went on to form his own band in 1965. He signed onto Warner Bros. in 1976 and released his album Breezin’ which had a great reception and became a Top Ten hit. Benson was also a guitarist and back-up vocalist on Stevie Wonder’s “Another Star” and recorded “The Greatest Love of All” for Muhammad Ali’s 1977 biopic. Benson’s guitar exclusively made for him by Ibanez was initially released in 1977 and was geared toward being able to withstand intense and prolonged use without being damaged. He has been nominated for 18 Grammys and has won 11 Grammy awards throughout his career. Benson was also honored with the Ron Brooks Award by the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association in recognition for his contributions to jazz in Detroit. He was also honored by the National Endowment of the Arts in 2009 as a Jazz Master, which is the highest honor in jazz in the US. July 2017 was his 40th anniversary and Ibanez, the manufacturer of his signature guitar commemorated the occasion by creating a limited edition of the signature guitar.
