Latest Release
- Breezin' · 1976
- Share My World · 1997
- Give Me the Night · 1980
- The George Benson Collection · 1981
- Collaboration · 1987
- Breezin' · 1976
- 20/20 · 1985
- The Now Now · 2018
- Give Me the Night · 1980
- Breezin' · 1976
Essential Albums
- George Benson was already everyone's favorite jazz-funk guitarist by 1976, when Breezin' made him a pop star too. His Stevie Wonder-inspired vocal rendition of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" proved irresistible, and Breezin' became the first album by a jazz artist to go platinum, topping pop, jazz, and R&B charts simultaneously. From the Bobby Womack-penned title track to Jose Feliciano's "Affirmation," Breezin' glides by on Benson's fleet-fingered fluidity, low-key funk, and a string section that adds just enough sugar to this tasty concoction.
Artist Playlists
- Supple grooves and slinky guitar work from this smooth jazz master.
- Explore the influence of this iconic artist.
- Exquisite poise and rich grooves from a guitarist and arranger.
Singles & EPs
Live Albums
Appears On
- Stanley Turrentine
More To Hear
- We celebrate the 45th Anniversary of George Benson's 'Breezin.'
About George Benson
Jazz legend George Benson started playing ukulele at age 7 because his hands were too small for a guitar. ∙ At age 10, Benson cut two singles for RCA’s R&B label, Groove Records, but his mother took away his guitar when show business started interfering with schoolwork. ∙ Miles Davis sought him out for his 1968 album, Miles in the Sky. Benson later said, “I was knocked out that he even called me, let alone asked me to record with him.” ∙ With the 1976 album Breezin’, he almost single-handedly defined the smooth-jazz genre and went on to sell more than 3 million records. ∙ His cover of the classic “On Broadway”—used in the Academy Award-winning film All That Jazz—won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance. ∙ He’s been nominated for 25 Grammy Awards and won 10, including Record of the Year for “This Masquerade.” ∙ In 2009, Benson was recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment of the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for a jazz musician.
- HOMETOWN
- Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- BORN
- March 22, 1943
- GENRE
- Jazz