Weekend in London (Live) George Benson

• 1 Give Me The Night (Live) 07:25
• 2 Turn Your Love Around (Live) 04:24
• 3 Love X Love (Live) 06:02
• 4 In Your Eyes (Live) 04:54
• 5 I Hear You Knocking (Live) 02:45
• 6 Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You (Live) 04:06
• 7 Feel Like Makin' Love (Live) 05:19
• 8 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (Live) 04:16
• 9 The Ghetto (Live) 06:14
• 10 Moody's Mood (Live) 04:04
• 11 Love Ballad (Live) 05:36
• 12 Never Give Up On A Good Thing (Live) 04:41
• 13 Affirmation (Live) 07:03
• 14 Cruise Control (Live) 05:35
• Total Runtime 01:12:24

Info for Weekend in London (Live)

As an all-time icon and Grammy-winning giant, we have grown used to seeing George Benson on the stages that befit his sky-high status. During a six-decade career marked by awards, acclaim and Billboard-topping output, the Pittsburgh, Hill District-born veteran has earned his place in both the history books and the biggest venues around the world. So it’s a rare treat – and a whole different thrill – to find this megastar going nose-to-nose with the breathless 250-capacity crowd at London’s prestigious Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. "I like that kind of intimacy," says Benson of his flying visit to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, captured on this year's electrifying new live album, Weekend In London. "I can feel the love when it's up close and personal."

“We captured a lot of the atmosphere on ‘Weekend In London’. It was very crowded, like it always is at Ronnie Scott’s, no matter who’s there. We were almost touching as we were playing, people all up on the bandstand. But I’m always happy to be in those surroundings. A lot of big Benson fans were there – and some of the screaming ladies. It was a fantastic night.” (Kevin Shirley, producer)

Only a handful of lucky fans were present as the lights went down that magical night in 2019. The evening opened with the 1980 worldwide smash hit ‘Give Me The Night,’ and fans were treated to a glorious 7 minute rendition of the song. “I like that kind of intimacy,” says Benson of his flying visit to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

“I can feel the love when it’s up close and personal.” During a time when we are all practicing safe distancing, Benson transports the listener to the magic and intamacy of the night, but from the safety of your own home.

Notably for jazz fans, the performance is a spectacular showcase of Benson’s best-in-class improvisation.

Benson won 10 Grammy Awards between 1977 and 2007. His last studio album was Walking to New Orleans, a tribute to pianist Fats Domino and guitarist Chuck Berry.

George Benson

Born on March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Benson showed prodigious talent from an early age, winning a singing contest when he was only four years old and enjoying a short career as a child radio performer under the name of “Little Georgie Benson.” He started playing the guitar when he was eight, but it was as a vocalist that he spent much of his vast musical energy as a teenager, organizing and performing with a succession of rhythm-and-blues and rock bands around Pittsburgh. He made recordings for RCA Victor’s X Records subsidiary in the middle 1950s. But Benson’s stepfather encouraged his instrumental efforts by constructing a guitar for him, and in his late teens he began to concentrate exclusively on guitar. Seeking out the music of modern jazz’s golden age, he became more and more interested in jazz, and was particularly inspired by recordings of saxophonist Charlie Parker and guitarists Charlie Christian and Grant Green.

Discovered by John Hammond: In 1961 Benson jumped to the national stage when he joined the group backing jazz organist Jack McDuff. He played and recorded with McDuff for four years. Then he struck out on his own: he moved to New York City, then the capital of the jazz universe, and formed his own band. There Benson made two acquaintances who proved crucial in setting him on the path to jazz stardom: guitarist Wes Montgomery, whose soft tone and graceful octave playing provided Benson with his most important stylistic inspiration, and Columbia Records producer and executive John Hammond, whose unerring eye for talent brought

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