George Benson › Similar Artists

Al Jarreau - 91% match to George Benson

Alwyn Lopez Jarreau, 12 March 1940, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Singing a highly sophisticated form of vocalese, Jarreau’s style displays many influences. Some of these come from within the world of jazz, notably the work of Jon Hendricks, while others are external. He customarily uses vocal sounds that include the clicks of African song and the plosives common in orient Read more

The Crusaders - 85% match to George Benson

This remarkably versatile group was formed in Houston, Texas, as the Swingsters. During the 50s, Wilton Felder (31 August 1940, Houston, Texas, USA; reeds), Wayne Henderson (b. 24 September 1939, Houston, Texas, USA; trombone), Joe Sample (b. 1 February 1939, Houston, Texas, USA; keyboards) and Nesbert ‘Stix’ Hooper (b. 15 August 1938, Houston, Texas, USA; drums), Read more

Luther Vandross - 75% match to George Benson

Luther Ronzoni Vandross, 20 April 1951, New York City, New York, USA, d. 1 July 2005, Edison, New Jersey, USA. Born into a family immersed in gospel and soul singing, Vandross had already formed his own group while still at school and later worked with the musical theatre workshop, Listen My Brother. This enabled him to perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre. After a brief Read more

Lee Ritenour - 71% match to George Benson

Wes Montgomery - 71% match to George Benson

John Leslie Montgomery, 6 March 1923, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, d. 15 June 1968, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Montgomery was inspired to take up the guitar after hearing records by Charlie Christian. Nearly 20 years old at the time, he taught himself to play by adapting what he heard on records to what he could accomplish himself. Guided in part by Christian’s example, Read more

Norman Brown - 69% match to George Benson

18 December 1970, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Brown played guitar from around the age of eight, initially taking his cue from contemporary pop artists. By chance he heard Wes Montgomery on record and this redirected his interest towards jazz. Moving to Los Angeles, he studied at the Musician’s Institute, a move that led to his developing a thorough foundation for his ca Read more

George Duke - 65% match to George Benson

12 January 1946, San Rafael, California, USA. Duke studied the piano at school (where he ran a Les McCann -inspired Latin band) and emerged from the San Francisco Conservatory as a Bachelor of Music in 1967. From 1965-67 he was resident pianist at the Half Note, accompanying musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Dorham. This grounding served as a musical education for Read more

Grover Washington Jr. - 65% match to George Benson

Michael Franks - 63% match to George Benson

18 September 1944, La Jolla, California, USA. As a young teenager, Franks began singing to his own guitar accompaniment. He drew his eclectic repertoire from a broad field including folk music and aspects of the blues. He also began composing in the blues idiom, performing his own work and also hearing it picked up by other musicians. By the 70s Franks had become a well-know Read more

Fourplay - 61% match to George Benson

A group which has earned consistent critical praise for its blend of pop and contemporary jazz, Fourplay was formed by Bob James (25 December 1939, Marshall, Missouri, USA; keyboards), Lee Ritenour (b. 1 November 1953, Los Angeles, California, USA; guitar), Nathan East (bass) and Harvey Mason (b. 22 February 1947, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; drums). Since forming in the Read more

Earl Klugh - 60% match to George Benson

16 September 1953, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Jazz guitarist Klugh has an unorthodox style in that when he sits down he rests the guitar on his right knee instead of the left. After studying piano and nylon string guitar as a child, Klugh settled on the latter instrument. While still in his mid-teens he recorded with Yusef Lateef and George Benson, with whom he also toured. He Read more

Ronny Jordan - 58% match to George Benson

29 November 1962, London, England. Described by some as ‘the quintessential acid-jazz guitarist’, Jordan has an intimate and readily accessible musical demeanour that has endeared him to many. By the mid-90s he had disassociated himself with the acid-jazz movement, commenting that ‘the way I see acid-jazz, it’s more of a fashion statement and I’m not Read more

David Sanborn - 57% match to George Benson

30 July 1945, Tampa, Florida, USA. Sanborn’s virtuosity has now spanned four decades, taking him from being a band member (with the seminal Paul Butterfield) to a leading session player for artists such as David Bowie, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. His is the alto saxophone solo on Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’. He grew up in St. Louis and played with some Read more

Larry Carlton - 55% match to George Benson

2 March 1948, Torrance, California, USA. Often cited as the ‘guitarist’s guitarist’, Carlton has courted rock, jazz and acoustic new age with considerable success. The former member of the Crusaders carved a career during the 70s as a sought-after session musician. His profile improved following some outstanding, fluid playing over a number of years with Stee Read more

Randy Crawford - 54% match to George Benson

Veronica Crawford, 18 February 1952, Macon, Georgia, USA. Raised in Cincinnati, from the age of 15 Crawford was a regular performer at the city’s nightclubs. She later moved to New York and began singing with several jazz musicians including George Benson and Cannonball Adderley. Crawford was subsequently signed to Warner Brothers Records as a solo act, but achieved fam Read more