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 - 66% 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

Lee Ritenour - 60% match to George Benson

Norman Brown - 58% 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

Fourplay - 55% 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

Grover Washington Jr. - 54% match to George Benson

Spyro Gyra - 54% match to George Benson

Formed in 1975 by saxophonist Jay Beckenstein (14 May 1951, New York City, New York, USA) and pianist Jeremy Wall, the original Spyro Gyra comprised Chet Catallo (electric guitar), David Wolford (electric bass), Eli Konikoff (drums), and Gerardo Velez (percussion). After a modest start in Buffalo, New York, and an album on a small independent label, Beckenstein’s hard w Read more

Joe Sample - 53% match to George Benson

Joseph Leslie Sample, 1 February 1939, Houston, Texas, USA. While still at high school, Sample co-founded a group that would dominate his working life. Known from 1960 as the Jazz Crusaders, the band, with its core of Sample on piano, Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder and Nesbert ‘Stix’ Hooper, produced a series of popular albums that helped to define the term ‘s Read more

Larry Carlton - 53% 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

Earl Klugh - 52% 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

Luther Vandross - 50% 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

Michael Franks - 50% 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

Bob James - 46% match to George Benson

25 December 1939, Marshall, Missouri, USA. James played the piano from the age of four and eventually gained an MA in Composition from the University of Michigan in 1962. He worked as musical director and accompanist with vocalist Sarah Vaughan until 1968. In 1973 Quincy Jones introduced him to Creed Taylor who was forming his CTI Records label. James became his arranger and Read more

George Duke - 45% 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

Earth, Wind & Fire - 44% match to George Benson

The origins of this imaginative US group date back to the 60s and Chicago’s black music session circle. Drummer Maurice White (19 December 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, USA) appeared on sessions for Etta James, Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart and more, before joining the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1965. He left four years later to form the Salty Peppers, which prepared the way for a Read more