# George Benson discography
The discography of **George Benson** (born 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) spans six decades and more than 35 studio albums as leader, moving from hard bop (a driving, blues-influenced style of 1950s–60s jazz) guitar records in the mid-1960s through the CTI jazz label to the pop and R&B crossover albums that made him a mainstream star after 1976.[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First album as leader | *The New Boss Guitar of George Benson*, Prestige, 1964, with organist Brother Jack McDuff[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760/) |
| Columbia era | *It's Uptown* (1966) and *The George Benson Cookbook* (1966), with Lonnie Smith on organ[3](https://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/benson-george) |
| CTI years | Signed 1970; albums include *Beyond the Blue Horizon* (1971), *White Rabbit* (1972), *Body Talk* (1973), and *Bad Benson* (1974)[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) • [5](https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/george-benson) |
| Breakthrough | *Breezin'* (1976), the first jazz album certified platinum; the single "This Masquerade" reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100[6](https://concord.com/artist/george-benson/) • [1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/) |
| 1976 Grammy wins | Record of the Year ("This Masquerade"), Best Pop Instrumental Performance ("Breezin'"), and Best R&B Instrumental Performance ("Theme From Good King Bad")[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/) |
| Later labels | GRP from the mid-1990s; Concord from 2006, including *Givin' It Up* with Al Jarreau (2006) and *Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole* (2013)[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) • [7](https://concord.com/concord-albums/george-benson-songs-and-stories/) |
| Rediscovered album | *Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon*, recorded in 1989 and released June 14, 2024, on Rhino[8](https://media.rhino.com/press-release/dreams-do-come-true-when-george-benson-meets-robert-farnon) |
## Prestige, Columbia, and Verve, 1964–1970
Benson's first album as a leader, *The New Boss Guitar of George Benson*, appeared in 1964 on [Prestige Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/prestige-records) and featured Brother Jack McDuff, with whom he had been playing since 1962.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760/) • [9](https://www.jazztimes.com/artists/george-benson/) Talent scout John Hammond then signed him to [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records), where he recorded a string of jazz albums: *Benson Burner* was recorded in 1965, *It's Uptown* followed with the George Benson Quartet featuring organist Lonnie Smith, and *The George Benson Cookbook* came in 1966.[3](https://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/benson-george)
After leaving Columbia he recorded for Verve, including *Blue Benson* (1967) and *Giblet Gravy* (1968) with [Herbie Hancock](https://www.edgepedia.org/herbie-hancock), Ron Carter, and [Billy Cobham](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-cobham), and he appeared as a sideman on organist Jimmy Smith's 1968 Verve release *The Boss*.[3](https://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/benson-george) In 1967 he had sat in on [Miles Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/miles-davis)'s *Miles in the Sky* sessions, contributing to the track "Paraphernalia".[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) • [3](https://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/benson-george) His Beatles reinterpretation album *The Other Side of Abbey Road* is dated 1969 by the National Endowment for the Arts[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) and 1970 by AllMusic;[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760/) the Ultimate Music Database lists an October 22, 1969 release.[10](https://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Umd=B39110)
## The CTI years, 1971–1976
Joining Creed Taylor's CTI label in 1970, Benson was paired with leading jazz instrumentalists including Stanley Turrentine, Ron Carter, and [Freddie Hubbard](https://www.edgepedia.org/freddie-hubbard), and released albums such as *Beyond the Blue Horizon* (1971) and *White Rabbit* (1972).[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) The CTI catalog continued with *Body Talk* (1973) and *Bad Benson* (1974), the latter showing him stretching his soul-jazz style into funkier territory while still drawing on his [Wes Montgomery](https://www.edgepedia.org/wes-montgomery) roots.[5](https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/george-benson) • [11](https://www.allmusic.com/album/bad-benson-mw0000194472) Listeners and critics have often singled out this 1971–1976 CTI run as the strongest guitar work of his career.[9](https://www.jazztimes.com/artists/george-benson/)
## Warner Bros. and the crossover breakthrough, 1976–1993
Signing with Warner Bros. in late 1975, Benson was encouraged to sing on record for the first time.[12](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf) Working with producer Tommy LiPuma, he made *Breezin'* (1976), the first jazz record to attain platinum sales and his first album for the label.[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and its sole vocal track, [Leon Russell](https://www.edgepedia.org/leon-russell)'s "This Masquerade", on which Benson scatted along with his guitar solo, reached No. 10 on the Hot 100.[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/) • [4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) At the 19th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) he won three awards for 1976 recordings: Record of the Year for "This Masquerade", Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Breezin'", and Best R&B Instrumental Performance for "Theme From Good King Bad".[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/) *Breezin'* was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/)
The Warner Bros. run continued with *In Flight* (1977), which reached No. 9 on the Top 100 Albums chart, No. 2 on the R&B chart, and No. 1 on the jazz chart, and included his version of [Nat King Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/nat-king-cole)'s "Nature Boy".[13](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=3dcd3e7789a3118e5b78a3df7063b29cb7d94a5a&repid=rep1&type=pdf) • [6](https://concord.com/artist/george-benson/) The live double album *Weekend in L.A.*, recorded at the Roxy club in Los Angeles from September 30 to October 2, 1977, introduced his extended version of "On Broadway", which became his long-running showstopper; AllMusic dates the release to 1978 while the NEA lists 1977.[14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/weekend-in-la-mw0000652034) • [4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) *Livin' Inside Your Love* followed in 1979, and the [Quincy Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/quincy-jones)-produced *Give Me the Night* (1980) produced the hit "Give Me the Night".[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) • [15](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-p6098/biography)
Through the 1980s Benson released a steady series of Warner Bros. albums, including *In Your Eyes* (1983), *20/20* (1984), *Twice the Love* (1988), the standards album *Tenderly* (1989), and *Big Boss Band* with the [Count Basie Orchestra](https://www.edgepedia.org/count-basie-orchestra) (1990), followed by *Love Remembers* (1993), another No. 1 contemporary jazz album.[16](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/george-benson) • [15](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-p6098/biography)
## GRP, Concord, and later releases, 1995–2024
In the mid-1990s Benson followed LiPuma to the GRP label, where they released three well-received albums highlighting his vocals and guitar, including *That's Right* (1996) and *Standing Together* (1998).[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) • [16](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/george-benson) The Latin-inflected *Absolute Benson* followed; the NEA dates it to 1999 on GRP[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) while Encyclopedia.com and AllMusic list a 2000 release that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard jazz chart.[16](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/george-benson) • [15](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-p6098/biography)
On Concord, Benson and vocalist [Al Jarreau](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-jarreau) released *Givin' It Up* in 2006.[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson) He signed to Concord in 2009 for *Songs and Stories*, then issued *Guitar Man* (2011), his first primarily instrumental album in 35 years, and *Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole* (2013), recorded with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra using original [Nelson Riddle](https://www.edgepedia.org/nelson-riddle) and [Gordon Jenkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/gordon-jenkins) charts.[15](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-p6098/biography) • [7](https://concord.com/concord-albums/george-benson-songs-and-stories/) • [6](https://concord.com/artist/george-benson/) *Walking to New Orleans: Remembering Chuck Berry and Fats Domino* followed in 2019.[17](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/11791-george-benson/)
In 2024 Rhino released *Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon*, an orchestral album of American standards and pop classics recorded in 1989 with the Canadian composer-arranger Robert Farnon and shelved without a stated reason; it marked Benson's return to Warner Music Group.[8](https://media.rhino.com/press-release/dreams-do-come-true-when-george-benson-meets-robert-farnon) • [18](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/07/19/selection-albums-l-orchestre-de-chambre-pelleas-george-benson-linda-thompson-cassandra-jenkins-eminem-common-et-pete-rock-kokoko_6252776_3246.html)
## What the catalog shows
The discography divides cleanly by label. The Prestige, Columbia, Verve, A&M, and CTI records through 1976 are essentially instrumental jazz, hard bop at first and soul-jazz and fusion later, and they sold respectably without reaching the pop market.[3](https://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/benson-george) • [13](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=3dcd3e7789a3118e5b78a3df7063b29cb7d94a5a&repid=rep1&type=pdf) From *Breezin'* onward the albums were built around Benson's singing in an R&B-flavored pop mode, with the guitar sometimes used mainly for variety, a shift that brought a much wider audience and drew criticism from some jazz listeners.[15](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-p6098/biography) • [9](https://www.jazztimes.com/artists/george-benson/) Across the whole catalog Benson has won ten Grammy Awards.[4](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson)
## References
1. [George Benson – Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/george-benson/4099/)
2. [George Benson Discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760/)
3. [George Benson, Jazz.com Encyclopedia](https://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/benson-george)
4. [George Benson, National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters](https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/george-benson)
5. [George Benson discography, JazzMusicArchives](https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/george-benson)
6. [George Benson, Concord](https://concord.com/artist/george-benson/)
7. [Songs and Stories, Concord Label Group](https://concord.com/concord-albums/george-benson-songs-and-stories/)
8. [Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon, Rhino press release](https://media.rhino.com/press-release/dreams-do-come-true-when-george-benson-meets-robert-farnon)
9. [George Benson, JazzTimes](https://www.jazztimes.com/artists/george-benson/)
10. [George Benson albums discography, Ultimate Music Database](https://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Umd=B39110)
11. [Bad Benson review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/bad-benson-mw0000194472)
12. [Benson, George, Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound (Hoffman, 1993)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf)
13. [Caught Between Jazz and Pop: The Contested Origins, Criticism, Performance Practice, and Reception of Smooth Jazz (dissertation)](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=3dcd3e7789a3118e5b78a3df7063b29cb7d94a5a&repid=rep1&type=pdf)
14. [Weekend in L.A. review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/weekend-in-la-mw0000652034)
15. [George Benson biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-p6098/biography)
16. [Benson, George, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/george-benson)
17. [George Benson, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/11791-george-benson/)
18. [Sélection albums, Le Monde (July 19, 2024)](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/07/19/selection-albums-l-orchestre-de-chambre-pelleas-george-benson-linda-thompson-cassandra-jenkins-eminem-common-et-pete-rock-kokoko_6252776_3246.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical practice and theory › Jazz › Jazz albums and recordings*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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