AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Benson

Artist:George Benson

Song:This Masquerade

Album:The George Benson Collection

The 1976 single This Masquerade was not George Benson's biggest hit. But it was his first top ten hit. So it was the record that turned a top jazz guitarist into a pop star. The 1976 album Breezin' was Benson's first album on Warner Bros. after recording for Prestige, Columbia, Verve, A&M and CTI. The CTI albums in particular did well on the jazz charts. So what was the difference at Warner Bros.? At the time, Tommy LiPuma had just joined Warners as a staff producer. He was co-owner of Blue Thumb Records and had success producing acts that straddled jazz and soul like guitarist Phil Upchurch and The Crusaders. The big difference is that Benson is a great singer. He always sang on his albums. But no one ever tried to sell him as a singer. Also, Benson's voice resembled Stevie Wonder's voice. And Wonder hadn't released an album for a while. So This Masquerade was the lead single from Breezin' and it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. This sold Benson to an all new audience and Breezin' was certified 3XPlatinum. Jazz fans didn't like Breezin' much but it set the stage for Smooth Jazz. Of course This Masquerade was written by Leon Russell and he recorded it in 1972. The piano solo is by Benson's regular pianist Jorge Dalto. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted the strings. Other musicians are Phil Upchurch on guitar, Stanley Banks on bass, Harvey Mason on drums and Ralph MacDonald on percussion. This budget comp covers more than his Warners recordings. Benson had great success for the next few years with top ten hits like On Broadway (1978), Give Me the Night (1980) and Turn Your Love Around (1981). But it all started with Breezin' and This Masquerade. Here's George Benson performing This Masquerade on Top Of The Pops 1976.