LAGOS, Nigeria — 10 times Grammy award winner George Benson comes to town for a once in a lifetime performance alongside Nigerian Africano artist Lagbaja who is also set to entertain at the 3rd smooth 98.1fm luxury concert on 13 October 2012.
Smooth 98.1FM hosts its 3rd Love Music Love Life Luxury Concert on Saturday 13 October 2012 at the Expo center Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island Lagos, with the legendary George Benson as the headline act and Lagbaja supporting.George Benson is a Jazz Master and 10 time Grammy-winning legend. He will be performing greatest hits such as “Give Me the Night”, “Breezin”, “Love X Love” and “Off Broadway”. Whilst Lagbaja will get you dancing on your feet with songs like “Konko Below”, “Gra Gra”, “Vernacular” and “Prayer For The Youths”
George Benson’s career spans five decades and more than 30 recordings as a leader. Benson first came to prominence playing soul jazz with the likes of Jack McDuff. Benson then launched a successful solo career, alternating between jazz, pop, R&B singing, and scat singing. By the mid to late 1970s, Benson began to put his vocal on tracks such as “This Masquerade” and “On Broadway”, which both won him Grammy Awards. With his triple-platinum album, ‘Breezin’ topped the Billboard 200 in 1976.
Benson’s breakthrough pop album “Give Me The Night” made it into the pop and R&B top ten with the song “Give Me the Night” (produced by Quincy Jones and written by former Heatwave keyboardist Rod Temperton) having previously been almost unknown to the younger audience. Benson accumulated three other platinum LPs and two gold albums. He also recorded the original version of “Greatest Love of All” for the 1977 Muhammad Ali bio-pic, The Greatest, which was later recorded as a cover by Whitney Houston. In 2009, Benson finished recording a new album titled “Songs and Stories”, with Marcus Miller, producer John Burk, and session musicians David Paich and Steve Lukather.
His newest album Guitar Man is a 12-song collection that includes a mix of jazz and pop standards – some in a combo setting and some solo, but all of them tied together seamlessly by Benson’s soulful and exploratory signature sound. A solid team made up of veterans and newcomers alike – pianist Joe Sample, keyboardist and musical director David Garfield, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Harvey Mason, featured on this album. Benson has used his jazz roots as the foundation for an engaging mix of pop, R&B and other shades that add up to a style that appeals…
Read more: All Africa
