Chords for George Benson's NEA Jazz Masters video
Tempo:
108.45 bpm
Chords used:
D
F
C
E
Dm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Jam Along & Learn...
[D] [E]
[A] For the last five decades, [D] the world has embraced the great sounds of one of [Em] America's most
[Bm] and vibrant entertainers, [E] George Benson.
Appreciated as both an accomplished musician as well as an exceptional performer, George
as one of music's most [B] enterprising and engaging [D] superstars.
[Bb] George Benson was born on March 22, 1943, [F] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1947, when he was just four years old, he won a singing [Ebm] contest, [G] performing as Little Georgie Benson.
[Dbm] 17, Benson led a five-piece R&B group in which [D] he sang and played [Gb] rhythm guitar.
[A] For the last five decades, [D] the world has embraced the great sounds of one of [Em] America's most
[Bm] and vibrant entertainers, [E] George Benson.
Appreciated as both an accomplished musician as well as an exceptional performer, George
as one of music's most [B] enterprising and engaging [D] superstars.
[Bb] George Benson was born on March 22, 1943, [F] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1947, when he was just four years old, he won a singing [Ebm] contest, [G] performing as Little Georgie Benson.
[Dbm] 17, Benson led a five-piece R&B group in which [D] he sang and played [Gb] rhythm guitar.
100% ➙ 108BPM
D
F
C
E
Dm
D
F
C
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ [A] For the last five decades, [D] the world has embraced the great sounds of one of [Em] America's most
[A] successful jazz guitarists [Bm] and vibrant entertainers, [E] George Benson. _ _
Appreciated as both an accomplished musician as well as an exceptional performer, George
Benson [B] has earned himself an impeccable [D] reputation as one of music's most [B] enterprising and engaging [D] superstars.
[Bb] _ George Benson was born on March 22, _ 1943, [F] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
[Dm] In 1947, when he was just four years old, he won a singing [Ebm] contest, [G] performing as Little Georgie Benson.
_ By [Dbm] 17, Benson led a five-piece R&B group in which [D] he sang and played [Gb] rhythm guitar.
[Bm] Early exposure to records [G] by Charlie Christian, [E] Wes Montgomery, and Charlie Parker began his
interest in [E] jazz.
[G] In the early 60s, Benson [C] began playing straight [Eb]-ahead jazz with organist [Ab] Brother Jack MacDowd.
[D] The great Wes Montgomery came [Ab] across Benson early [Bb] on, complimenting the young [G] guitarist
while urging him to [C] continue his [Dm] already impressive work.
[F] With homage [Db] to Montgomery's [D] pinnacle album, Boss [F] Guitar, Benson recorded his first album
as a [C] bandleader, entitled The New [Dm] Boss Guitar.
[C] By the time legendary [F] talent scout John [E] Hammond signed Benson to [Gm] Columbia, the guitarist's
[Ab] name was bubbling throughout the [G] industry.
His key Columbia releases included It's Uptown, Benson Burner, [Db] and Cookbook.
[D] In 1967, Miles [Gb] Davis invited Benson to play [E] guitar on the tune [Dm] Paraphernalia, which appeared
on the Columbia release [E] Miles in the Sky.
Benson moved over [E] to Verve Records for a string of releases [Am] including Blue Benson, Giblet
Gravy, [C] and Goodies.
[D] _ [Am] By 1968, famed [A] record producer Creed Taylor [Am] signed Benson to A&M Records.
His debut album, Shape of Things to Come, [F] paired Benson with arranger [Em] Don Sebesky [Gm] and
engineer Rudy Van Gelder.
[Gb] Taylor then [Em] brought Benson over to his newly formed CTI Records, where he [B] and his stellar
production [D] team produced [C] Benson's Beatles tribute album, The Other Side of Abbey Road.
[Dm] Benson continued his CTI reign with a series [D] of key jazz [F] guitar releases, including Beyond
the [Dm] Blue [Ebm] Horizon, White Rabbit, [Bb] Body Talk, and the classic [Ab] contemporary jazz album [Eb] Benson and Pharaoh.
_ [D] In [F] 1976, on [G] his first album for Warner Brothers, record [Eb] producer Tommy La Puma [F] encouraged George
to use his scat vocal [Bb] technique.
The first single off his Milestone Breezin' album was a [C] soulful update [Am] of Leon Russell's
This [Ab] Masquerade, [C] which featured Benson scat [Bb] singing along with his [C] solo guitar.
The song was a crossover smash on [Bb] radio, quickly reaching number one on the [F] Billboard Pop,
Jazz, [Cm] and R&B charts.
This [Gb] blockbuster release led to a string of more hit [Bb] albums which spawned a slew of [F] smash
singles, [Gb] including On Broadway, [Bbm] _ _ [Db] The Greatest Love [Eb] of All, _ [Bbm] Emmy the Next, [Eb] _ _
[G] Turn Your Love
Around, [D] _ _ [F] They Love [G] Me One More Time.
[Gbm] _ _ [A] In 1985, Benson collaborated with guitarist [D] Chet Atkins and was back on the smooth jazz
[G] charts with Sunrise.
In 1989, Benson set out to make a pure jazz [Bm] album again [A] and released the highly acclaimed
Tenderly [Bm] with an all-star band [F] including McCoy Tyner [B] and Ron Carter.
[Gm] By the 90s, Benson followed Tommy La Puma [Eb] to GRP Records.
[D] Together they recorded the 1996 [Dm] GRP [Gbm] release That's Right.
[A] Benson followed that up with 1998 Standing Together.
In 2000, [Dm] his third [G] GRP release, Absolute Benson, [A] marked a [D] return to his beginning [Gm] with focus
on his noteworthy guitar virtuosity.
[F] And in 2006, [Bb] Benson joined the great jazz [C] vocalist Al Jarreau [Gbm] and released [Em] Giving It Up.
Over [Bbm] the years, [Dm] George Benson's [Gm] illustrious career [C] has produced ten Grammy [F] Awards in multiple musical categories.
_ It has also earned him a star [Bm] on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, [D] inclusion in the Guitar [A] Player
Magazine's Hall [Gbm] of Fame, and an [Bm] honorary professorship and [D] PhD at Morris Brown [Db] College and [B] the Berkeley
School of Music.
[Bm] _
[E] Today, George Benson remains one of [D] music's top entertainers.
He's built an amazing art history and reputation [B] on knowing just what people enjoy hearing
[Bm] and just what he enjoys [D] playing for them.
[Db] The National Endowment [E] for the Arts [Dm] is pleased to honor George Benson as a [C] 2009 [Bb] NEA Jazz Master. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
_ [A] For the last five decades, [D] the world has embraced the great sounds of one of [Em] America's most
[A] successful jazz guitarists [Bm] and vibrant entertainers, [E] George Benson. _ _
Appreciated as both an accomplished musician as well as an exceptional performer, George
Benson [B] has earned himself an impeccable [D] reputation as one of music's most [B] enterprising and engaging [D] superstars.
[Bb] _ George Benson was born on March 22, _ 1943, [F] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
[Dm] In 1947, when he was just four years old, he won a singing [Ebm] contest, [G] performing as Little Georgie Benson.
_ By [Dbm] 17, Benson led a five-piece R&B group in which [D] he sang and played [Gb] rhythm guitar.
[Bm] Early exposure to records [G] by Charlie Christian, [E] Wes Montgomery, and Charlie Parker began his
interest in [E] jazz.
[G] In the early 60s, Benson [C] began playing straight [Eb]-ahead jazz with organist [Ab] Brother Jack MacDowd.
[D] The great Wes Montgomery came [Ab] across Benson early [Bb] on, complimenting the young [G] guitarist
while urging him to [C] continue his [Dm] already impressive work.
[F] With homage [Db] to Montgomery's [D] pinnacle album, Boss [F] Guitar, Benson recorded his first album
as a [C] bandleader, entitled The New [Dm] Boss Guitar.
[C] By the time legendary [F] talent scout John [E] Hammond signed Benson to [Gm] Columbia, the guitarist's
[Ab] name was bubbling throughout the [G] industry.
His key Columbia releases included It's Uptown, Benson Burner, [Db] and Cookbook.
[D] In 1967, Miles [Gb] Davis invited Benson to play [E] guitar on the tune [Dm] Paraphernalia, which appeared
on the Columbia release [E] Miles in the Sky.
Benson moved over [E] to Verve Records for a string of releases [Am] including Blue Benson, Giblet
Gravy, [C] and Goodies.
[D] _ [Am] By 1968, famed [A] record producer Creed Taylor [Am] signed Benson to A&M Records.
His debut album, Shape of Things to Come, [F] paired Benson with arranger [Em] Don Sebesky [Gm] and
engineer Rudy Van Gelder.
[Gb] Taylor then [Em] brought Benson over to his newly formed CTI Records, where he [B] and his stellar
production [D] team produced [C] Benson's Beatles tribute album, The Other Side of Abbey Road.
[Dm] Benson continued his CTI reign with a series [D] of key jazz [F] guitar releases, including Beyond
the [Dm] Blue [Ebm] Horizon, White Rabbit, [Bb] Body Talk, and the classic [Ab] contemporary jazz album [Eb] Benson and Pharaoh.
_ [D] In [F] 1976, on [G] his first album for Warner Brothers, record [Eb] producer Tommy La Puma [F] encouraged George
to use his scat vocal [Bb] technique.
The first single off his Milestone Breezin' album was a [C] soulful update [Am] of Leon Russell's
This [Ab] Masquerade, [C] which featured Benson scat [Bb] singing along with his [C] solo guitar.
The song was a crossover smash on [Bb] radio, quickly reaching number one on the [F] Billboard Pop,
Jazz, [Cm] and R&B charts.
This [Gb] blockbuster release led to a string of more hit [Bb] albums which spawned a slew of [F] smash
singles, [Gb] including On Broadway, [Bbm] _ _ [Db] The Greatest Love [Eb] of All, _ [Bbm] Emmy the Next, [Eb] _ _
[G] Turn Your Love
Around, [D] _ _ [F] They Love [G] Me One More Time.
[Gbm] _ _ [A] In 1985, Benson collaborated with guitarist [D] Chet Atkins and was back on the smooth jazz
[G] charts with Sunrise.
In 1989, Benson set out to make a pure jazz [Bm] album again [A] and released the highly acclaimed
Tenderly [Bm] with an all-star band [F] including McCoy Tyner [B] and Ron Carter.
[Gm] By the 90s, Benson followed Tommy La Puma [Eb] to GRP Records.
[D] Together they recorded the 1996 [Dm] GRP [Gbm] release That's Right.
[A] Benson followed that up with 1998 Standing Together.
In 2000, [Dm] his third [G] GRP release, Absolute Benson, [A] marked a [D] return to his beginning [Gm] with focus
on his noteworthy guitar virtuosity.
[F] And in 2006, [Bb] Benson joined the great jazz [C] vocalist Al Jarreau [Gbm] and released [Em] Giving It Up.
Over [Bbm] the years, [Dm] George Benson's [Gm] illustrious career [C] has produced ten Grammy [F] Awards in multiple musical categories.
_ It has also earned him a star [Bm] on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, [D] inclusion in the Guitar [A] Player
Magazine's Hall [Gbm] of Fame, and an [Bm] honorary professorship and [D] PhD at Morris Brown [Db] College and [B] the Berkeley
School of Music.
[Bm] _
[E] Today, George Benson remains one of [D] music's top entertainers.
He's built an amazing art history and reputation [B] on knowing just what people enjoy hearing
[Bm] and just what he enjoys [D] playing for them.
[Db] The National Endowment [E] for the Arts [Dm] is pleased to honor George Benson as a [C] 2009 [Bb] NEA Jazz Master. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _