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GEORGE BENSON: GIVE ME THE NIGHT

George Benson's 1980 album Give Me the Night completed a journey that began on 1976's Breezin', taking him from his jazz roots and established him as the world's leading jazz-pop crossover artist. A talented and prestigious guitarist and accomplished vocalist, Give Me the Night was, for many people, their first taste of Benson's smooth sound. With the pedigree of performer, producer and writer on this album, his newfound stardom should have come as little wonder. This was the first release on album producer Quincy Jones' own imprint Qwest, and with him Jones brought most of the team he had recently utilised to such phenomenal success on Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. This album also was the only significant time that Benson and Quincy Jones worked together. It would have been marvellous to think what may have happened had they continued, but what the union left behind is really rather special.

Tracklist:

1.Love X Love 2.Off Broadway 3.Moody's Mood 4.Give Me The Night 5.What's On Your Mind 6.Dinorah, Dinorah 7.Love Dance 8.Star Of A Story (X) 9.Midnight Love Affair 10.Turn Out The Lamplight

Lineup:

George Benson - lead vocals, backing vocals (1,3-5,7-10), guitar (1-5,8-10), lead guitar (6), scat (6), Lee Ritenour - guitar (2,4,5,8,9), acoustic guitar (7), electric guitar (10), Greg Phillinganes - keyboards (1-3,10), synthesizers (2,3), Fender Rhodes (6), Michael Boddicker - synthesizers (4,5,8), Herbie Hancock - electric piano (4), synthesizers (6,7,9), synthesizer programming (6,8,9), Fender Rhodes (7,8), Richard Tee - synthesizer bass (4), electric piano (5), synthesizers (8-10), Clare Fischer - Yamaha CS30 (6), acoustic piano (6), Fender Rhodes (6), George Duke - keyboards (9), Louis Johnson - bass guitar (1,2,6,10), Abraham Laboriel - bass guitar (1,3-5,7,8), John Robinson - drums (1-6,8,10), Carlos Vega - drums (7,9), Paulinho da Costa - percussion (1,2,4,5-8,10), Kim Hutchcroft - saxophone, flute (1,2,4-6,9), Larry Williams - saxophone, flute (1,2,4-6,9), Jerry Hey - trumpet (1,2,4-6,9), Sid Sharp - concertmaster (1-6,8), Patti Austin - backing vocals (1,4,6,8,10), lead vocals (3), Tom Bahler - backing vocals (1,4,8,10), Jocelyn Brown - backing vocals (1,4,8), Jim Gilstrap - backing vocals (1,4,8), Diva Gray - backing vocals (1,4,8)

Release date: August 9, 1980