As guitarist George Benson morphed from playing with chitlin circuit organ combos to becoming a pop vocalist, these sessions in 1968 formed a transition, and were a prelude to his works for the CTI label.
There are five tracks each from the recordings Giblet Gravy and Goodies, featuring horn sections, takes on Top 40 hits, the funky go-go instrumental boogaloo sound of the day, and a slick approach to production values.
Included as asides are a lone soul-jazz-blues number with organist Jimmy Smith, a lone jazz standard ("Song for My Father"), and a take on Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" backed by gospel/R&B vocalists the Sweet Inspirations.
It's certainly not the best Benson of any era but far from the worst, and does give insight into where he was to go in the commercial music world.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SunnyBobby Hebb | George Benson | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | Song for My FatherHorace Silver | George Benson | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)Haven Gillespie, Harry Beasley Smith | George Benson | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Some of My Best Friends Are BluesJimmy Smith | George Benson | Play | 07:56 | 18 MB | 44 MB |
| 5 | (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural WomanGerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler | George Benson | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Thunder WalkHarold Ousley | George Benson | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | People Get ReadyCurtis Mayfield | George Benson | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | Groovin'Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere | George Benson | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | Doobie Doobie BluesGeorge Benson | George Benson | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | The Windmills of Your MindAlan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand | George Benson | Play | 05:12 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 11 | Giblet GravyGeorge Benson | George Benson | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | Low Down And Dirty Blues | George Benson | Play | 08:29 | 19 MB | 43 MB |
| 59 mins | 135 MB | |||||
| 59 mins | 332 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pepper Adams | Sax (Baritone) |
| 2 | Donald Bailey | Drums |
| 3 | George Benson | Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 4 | Alan Bergman | Composer |
| 5 | Marilyn Bergman | Composer |
| 6 | Eddie Brigati | Composer |
| 7 | Garnett Brown | Trombone |
| 8 | Ron Carter | Bass, Guest Artist |
| 9 | Felix Cavaliere | Composer |
| 10 | Arthur "Babe" Clarke | Flute, Sax (Tenor) |
| 11 | Billy Cobham | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 12 | Bob Cranshaw | Bass |
| 13 | Nichell Delvaille | Design Coordinator |
| 14 | Esmond Edwards | Producer |
| 15 | Eric Gale | Guitar |
| 16 | Eileen Gilbert | Vocals |
| 17 | Haven Gillespie | Composer |
| 18 | Gerry Goffin | Composer |
| 19 | Paul Griffin | Cello, Piano |
| 20 | Suha Gur | Mastering |
| 21 | Herbie Hancock | Guest Artist, Piano |
| 22 | Bobby Hebb | Composer |
| 23 | Jack Jennings | Congas, Vibraphone |
| 24 | Jimmy Johnson | Drums |
| 25 | Carole King | Composer |
| 26 | Michel Legrand | Composer |
| 27 | Buddy Lucas | Harmonica |
| 28 | George Marge | Flute, Sax (Tenor) |
| 29 | Curtis Mayfield | Composer |
| 30 | Tom McIntosh | Arranger, Conductor |
| 31 | Aric Lach Morrison | Compilation Supervisor |
| 32 | Idris Muhammad | Drums |
| 33 | Horace Ott | Arranger, Conductor |
| 34 | Harold Ousley | Composer |
| 35 | Jimmy Owens | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 36 | Johnny Pacheco | Congas |
| 37 | Chuck Rainey | Bass |
| 38 | Alan Raph | Trombone (Bass) |
| 39 | Matt Resnicoff | Liner Notes |
| 40 | Albertine Robinson | Vocals |
| 41 | Ernie Royal | Trumpet |
| 42 | Richard Seidel | Executive Producer |
| 43 | Horace Silver | Composer |
| 44 | Robert Silverberg | Assistant Producer |
| 45 | Harry Beasley Smith | Composer |
| 46 | Jimmy Smith | Composer, Guest Artist, Organ |
| 47 | Chuck Stewart | Photography |
| 48 | The Sweet Inspirations | Vocals |
| 49 | Clark Terry | Trumpet |
| 50 | Jerry Wexler | Composer |
| 51 | Lois Winter | Vocals |
| 52 | Snooky Young | Trumpet |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |