The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: George Benson

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

George Benson examines his transition from a top Jazz guitarist into a highly respected vocalist. He shares the origin stories behind several 1970s hits like "Breezin" and "On Broadway" plus recalls working with Stevie Wonder, Bobby Womack, and Al Jarreau. George also discusses his newest release, a lost album with arranger Robert Farnon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd

was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Ellen, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian. Michael Mancini.

My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women. discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

They take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone, I'm Ego Wood. My next guest, it's Will Ferri. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat.

Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Questlove Supreme.

I'm your host, Questlove. We have Team Supreme with us. Laia, how are you today? Trying not to shake. Real excited. Really excited. Yeah. Let me just add that this is the first show in which I'm acknowledging that we actually have a YouTube page.

Should we remind our listeners that, you know, you can watch Quest Love Supreme? You should watch it so you can see the beauty of this in the band, yes, and I'm not talking about Quest Love. There you go. Exactly. Of course, we know you talking about our guests. Bill, what's up, bro? Hey, man. It's good to see you.

It's good to see everybody. I'm excited to be here. This is a major. I'm excited. Big night. Yes, it is. Sugar Steve, what's up, bro? Good to see everybody.

Yeah. I'm very excited. I'm feeling beyond the blue horizon. That's how I can describe my feelings. There you go. There you go. Yeah, this is going to be a quickie. I'm going to try and knock out 60 years worth of magic inside of an hour. So let's see if this goes well. Anyone can do it. It's us. Let's go. Yes. Of course. Here we go. I will say that, you know, it's been about, we last spoke like a month ago. And we couldn't ask for a better way to come back with today's guest. And today's guest released his first solo album 60 years ago. Our guest today has won 10 Grammys. he has topped the charts he's collaborated with so many legends i mean he's legendary himself but of course uh name it he's played miles davis stevie wonder quincy jones herbie hancock

and recently he's released or kind of re-released although it wasn't officially released i'd like to get the story behind how do you have a lost album in the archives but dreams do come true and it came from his archive. And we are very excited to have the incomparable. Pittsburgh's own Yens power. George Benson is a Questlo's Supreme. Yeah. You know what?

My mom's from Pittsburgh, and every time I meet someone from Pittsburgh, I try to catch them saying the word yin's. Are you that deep of a Pittsburgh? or you're you don't yin's is not in your vocabulary oh that's okay i've heard it all my life but now that i'm out here in the midwest that would be as common as breathing oh really okay well it's good to have you wait can you explain to me how far in the archives was this album and what was the idea behind releasing it well many years ago after having so much serious success in the music business, I said, what haven't I done?

And I thought of something that I always wanted to do to work with a symphony orchestra, a person who conducted symphony orchestras for a long time, a person who's got great control of the music and the musicians who's very comfortable with that situation. There's no better place than London and the London Symphony Orchestra. But one thing was missing. I had a lot of arranges I had worked with over the years. All of them were very confident and very good at what they did. So I went to Quincy Jones.

And I said, Quincy, who is the baddest cat on the planet right now? Because we lost a few people. He said, George, let me tell you, man, the baddest cat in the world. There's two names. You said, one of them is Robert Farnin. I said, wow. And where's he? He said, well, he's somewhere in London.

He said, but that's the cat, I recommend. So I went over to London, and I found a guy who was one of his best friends, and he introduced me to him. And it went by so fast, because the man is an expert. Writing music and conducting orchestra was like breathing with him. Okay. So we got together, and I told him what I wanted to do. I wasn't sure.

So I picked a lot of things, you know, some popular things because I didn't want to go straight classic orchestra and just try to be Frank Sinatra. We agreed on some things. Next thing I know I was in the studio, standing next to him, getting ready to do my part, and the orchestra started playing. And I said, oh, boy, I'm not going to be able to do this.

I never heard anything like that. 86 pieces, all 87 pieces of the London Symphony Orchestra and the greatest arranger in the world. And his arrangements were so magnificent. I couldn't even speak. So I said, maybe I'll just sit and listen to the music, take in the environment. And I did that for a couple of days.

He did 17 songs. It may have been two, three days. I took that stuff home. home to back to America to New York and I just listened and I said well maybe I can do this song maybe I can do this one now I have to work on this this is magnificent I said no I better not try this so between me and the record company we had an agreement we were not going to put it out at that time okay next thing I know we put it in a warehouse and forgot all about

about it. During that time, Mr. Farnan passed away. Oh. And I was still hearing bits and pieces of the music. Every time I heard that, I said, man, I gotta find this music and put it back together. But I never did until recently. Okay. I had left Warner Brothers. I was with them for about 21 years with a lot of success. So I left the company and started doing bits and pieces with different record companies. And I had some success there too.

But now I went back to Warner's. I said, well, since I'm getting ready to retire, my greatest desire would be to do another record for Warner's because they got all my good stuff. And I want this to go in with that. So I asked my secretary to arrange a meeting with me and the executives over there. And we had a great meeting.

He heard the music and said, wow, we gotta put this out. And that was fantastic. There's a lot more to it, but I think you got some other questions you might want to ask. We're a nerds paradise, so you're right now giving us catnip. I love when a plan like that comes together. I love when lost albums and lost projects are finalized. And I'm glad that, you know, you had completion for our fans that listen to the show that are music heads. You can recall when it took Brian Wilson like 50 years to finish the smile.

record. Wow. Yeah, so I'm glad you finished it. Wait, I have a question, though. So are you saying that this is the largest orchestra you've ever worked with? I think so, because I work with the New York Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. That might have been a full orchestra. Maybe it was 87 pieces. Maybe I've done that two or three times. So I have a question. I don't want to jump ahead too far in the timeline, but I got to No. For me, one of my favorite intros of all time is the first 15 seconds of breezing. Yeah. Just the way that that, like to me, the sound of happiness and safety and like whatever, like, like when I think of like a good fuzzy memory, that song is the soundtrack when I think of like, you know, something simple.

I mean, it could be going to an amusement park or playing tag or whatever, but for me, but in my mind, that was like at least a 50-piece orchestra. Do you recall, like, how big the orchestra was for the, the Breazen project? No, because that was a sweetening session.

Those were, were put on after the recordings. Got it. Okay. But it was an incredible, incredible situation that happened then. I had a great band full of young, passionate, expert, very creative, young musicians.

And we were all excited because we've been working together, you know, and we practiced all the time. At least three days a week. When we're on the road, we practice every day. Right. So when we did a gig, actually, the gig was so easy, because the rehearsals was so intense. The gig was super easy.

And there was a situation that happened. People started calling us to open for superstars. And my band was not known yet. I had somewhat of a reputation, but no hit records yet. So whenever they called us to open for somebody, half of the audience left when my show was finished. And I remember, I'm the opening act. Yeah.

So I began to notice that. And they said, George, too bad we're not, you know, that we don't have a hit record. That's what the only thing we needed. So through this man, Tommy Lapuma, who had heard me sing five years ago before this record was released, he said he couldn't understand why record companies were not using my voice. So I selected him to be my producer at Warner Brothers, whom I had just signed the contract with. And he came up with the song, This Masquerade. That's the first time your vocals were recorded with Masquerade?

Well, that's the first time we had anything meaningful. The rest of them, nobody paid my voice any attention. Even my own manager said, George, you're one of the world's best guitar player, but you ain't no singer. And I said to him, you know, I wasn't insulted because I had given up singing many years before. And I said, you know, it's strange that we could listen to the chipmunks and give them a work and give them a hearing, but you won't give me one. It won't give me a chance. And so, but Tommy La Puma found the right arranger, which is a consistent, what you were talking about earlier. Klaus Ogerman.

Yes, absolutely. Okay. I remember Tommy La Puma coming to me, asked me, said, George, what do you think about Klaus Ogerman during the arrangements for your new album? I had heard some stuff he had done earlier. And I said, yeah, that's the man. And so he went to London, got kicked out of the studio. He didn't book enough time. And so they went to finish the album in Germany.

So you had two different orchestras on this album, but the same arranger, Klaus Owen. He sent me to test pressings. I heard that orchestra. I said, wow, these guys have put a tuxedo on me, man. And they dressed me right up. And at first, I didn't particularly care that much for this masquerade. To me, it was just another vocal, you know, and it's nicely done.

I like what the band did. We only had one take on it, by the way. What? There's only one take on that song. Because Tommy Lapuma, after saying he loved, he wanted to hear me sing on the record, the instrumentals were going so good, you know, with Breezing and quite a few others. He said, no, I'm not going to put a vocal on this album. I said, man, you made me learn this crazy song.

I called it a crazy song. I said, man, let's record at least one time. So they put up a very funky microphone, something people never sing in. They use on talk programs, you know, one of them long microphones that you can see on the Johnny Carson show. And so when I heard it back, I said, it doesn't sound that bad, except I don't like the mid-range. and the great engineer he turned the button, knocked some of the low end up. I said, oh, that's better.

Do it again. He did one more click, click. I said, that's even better. He said, we could stop right there. He said, if I do it one more time, you'll sound like Mickey Mouse. I said, that's it. Leave it right there. Tommy Lippoomah ran out of the studio

and ran and broke up a meeting they were having it. were having it at Warner Brothers the big Whigs were at this long oval shape table talking about money you know and he took all of his recording equipment over because he never does any playbacks without his own stuff so he set up the recording he said no this meeting is over he's telling the big whigs the money guys this meeting is over you must you gotta hear this record so he played this masquerine and this is wait a minute man who is that who's singing and uh they said he said George Benson and they

said but I thought he was a guitar player he said well yeah but he also sings so he played the record and they said we're going to get this now this was before they put the orchestra on wow right okay he said uh I'm not finished with yet you say I got work to do on this record and I didn't know he was going to do all of this I didn't know how he was going to get it done But when he sent me a test dressing, it was hard to believe that it was me all dressed up and with this fabulous orchestra with great songs. One of the badest bands in the country, these young boys were energetic and fresh and very creative.

The album came out. We'll talk about that, what happened later with that, but the album was a monster. I just want to know on Masquerade where your mind was when you started the song like when you started it the way you did with i guess i would say you was scatting but you weren't you were just doing the the guitar parts right like when you first start like well i think they call it legato i forget the word they used for that uh-huh harvey mason one of the world's greatest drummers and he was young and energetic then still going strong now he always is i said all right harvey counted off and he started counting one two and i said oh hold it hold it hold it

right there. I said, Jorge, play these changes. And I played the changes for him. And I said, and loosen it up. We're going to leave. We're going to play a legato, no rhythm. I said, and then Harvey count the time off. So we played those things. Do, do, do. I asked Tommy La Puma, leave the mic up, man. I'm going to, I'm going to do something with the improvisation in the beginning and in the middle. Okay. And he, uh, he said, okay, he didn't have much confidence in because he was going to throw the record out anyway. He had made up his mind that the instrumental was too great to sacrifice to one vocal. So, uh, they did that great intro and that young boy, or young man at the time, he was like in his early 20s. And he was fresh in the band. He had just

joined the band, Ronnie Foster. Oh, you mean Jorge Dalto? Yeah, yeah, okay. And I'm glad you mentioned that because there was a great thing about those two playing together. But Jorge did that intro and played that semi-classical accompaniment behind my vocal, which gave it a whole new, fresh approach. And we only did it one time. And Tommy Lipuma said to me, George, we could be here all night.

It'll never get better than that. I said, I think you're right. So I left it alone. And here comes Bobby Womack, getting ready to record, freezing with me, because I begged that he'd come to the studio and give me something fresh to play on the record. And he came in the studio and he said, hey, man, during the playback. Who in the world? And he didn't use the word world.

He's had an age on it. Right, right, right, right. Who in the got a record, got a voice like that? Tommy LeBuma said, that's George Benson, man. He said, but I thought he, George Benson, his guitar player. He said, yeah, but he also sings. And that was the beginning.

It let us know that this record was going to be something special. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And Rule 2, never mess with her friends either.

We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands.

I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last. target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Ego Woden.

My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I was want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place they come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah.

He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth.

You doctored this particular test twice in someone, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian, and Michael Marincini.

My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I remember in my dad's band, musicians arguing. The first time I heard musicians sort of having, like, kind of a heated debate, my dad's bass player would have put his entire life in saying that this masquerade was Donnie Hathaway. It's like, no, man, that's Donnie Hathaway. And this is the first time I'm hearing of you. And I remember my dad's sax player like, no, man, I'm telling you, there's George Benson. George Benson, the guitar player, no, man, this is Donnie Hathaway. And they were just like, that was the first time I seemed like almost, it wasn't pugilistic, but it was like almost an argument brewing. Like, of course they had other history of tension, but I definitely remember because I was on the impression that that was.

Donnie Hathaway singing, and that argument lasted for like almost 10 minutes and got really heated. So I always wanted to know that. That's another thing. I found out maybe two years ago, I was not aware that Bobby Wormack had written Breason. How did you know about that song to even ask him for it? It's another incredible story. We're here for it.

I heard the original version of it. The original version was by Gabor Zabo. And he was from Hungary. I remember when he first came to the United States during the Hungarian Revolution in the mid-50s. And he played with Chico Hamilton's band. That was a great jazz ensemble. So I heard them play live when I was a kid.

I was a teenager. And then this record came out, Breezing. It was super funky. I mean, it was really a unique record because he played folk music basically, but he wanted to be a jazz player. The ironic thing is my piano player was like that about Argentine, where he came from. He wanted to be a jazz player, but he played Argentine folk music when he grew up. So they were adding that kind of romantic feeling to their jazz, which gave it a unique flavor. So I would never stop cats from being who they are.

I didn't force them to be who I wanted them to be. I let them be who they are. And that works better. I learned that from Miles Davis. Don't tell them what to play it or how to play it. Just let them be themselves. So anyway, I never thought about me playing that song because I never thought anybody could come up to that vibe they had on that record.

And actually, the song was written by both men. Okay. by Gabor Zabo and Bobby Womack. And Gabor, he didn't want to have nothing to do with it because he didn't care about things like that. He had a little problem, some chemical problems. And so he didn't care about things like that. But that record, he would have made a fortune like Bobby Womack did. And so that's how I got off the ground.

And when Tommy La Puma asked me to record it, I said, absolutely not. I'm not going to make that record. He said, why not? I said, man, that's not me, man. People have been trying to get me to record it or to play it live, and I wouldn't do it. I almost got into rumbles with people, you know, several times. So when he asked me to do it, I said, oh, here it comes again. And then I woke up.

I've had to do this many times in my career. This was one of the times where it worked beautifully. I said, Tommy, if you could. can get Bobby Womack to come to the studio. Maybe he can add something to the record that's not there. Maybe he can help do something different to make the record, give it another twist. So he called Bobby, and that's when Bobby entered into the studio listening to the playback of this masquerade and asking who it was. Now it was his turn.

He said, there was always something I wanted to put on this record and I didn't get a chance to do it. I said, what's that, man? he said, do-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Because that's what was not on the original recording. Right. Okay. And even though I don't think my version is as good as the original recording, I like it better because it's another twist to the song, and it made it sound more contemporary.

So that was the difference between that version, and that's how they got off the ground. The 70s were a very peculiar time for jazz. artist you know at after kind of like a 20 year let's say between 1940 and all right let's say 30 years between 1940 1970 there was this like serious jazz movement of course you know once certain figures in the art form were sort of stretching the boundaries with you know coltrane stretching the vocabulary and what miles was doing and whatnot however I'm always curious and I always ask people that were like serious because, you know, I had to sort of work backwards. It's because of hip hop that I realized how serious of a jazz artist you were because,

you know, by the time I discovered you, you were already singing. So I knew you as a singer, but it wasn't until hip hop sampling that I was like, oh my God, like George Benson is one of the greatest jazz guitars of all time. But let me ask you, when it came to the transition of doing pop music, and it's not just you, James M. Tumay, Reggie Lucas, Norah to Michael Walden, like a lot of these serious musician cats in the mid-70s sort of made this decision to migrate to not even just soul music, but like to pop music.

So at the time, did you have any trepidation whatsoever of like, wait a minute, I'm a serious jazz artist and now you want me to sing pop? Like, were you worried at all about, like, if Downbeat Magazine was going to roast you or for going pop or whatnot? Like, was that even a concern? It was a very trying time for a lot of musicians, the ones you mentioned, the cats I worked with in the early days. I was thinking about James & Toomey. He still owes me some money, man. He never did pay for the sessions.

He used to do at my house. He used to come up. I had a recording studio in my garage. and he'd bring guys over and try out new stuff. And he brought Reggie Lucas over and we became friends. The whole trip, man, Norman Connors, working with the girl from my hometown. Phyllis Simon. She was from Pittsburgh.

She was from Philly. She's from Pittsburgh. She from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Yeah. And we were all going through it. There was no way we were going to get the person. prestige that had been earned by so many of those great people that you talked about earlier, Miles Davis, they had 40 years on us, 30 years on us, 20 years on us. We were just coming up,

kids, you know, youngsters in New York. We were like the new lions, but we had nothing of our own that could give us, you know, a seat beside these monstrous musicians who taught us how to play and set up this wonderful music called bebop and modern jazz and the new stuff, you know, the acid, what the kids call acid jazz. But that was a very, very trying time. I learned that first thing you need, it begins with a great song. Brezin taught me that. I never would have been able to cross over without Breazen.

Breason was a very well-loved. song no no not brazen only uh the brezen album i'm speaking of which the song this masquerade came out of right a lyric lent itself to a whole different society because they already loved the composer of the song and uh i had never heard it before when tommy lupuma asked me if i heard it before he's you ever heard this song i said no and i didn't particularly care about But I said, that's not for my kind of artist. And when I found out who it was, Jorge, my piano players, his wife said, oh, that's Russell, Leon Russell.

I said to myself, who in the heck is Leon Russell? I didn't know anything about him, never heard him. She said, that's my favorite artist. I said, oh, I better learn this song. Because Tommy said it to me two or three times and I wouldn't even listen to it more than once. So I learned the song. That's why when we went back and he said,

we're not going to record it i said what have you made me learn this crazy song man we're not going to record it so he to get rid of me he said okay we recorded one time let's do it in other words let's get it over it so that that song came out as the greatest surprise of my life because it went so far and you were speaking about donnie aathaway the other guy they thought it might be was Stevie Wonder. Yes. Because he hadn't a record out in years. He hadn't recorded something out

and like maybe a year or two. He took two years off. So when it came out, they said, oh, got to be, got to be Stevie Wonder. That's the only person I can think of. Right. And like your dad, they swore that it was him or either,

like you said, Donnie Halfway. Right. So that's what got the record, the airplay that it needed. They would give the record away if you could tell them who it was. Very few people guessed who it was. on the record. They all said, oh, I know who that is. Everybody knows that. Stevie Wonder. Oh,

that's Donnie Hathaway. And that got us to airplay we needed in places we never would have gotten without it. So let me ask you, in the winter of 1977, you're sitting down in a theater and you hear this. You hear the nominees for Record of the Year. Is 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon. Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band. Wow. I write the songs by Barry Manilow. Wow.

And if you leave me now by Chicago, when they say, and the winner is, previous to that moment, did you really think you had a chance in hell to win record of the year above those records? Not a chance in H, no. I didn't have a chance. But I love the other records, the big ones. If you leave me now and by Chicago. Yeah. That was a spectacular recording.

And you could not Barry Manlow out of nothing because he had nothing but multi-platinum records all of his career just about. So I got up early hoping I could beat people to the parking lot because there was a lot of people in that place. And they had already won two Grammys. So I was very, very happy. I said, oh, man, this is, I'm going to start bragging about my two Grammys.

Right. I got up and Barbara Stratt said, and the winner is George Benson. I startled, man, and looked around. I couldn't believe she had just said that, you know. And I looked over at Tommy Lippon to find my news in the theater somewhere. I went up front. And when Tommy came up, I kissed him on his bald head. I don't believe I did that.

I saw that later. But that was the most incredible thing that ever happened to me in my life. And it showed me that nothing is impossible. This album I came up with, this fresh and new, called Dreams Do Come True, has a lot to do with that concept, that idea, that way of thinking. nothing is impossible man so when you're in that moment and you I think that night you won four altogether correct I won three okay three and there were two more

that came toward the album though for other people but the engineer Al Schmidt right and I think Tommy Lippoomah producer right we won five out five gram five all together so like how does your life change that night when you go to sleep and you go to bed and you wake up the next morning as a five time, that project winning five Grammys, like, what happens to you after that? It's like I had been born on another planet, reborn. And the name of the planet was George Benson, because everything came to me. Everything I ever imagined came to me.

They came through my management. Everybody wanted to get in touch with us for something. and I was not used to that kind of attention. My mind was still on kicking butt on the guitar with my bad band. We had a great band, you know. And I couldn't think beyond that because I never been that big of a star. You know, I've been known by people in the jazz world and R&B world and some of the pop world. But that kind of fame was highly unknown.

But I began to see the world differently after that. There was a lot more to conquer. We were in a position we could either help or hurt what was going on in the world musically. Jazz musicians were mad at us. The R&B people didn't know what the heck it is we were trying to do, accomplish, because we weren't sounding like Motown. And you couldn't anyway. Nobody could compete with Marvin Gay, man, or Stevie Wonder.

So I didn't even try that stuff. One thing that time taught me, all the time it took me to gain the success that I got through the album reason. Remember, I was 33 years old when that happened. So I consider myself an old man, you know, I'm saying, man, I'm getting out of this business. I'm tired, you know. No. So many more albums after that. That's wild.

Oh, wow, man. Let me see. Since that was the first with Warner's, and I think I did, I don't know, 14 albums with Warner's, 21 albums. I can't remember now. and with other people. In total, I think I've recorded about 70 albums, but there are 200 and something with my name on the cover. So a lot is transpiring.

But what a responsibility. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by.

Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. but he's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network,

it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, And dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet.

Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be.

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players

flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Former Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story.

This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing. pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.

Greg Gillespie and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a question I always wanted to ask and never knew the answer to because it's not in the liner notes. But can you please settle this for me? Are you playing on another star by Stevie Wonder on songs in The Key of Life? Is that you scatting at the end? That's me. Plus, I'm singing along with Wonderland.

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la you're not in the liner notes but i kept hearing your voice because at the end he you just start scatting and right on the fade out you can keep to z right there you hear the scatting and i was like yo is that him like does that mean it was a favor or stevie's to kind of grab people oh yeah that's true too he was that kind of guy but i let him be who he is that's what makes him so great he's always coming with something that you don't expect and he's always coming with something that you don't expect and he's And there's always a one. What he does is so classy. And I think that's why we got along very well. He was coming to my shows when I was playing on the Chitlin Circuit. He would show up at a nightclub somewhere in America, mostly on the East Coast because he was going with a girl who later married when he did the song, Isn't she lovely?

I think he married her. I think she's from Pittsburgh. He's the hometown. So one day he came to the club where I was playing that night. And nobody believed it was him. He was so popular. You couldn't convince anybody in the place, even though I said, I think he might have came up and played something for us.

But nobody believed that Stephen Wonder was in the club. But he was on a lot of the gigs that I did. He show up and he would always tooth for us. And live television shows. We'd be doing live TV in Hollywood. and he brushed out the back of the curtain and jump on the, you know, in front of the camera, only he could get away with that kind of thing. I've always loved him.

I've loved them since I think I first heard him when he was about 14 or 15 years old. I knew he was not going to be ordinary. George, can I ask you about another collaborator real quick? Because we talked about Breezing and you actually redid this song with him with lyrics, which I thought was kind of ill. And y'all are both to me, like the voices of our generation. Al Jaro, I don't hear enough stories about Al Jaro. Can you just tell me like how, how wondrous was, is collaborating with Al Jaro?

He's one of those guys that come along. There's only one of them in every lifetime. He's so original from the time he opens his mouth. You got, you know who it is. And you know it's going to be good. And going on the road with him was, it took some rough thinking. because career-wise, we were way ahead. We made a lot of money.

We had a lot of prestige all over the world. And we were always first on the, you know, on the marquee outside. It would be George Benson and Al Jero. A lot of people didn't like that because they love Al Jero. You toured together? Yeah, we worked together. Okay, FDFSA, I got a million-dollar question to ask you. Yeah. So I felt strange about us being on the show and he he wasn't used to being second to nobody.

Matter of fact, we both joined Warner Brothers on the same day. We auditioned at the place where one of the Kennedys got was murdered. It was a hotel. And this was a couple of years after that, a few years after that. And we both sang or performed the same song. take five. You know, his version was pretty slick. You know, he's so great. And so we went on tour, and we found some songs, and a couple of them he wasn't comfortable with. He said, George, why do you want me to do that song?

I said, Al, it wouldn't make any difference what you did. Your voice is unique, and I think people need to hear you do this kind of song because you're not known for this, but they should hear you do this, kind of thing to let them know you can sing anything. And so we ended up doing some crazy things together. They came out great. One was that last song in the show about seeing you again until next time. I can't remember the title, but it was it came out great.

We made lots of money and we knocked them out everywhere in the world. Packed houses. It was great, man. Okay. So this is mainly a question about Al Schmidt, because I think Al Schmitt's engineering is so unique sounding that this is what I want to know. Number one, for me, your weekend in the L.A. album and also Al Jaro's look to the Rainbow album, both engineered by him, have such a distinct sound to it. that I swear to God, you guys recorded it in the studio and just overdub the audience on top of it. Like, I've never heard it.

It sounds too perfect to be a live album. Al Schmidt, who used to set up the microphones for his uncle, I believe it was. When he was a youngster, when Al was young, his uncle would say, well, Go said, I got a session today. Go over and set up the microphones for me. Get it ready for me. So he knew exactly where to place microphones to get the sound that he wanted. And by the time I got there, he was already, he had finished up all of that because he never was involved in that while we were recording.

Oh, okay. He did it all in front. He listened, he'd go in the studio, and he'd go next to the drums, and he replaced the microphone, so forth and so on. I was embarrassed one day when I got ready to say to him, You know, the piano sounds a little bit thin to me. I was almost in tears. Why doesn't he put some bass on that microphone, man?

I'm going to tell him about that. Then something said, man, leave it alone, man. When I heard those recordings back, I said, man, that would have been the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. Wow. Because his stuff was always right on the money. But he told me the story of how he got to be. Al Schmidt.

Tell me. He said that, because, you know, he used to do Sam Cook records years ago. Yeah. One day we had a big running, because I'm dealing with, like you said about heated arguments or heated discussions.

There's always something like that between producers and artists. And Tommy LaPuma, who did not like to argue, he would keep his mouth shut, but you could tell what he was feeling. because he would hint to his feelings on things. And so one day we were arguing about a live album,

Weekend in L.A. Yes. We were at the club in Hollywood. I forget the name of it. The Roxy, I believe. The Roxy Theater. Yeah. The Roxy Theater is either on Hollywood or Sunset Boulevard or Sunset.

My father, who had begged me to take him out to California, with him on my he heard I was going to California he said man I haven't seen my dad your grandfather for 20 years and I said okay dad come on with me now you have a lot of fun so my grandfather was there my dad was there Shaka Khan was there Ritha Franklin they were down front having a discussion of Franklin had to fend off Shaka Khan because she wanted to jump on the band's and have a battle with her I said not on mindset no It was incredible, man. Well, here's the biggie with that.

The first night, the second show, we did that version that you hear of on Broadway. Yes. I remember, that was not a song that was in my playlist outside of the thing that we decided to record it. And so I had to dream of something to do with it. Right. And it was Quincy Jones, again, who gave me the thought. I said, wait a minute, no. Why should I pay this any attention?

He gave me a clue. He said, you know, Josh, many years ago, everything used to be a one-bar phrase. Now it's two-bar phrase. I said, what the heck is he talking about? Because I don't measure music. I just play it. Oh. So, you know, I just play it.

And when it comes to my thought, my brain, I let it hang out. Let my brain handle it. And my vibe, my feelings, pour it out to the people, you know. So when he said that, two bar phrase, it bothered me. I had to find out what he was talking about. Then I heard a song by Rod Temperton. Okay. Boom be-dum-boom-be-don, pop, bang-be-dang.

First bar with us at all, that's two bars. That phrase finishes after two bars. First half is, bum-b-b-dum, bomb-be-d-d-on. Four beats. One beat again. Bong Bidong four. Oh, I got it. So when Tommy Lepuma asked me to do on Broadway, I said, oh, no, man.

He said, what do you mean? I said, I can't destroy that song, man. That's a classic. And in my mind, I was thinking it was the great lead singer to sing for their group, Benny King. Oh, Benny King. I thought it was Benny King, but it wasn't. Okay.

The cat who sang the original version for the drifters. The drifters. Man, what a vocalist he was. If I had to remember that, I would not have recorded it either. But I didn't remember who that was that sang that. His name was Rudy. Okay. He was a gospel singer originally.

So anyway, now I rearranged this song because it was boring to me to go, boom, boom, bomb those end on knees. on lights are bright um boom boom boom boom I said no man no we can't do that for 10 minutes so I changed it to bum boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom right then I made a staccato to give us some fire boom boom boom boom boom boom that's Boom, boom, boom, boom.

One of the guys in my band said, nah, Josh, that won't work. I said, what do you mean? What do you mean that won't work? He said, no, it won't work, Judge. That's not the way the song goes. I said, man, you wasn't even here. You weren't even born yet.

What are you talking about? It won't work. He said, I'm telling you, man, it won't work. I'm just telling you. I said, there's a reason why I'm sitting up here in this leader. this seat, I gotta find work for us. And the way I find work is to keep it up,

keep the fire going, man. Right. No, this is the way we're gonna record it. I said, can you play that? He said, oh yeah, I can play it. And he played the crap out of it. He tore it up. The name was Stanley Banks.

Okay. Great bass player. And so, Tommy La Puma, when we went to hear all of the tracks back, oh, first of I have to tell you this. So when I took that track, on a cassette that Al Schmidt made for me so I could listen to what we had done that night. Right.

I took it back to the hotel and on the patio near the pool, somebody had a boom box and we played it. And they would not let me take it off. Play it again. People call them from upstairs. Play it again. So we played it. I said, man, I got a hot one in my hand. The next day, Tommy the Puntman says, and he played the first version of it that we did on

the first show. I said, where's the other version? He said, what other version? I said, man, the one Friday night, second show. He said, George, I think we erased it, man. I said, no, Tommy, no. How's that possible? He said, we needed more tape. We kept running out of tapes, so I went back at the earlier tapes, which I thought was not good. And we put them on because we didn't have enough tape. He didn't, that wasn't the real story. He wanted to take my, um, chance to take the version you like better. Yes.

Yeah. The version he liked better, was it shorter or just more laid back or? Yeah, he wanted it to sound like the original. Oh, hell no. So, those ad lives that you got on there. Oh, he tried to tell you he erased the version that we all know. Yeah. Oh, now.

He told me he erased it. Oh, no. I got up and walked out of it. I said, man, you just, you mean, the best record I ever made, you erased it. I walked one mile back to the hotel. When I got there, he called me and said, George, come on back, man. I think I found it. I got in there.

I didn't believe they had found it. So, yeah, I was still apprehensive. I said, now he's going to play me another strange version. So I sat down. I said, now, play me the hit, man. police. And he put that on, I heard it, and I could hear Shaka Khan

in the background, and that's it. That's the one I'm talking about. And Tommy said, that is better. I said, man, get out of there. Better. That's a knockout. I'm going to tell you, the very first performance I ever gave

as a drummer. I'm going to tell you how popular the song was in 77. By the second grade, I could actually sit and reach the drum set. And we had to give like a recital, music recital. And it was my turn. We went in alphabetical order, so I was last.

You're supposed to walk up to the microphone. My name's Amir Thompson. And I'm six years old. And I'm second grade. And I'm going to play Harvey Mason playing on Broadway. And literally that drum break that they do, boom, boom, boom. I did that and that was like that was a moment which the audience exploded like that

that moment made my life that was the first time I like drummed in public that's the first time my mom and dad knew I had drumming talent like my mom's crying like oh that's that's that's that's that's literally how powerful on Broadway was when it came out. I have so many questions to ask you, but I know we only have a little bit, so we're definitely going to have to do it again. I mean, can I ask for one, about one song? Just one song. And I just want to mention one and I want to ask about one. I want to mention Moody's Move for Love because I want to say to you, sir, that for some of us, you were the introduction to that song. Like there was no James Moody. It was just George Benson. And so from then on, so thank you

for that because I've been in love with that song ever since and everybody's version after that. So, but my question is about 2020 because the video, the video, the song, like everything, it just felt like such a departure from what you were used to doing, but it was such a part of some of our childhood. Like 2020 Vision was like, let's hear it for the boys for some of us, you know? So can you just talk about 2020 and a decision to do that and just tell me something about the song? I've had the good fortune of surrounding myself with geniuses, young musicians who are

were extra talented. And one was a fellow named Randy Waldman. When Randy Waldman was a kid, his father caught him coming from school late and said, wait a minute, now where in the world have you been all this time? He said, well, I stopped off at a baseball field. I was playing baseball. He said, I thought you said you wanted to play piano. He said, well, I do. He said, well, get you in here every day and play piano not baseball piano i want you here every day and when you hear and play you know how that paid off he ended up working with barbara strassan for about 25 years as her musical director and principal pianist and he did some wonderful things with an rnb group he wrote one of the smashes or arranged it he's done nothing but spectacular work he can do anything so one day we're

on an album and the producer said, I got this song here sent to me by such and such and they want you to see if you like it. So they played it for me and I said, it's got potential. He didn't pay me any money. He sent it to Randy Waldman, who sat up in his kitchen and played all those beautiful parts. But on, bum, bum, bum, bum, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, So when he sent it to us, I said, what am I supposed to do with this, man? But once I got into it, it fell out of my mouth, all the parts. And then we had Patty Austin. Yes, Patty Austin.

She jumped on that song and did all of the harmony to all my parts, all my adlibs. And, man, she knocked that song out of the park. It was so popular, I couldn't believe it. and a pleasure to play thank you thank you thank you well brother vincent look our hour is up but we absolutely must have a part two because yeah i think the entire world steve do you have one question uh i i can wait till it's part two i wanted to just i wanted to ask some cti questions yes exactly we have so many of your your jazz life west montgomery questions there's Lots to be said.

Yeah, you're almost like a nine-hour episode, but unfortunately, we have to stop at this hour. Happy retirement, because he mentioned that, and this is like, this is going to be the last year people can see you, right? Do your line thing. I'm not sure about that. I had to stop the regimen of being on the road because I've been on the road for 62 years. Yeah. Pop that, Amir. Wow.

Exactly. We'll come to you. We'll come to you. Yes, we will. Yes. Yes. You know, so I like this. This is fine.

Yeah. You know, I want to remind our audience, definitely, you know, dreams do come true. It's available. That's your latest album. Your latest archive album. And he'll be at the Hollywood Bowl, August 18th. Want to mention that as well, because that's going to be a hell of a show.

All right. I might have to, yeah, I'm in Europe. I might have to quit the roots then. No, but for real, thank you very much for doing this. And again, we have to have another conversation. This is way too important. Too many memories here. But on behalf of Unpeg Bill and Sugar Steve and Laia and myself, Questlove,

The Incomparable, George Clinton. Oh, George. Hey, that's good enough. I like that. I'm writing something for George Clinton now. We're going to make a record together, believe it. What? You got to do it.

Anyway, the incomparable George Benson, the one and only George Benson. Thank you so much, and I appreciate it. And we will see you on the next go-round of Questlove Supreme. Thank you. Hey, thank y'all for listening to Questlove Supreme. This podcast is hosted by an Afro, Amon, a rapper, an engineer, and a man with too many jobs, aka Amir Questlove Thompson, Laia St. Clair, Fante Coleman, Sugar, Steve Mandel, and Unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers who get paid the big bucks, Amir Questlove Thompson, Sean G, and Brian Calhoun,

asked them for money, produced by the people who do all the real work, Britney Benjamin, Jake Payne and yes, Laiia St. Clair. Edited by another person who does the real work, Alex Conroy. And those who approve the real work, produced for IHeart by Noel Brown.

Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHartRadio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor, Fourth, you might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else.

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Ellen's, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern.

Two more men who'd been. through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone, I'm Ego Wood. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.