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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Brook Benton| image = Brook Benton.jpg| caption = Promotional photo of Benton.| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Benjamin Franklin Peay| alias =| Born = Birth date|1931|9|19|mf=y Lugoff, South Carolina , United States| Died = death date and age|1988|4|9|1931|9|19|mf=y Queens , New York , United States| origin =| instrument = Vocals | genre = Pop (music)|Pop , R& B , Soul music|soul | occupation = Singer, songwriter, actor| years_active = 1958–88| label = Mercury Records|Mercury , Cotillion Records|Cotillion , RCA Records|RCA | associated_acts =| website = Brook Benton (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988) was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll , rhythm and blues , and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as " It's Just a Matter of Time (Brook Benton song)|It's Just A Matter Of Time " and " Endlessly (Brook Benton song)|Endlessly ", many of which he co-wrote.
He made a comeback in 1970 with the ballad " Rainy Night in Georgia ." Benton scored over 50 Billboard (magazine)|Billboard chart hits as an artist, and also wrote hits for other performers.
Biography
Rise to fame
Benjamin Franklin Peay was born on September 19, 1931 in Lugoff, South Carolina . When Peay was young he enjoyed gospel music , wrote songs, and sang in a Methodist church choir in nearby Camden, South Carolina|Camden , where his father was choir master.cite news|last=French|first=Howard|title=BROOK BENTON, SINGER OF HIT TUNES KNOWN FOR HIS BALLADS, DIES AT 56|url= http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/10/obituaries/brook-benton-singer-of-hit-tunes-known-for-his-ballads-dies-at-56.html|accessdate=23 January 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 April 1988 So in 1948 he went to New York to pursue his music career. He went in and out of gospel groups such as The Langfordaires, The Jerusalem Stars, and The Golden Gate Quartet. Returning to his home state, he joined a Rhythm and blues|R& B singing group, The Sandmen, and went back to New York to get a big break with his group. The Sandmen had limited success, and their label, Okeh Records , decided to push Peay as a solo artist, changing his name to Brook Benton, apparently at the suggestion of label executive Marv Halsman. http://www.uncamarvy.com/Sandmen/sandmen.html "Marv Goldberg, Marv Goldberg's R& B Notebooks: The Sandmen"
Brook earned a good living songwriter|writing songs and co- record producer|producing album s. He wrote songs for musician|artists such as Nat King Cole , Clyde McPhatter (for whom he wrote the hit "A Lover's Question"), and Roy Hamilton . Soon he released his first minor chart-topper|hit , "A Million Miles from Nowhere". Later he went on to the Mercury Records|Mercury record label|label , which would eventually bring him larger success. Also he appeared in the 1957 film Mr Rock And Roll with Alan Freed
Big break
Finally in 1959 he made his breakthrough with his hits " It's Just a Matter of Time (Brook Benton song)|It's Just a Matter of Time " and "Endlessly". "It's Just a Matter of Time" peaked at #3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 record chart|chart , while "Endlessly" made it to #12. Both of the first two hits were written by Benton with Clyde Otis . They were originally offered to Nat King Cole , but when Otis became an A& R official at Mercury, he convinced Benton to sign with the label and record them himself, while asking Cole not to record the songs as planned.Colin Escott, "Clyde Otis: Looking Back". Goldmine, October 1, 1993, pp. 42-43. He followed this success with a series of hits, including "So Many Ways" (#6), "Hotel Happiness" (#3), "Think Twice" (#11), "Kiddio" (#7), and " Boll Weevil (song)|The Boll Weevil Song " (#2). In 1960, he had two Top 40|top 10 hit duet (music)|duets with Dinah Washington : "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (#5) and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)" (#7).Allmusic|class=artist|id=p3662|pure_url=yes Brook Benton at Allmusic
He also recorded his own version of "Take Good Care of Her" in 1962. In the mid- and late 1960s, Benton recorded for RCA Records and Reprise Records with minimal commercial success. In 1969 he signed with Cotillion Records , a subsidiary of Atlantic Records , where the next year he had his last major hit with " Rainy Night in Georgia ".
Benton eventually charted 49 single (music)|singles on the Billboard Hot 100 , with other songs charting on Billboard (magazine)|Billboard 's Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|rhythm and blues , Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|easy listening , and Christmas music Billboard charts|charts .Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 2000), 48-49. The last album made by Benton was Fools Rush In , which was released posthumously in 2005. At one point he was recording on Groove Records .cite book | first= Arnold | last= Shaw | year= 1978 | title= Honkers and Shouters | edition= | publisher=Macmillan Publishing Company | location= New York | pages= 463 | isbn= 0-02-061740-2
Death
Weakened from spinal meningitis , Brook died of pneumonia in Queens, New York City , at the age of 56 on April 9, 1988.
Discography
Albums
Year
Album
United States Pop music>Pop
1959
This Time of Year
12
1961
Golden Hits
82
1961
The Boll Weevil Song And 11 Other Great Hits
70
1962
If You Believe
77
1962
Singing the Blues - Lie to Me
40
1963
Golden Hits, Volume 2
82
1967
''Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)
156
1969
Do Your Own Thing
189
1970
Brook Benton Today
27
1970
Homestyle
199
1972
Story Teller
-
1977
The Incomparable Brook Benton - 20 Greatest Hits (Warwick)
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Brook%20Benton.html Soulwalking.co.uk - Brook Benton Fan Page
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/benton_brook/bio.jhtml VH1.com - Artist Listing
http://www.tsimon.com/benton.htm Tsimon.com - Brook Benton Fan Page
http://www.shewins.com/bio.htm
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Brook+Benton Brook Benton at Discogs
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi? page=gr& GRid=6330482 Brook Benton at Find a Grave
Persondata | NAME = Benton, Brook | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = September 19, 1931 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = April 9, 1988 | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Brook Category:American male singers Category:American crooners Category:Songwriters from South Carolina Category:African American musicians Category:Mercury Records artists Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Deaths from meningitis Category:1931 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:People from Kershaw County, South Carolina
