George Benson is a guitar phenomenon from Pittsburgh, even though he has been residing in Arizona for quite some years now. The artist has performed at the festival many times and continues to reinvent himself every time. Benson was a prodigy and started out by playing the organ with Jack McDuff before being asked to join Miles Davis and his band in the mid-60s. Subsequently, Benson made a number of beautiful jazz records, but became world famous only at the end of the 1970s, thanks to funky hits like Breezin’ and Give Me The Night, produced by Quincy Jones. In spite of his age of 79, Benson continues to be very productive. The singer-guitarist has produced a number of thematic albums and recorded duo albums with Marcus Miller and Al Jarreau, among others. In 2019 he surprised all and sundry with a record expressing his love for the music of New Orleans. Its title, Walking To New Orleans, was the perfect match.
