(Benjamin Franklin Peay)
DISCOGRAPHY 1959-2022 (56CD)
DISCOGRAPHY 1959-2022 (56CD)
BIOGRAPHY
Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), better
known as Brook Benton, 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, with hits such as "It's Just a
Matter of Time" and "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 chart hits as an artist, and also wrote
hits for other performers.
When Benton was young, he enjoyed gospel music, wrote songs and sang in
a Methodist church choir in Lugoff, South Carolina, where his father,
Willie Peay, was choir master.[2] In 1948, he went to New York to pursue
his music career, going 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 an 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.
Brook earned a good living by writing songs and co-producing albums. He
wrote songs for artists such as Nat King Cole, Clyde McPhatter (for whom
he co-wrote the hit "A Lover's Question") and Roy Hamilton. He
eventually released his first minor hit, "A Million Miles from Nowhere",
before switching to the Mercury label, which would eventually bring him
major success. He also appeared in the 1957 film Mister Rock And Roll,
with Alan Freed.
(Wikipedia)
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Vol. 021-Brook Benton (2CD) @FLAC