The 1st Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards will pay tribute to one of the biggest pioneers in the Smooth Jazz genre - George Benson. The guitar legend will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award. Each subsequent year a different trendsetter in the world of Smooth Jazz will receive the same award.
 The Quotes The Stories
Read what George Benson's Colleagues and friends are saying. MoreEveryone has at least one good George Benson story. We asked the Smooth Jazz world to share theirs. More
 Buy an Album Radio Says Thanks
Complete your Benson collection with the help of Amazon.com. Purchase an album hereWhere would Smooth Jazz radio be without Benson? The top broadcasters say thanks to George. More
 
 George Benson Biography:

From jazz guitar legend to soul-pop vocalist extraordinaire, 8-time Grammy® winner George Benson has cultivated an international fan base as well as tremendous critical acclaim for three things: incomparable versatility, first-class execution in all he does and, perhaps most importantly, for never being predictable. These are the qualities that have made the man a one-of-a-kind giant in the universe of music, thus lending a fitting ring to the title of his fourth album for GRP/Verve, Irreplaceable. It is an emotional gemstone of seemingly effortless consistency for the superstar who has been dominating the worlds of smooth jazz and NAC radio. Irreplaceable marks a directional shift back to silky sexy soul music…with a decidedly contemporary urban edge. “I’m just trying to wake some people up,” Benson says with the confident patois of a Pittsburgh hipster, “give them something that they wouldn’t expect. More
"If more of today's Smooth Jazz sounded like the great songs and amazing playing on George's "Breezin'" album, the format would be a whole lot cooler!"
- Grant Geissman
 
"George Benson has not only created some of the finest music in the world, he continues to bring people of varying global cultures together to share in it’s healing power, to listen and to learn. Thank you George, the more you play the more we understand that we are one." - Cameron Smith - Smooth Jazz TV James when we use to spin some of
his stuff during the night show on Fanshawe College's 6XFM in the late 80's.
I was boppin' my head to every little beat especially to the award winning
Bob James/David Sanborn album. It was real treat to see him perform years
later at the 2001 National Smooth Jazz Awards with Keiko Matsui in Chicago.
Looking forward to hearing his new album this year and at the 2006 Canadian
Smooth Jazz Awards. Congrats Bob!

Gary James
Assistant Program Director/ "Smooth Ride Home" Weekdays 3-7pm EST
Smooth Jazz Wave 94.7 FM
589 Upper Wellington St.
Hamilton, Ontario CANADA

"I was always a fan of George Benson especially his guitar work. Then he came out with "This Masquerade" and I was blown away... what a voice! But most of all, I admire his musical integrity. He stayed true to his music and it paid off in a big way."
- Alfie Zappacosta
 
I can't think of a more deserving reciept of the "George Benson Lifetime
Achivement Award" than Bob James. He was a great trendestter in the 1970's
with CTI records and he's still the best. Congratulations Bob and we'll see
you on April the 7th.
Bob Farrow
Host-The Smooth Jazz Breakfast
Wave 94.7fm
Hamilton-Toronto
"George Benson's importance and stature as a jazz guitarist is also often overlooked or overshadowed by his tremendous talent as a vocalist, although most certainly shouldn't be."
- Chuck Loeb
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