Benson made it into the pop and R&B top ten with the song 'Give Me the Night' (written by former Heatwave keyboardist Rod Temperton).
The Qwest record label (a subsidiary of Warner Bros., run by Quincy Jones) released Benson's breakthrough pop album Give Me The Night, produced by Jones. Luckily, after he spent time in a juvenile detention centre his stepfather made him a new guitar.* When this was discovered (tied with the failure of his single) his guitar was impounded. As he has stated in an interview, Benson's introduction to showbusiness had an effect on his schooling. The single was produced by Leroy Kirkland for RCA's rhythm and blues label, Groove Records.
Out of the four sides he cut, two were released: 'She Makes Me Mad' backed with 'It Should Have Been Me', with RCA-Victor in New York although one source indicates this record was released under the name 'Little Georgie', the 45rpm label is printed with the name George Benson. At the age of eight, he played guitar in an unlicensed nightclub on Friday and Saturday nights, but the police soon closed the club down. At the age of seven, he first played the ukulele in a corner drug store, for which he was paid a few dollars. Benson was born and raised in the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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