Remembering Brook Benton

27 years ago, the world lost a vibrant voice far too early when singer Brook Benton passed away on April 9, 1988 at the age of 56.

Benjamin Franklin Peay left his South Carolina home as a teenager to get into the music business in New York City. After several forays, he landed steady work making demo records for well-known names that including Nat “King” Cole, Clyde McPhatter and Roy Hamilton. His considerable songwriting skills led to a co-credit with Jimmy T. William on Clyde McPhatter’s hit, “A Lover’s Question.” After a name change to “Brook Benton” and a minor hit with “A Million Miles From Nowhere,” he landed at Mercury Records with Clyde Otis and arranger Belford Hendricks, where he had his first two hits.

“It’s Just A Matter Of Time” and its flip side, “Endlessly” went all the way to No. 3 and No. 12, respectively, on the pop chart (No. 1 and No. 3 on the R&B chart). A string of Top 40 hits would follow for the next 5 years, including highly successful duets like “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” with Dinah Washington.

In this video, just 5 years before he would leave the world, Brook sings 3 of his big hits: “The Boll Weevil Song”, a No. 2 novelty hit from 1961; “Thank You Pretty Baby”, No. 16 in 1959; and “Rainy Night in Georgia”, No. 4 in 1970. These performances really show off that wonderful voice and his smooth and effortless style.

Brook also had a number of not-to-be-missed covers. A favorite around here is that old standard “Frankie & Johnny.” Brook took it to No. 20 in 1961.