Song:Rainy Night In Georgia
Album:Endlessly: The Best Of Brook Benton
Smooth R & B singer Brook Benton had a lot of success in the late 50s and early 60s. But you may not know that he had a lot of success as a songwriter and producer as well. The 1970 hit Rainy Night In Georgia was his final top ten pop hit. He was born Benjamin Franklin Peay Sept. 19, 1931 in Lugoff, SC. He moved to New York in 1948 and was a member of various gospel groups. He returned home and joined a group called The Sandmen. They went back to New York and signed with Okeh Records. But the label decided to push Peay as a solo artist and changed his name to Brook Benton. Benton was already making a good living as a songwriter. He wrote A Lover's Question for Clyde McPhatter. In 1959, Mercury Records A & R executive Clyde Otis convinced Benton to join the label and they produced many of Benton's hits along with hits for plenty of other artists. It's a Matter Of Time was his first top five hit and plenty of others followed. They also produced hits for Dinah Washington, Timi Yuro, The Diamonds and others. Benton left Mercury in 1964 and after recording for RCA and Reprise, Benton signed with Atlantic in 1969. He was on their Cotillion label. Jerry Wexler was looking for songs for Benton and songwriter Donnie Fritts told him about Tony Joe White's song Rainy Night In Georgia. Arif Mardin produced and arranged the song and it reached #4 on the pop charts in 1970. It was Benton's final pop hit. This Rhino comp covers his Mercury & Cotillion songs. Brook Benton continued to tour and record until his death on Apr. 9, 1988 at age 56. Here's Brook Benton performing Rainy Night In Georgia in 1982.
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