George Benson: how we made Give Me the Night

‘I was tired and wanted to go home, so I put on this crazy affected voice. Quincy Jones promised he wouldn’t use it – but he did!’

Quincy Jones was looking for artists for his new label, Qwest Records. I’d started to cross over from jazz and Quincy asked: “Do you want to make the world’s greatest jazz record – or go for the throat?” I laughed and said: “Go for the throat!” I’d seen what he’d done with Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall. He said: “George, put yourself in my hands. I know more about you than you do yourself.” I was insulted at first, but calmed down, and things started happening.

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from Culture | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UO4qur