вЂMan, this sounds terrible!вЂ™ heвЂ™d complain. He didnвЂ™t like the sound he was getting back from his headphones. You never knew when he would feel like fighting WeвЂ™ll make a record, just come on down.вЂ™ So I went back to the studio and we finally got him to make some music. WeвЂ™re not making a record, so I donвЂ™t want to take your money.вЂ™ He said, вЂMan, donвЂ™t worry. вЂњFinally, on the third day, he called me up: вЂGeorge, are you coming to the session?вЂ™ And I said, вЂWell, I hadnвЂ™t planned on it, man.вЂ™ He said, вЂWhat do you mean?вЂ™ And I said, вЂI donвЂ™t know. WeвЂ™d get a tune together, and then heвЂ™d show up, take his horn out of the case, play three or four notes, and then heвЂ™d put it back in the case and walk out. вЂњFor this record, IвЂ™d get together with the band to rehearse before Miles came to the studio. I was honored that Miles liked my guitar playing, but he could be tough. I played on two or three cuts with Miles, but only one track made it on the record.

It was a fabulous guitar designed by Johnny Smith.вЂќ вЂњParaphernaliaвЂњ вЂ“ Miles Davis, Miles In The Sky (1968) I played an X-500, but on this record I used the Guild Artist Award. 'I got really good sounds with those guitars. I was very proud that they liked what I did and gave me guitars, so I played the crap out of their instruments. Sometimes I played DвЂ™Angelicos, but I was really into the Guilds at this time. вЂњI had developed a nice relationship with the people at the Guild Guitar Company. I played pretty much the standard chord changes with no real harmonies вЂ“ that was just my mindset at the time. He knew all about the substitutions a player can use to make a song more interesting. вЂњHerbie played some beautiful harmonies, and he forced me into thinking more along those lines. On this track we had Ron Carter on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Herbie Hancock on keyboards. The first side of the album was R&B, and the second side was jazz. вЂњI didnвЂ™t have the musicianship that I would have loved to have had, but that eventually came. Sometimes I made it more, but most of the timeвЂ¦ well, letвЂ™s just say I made it. Every song came to me the way it came to me, and I tried to live within the context of the song.

I didnвЂ™t have anything special going on, but I was growing quickly. I was pretty much a flat-out guitar player at the time. вЂњWhat's New?вЂњ вЂ“ George Benson, Giblet Gravy (1968) IвЂ™m a mixed bag of all those people.вЂќД«elow, Benson shares some stories about the recording of five especially noteworthy tracks from his remarkable career. Wes Montgomery was a big favorite of mine. King, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Barney KesselвЂ¦ And of course, thereвЂ™s Tal Farlow, Hank Garland, and Grant Green. вЂњI studied everybody вЂ“ Charlie Christian, B.B. вЂњI kind of take from everybody and it comes out like me,вЂќ he says modestly. Starting in the mid вЂ™70s, BensonвЂ™s golden singing voice вЂ“ he actually started out as a vocalist, performing in clubs at the age of eight вЂ“ landed him on AM radios, but nearly a decade before, he established his reputation as a supremely tasteful instrumental craftsman whose warm tone, effortless speed, (you never got the feeling he was sweatinвЂ™ it) and hook-filled phrasing combined to form an instantly recognizable signature sound. вЂњThey said, вЂMan, we loved what you did with our music.вЂ™ After that, I was glad I made the record.вЂќ He adds that his wounds healed quickly once he heard from the Beatles themselves.

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