Richard Benson (singer)
| Richard Benson | |
|---|---|
|
Richard Benson in 2014 during a show in Ciampino, Italy | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Philip Henry John Benson |
| Born | 10 March 1955 |
| Origin | Woking (United Kingdom) |
| Genres | Progressive rock, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist-singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | Since 1971 |
| Labels | Playgame Music, INRI |
| Website | http://www.richardbensonofficial.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Guitar | |
Richard Philip Henry John Benson, known as Richard Benson (born 10 March 1955, Woking, England) is an English guitarist based in Italy since 1965.
Career
In 1971 he recorded with the progressive rock band "Buon Vecchio Charlie" a self-titled LP, which was only released in 1990.
In 1972, he took part in the festival "Villa Pamphili".[1]
In 1983 he says released his first LP, Animal Zoo, an Italo disco production.[2] In the following year he released his second LP, Renegade, a song with electro-rock tones.[3] Both discs are difficult to find and, for a long time, their existence was even doubted, especially for what concerns Renegade.
In 1987 he was included on the compilation album, Metal Attack (RCA Italy – Talent).[4]
In 1992 he played himself in Carlo Verdone's film Maledetto il giorno che t'ho incontrato.
In the second half of the 1990s he arrived at the peak of his musical career giving concerts in Rome.
In 1999 he released his first CD, Madre Tortura.[5]
In 2003 he was featured in Avenged Sevenfold's sophomore record, Waking the Fallen, playing guitar solos on the tracks "I Won't See You Tonight Part 2" and "And All Things Will End"
Benson is well known for having recorded various tutorial videos to teach young guitarists how to present serious scales. In these videos he shows all of his guitarist skills playing a breathtaking version of "il vecchio blues". Another of his famous tricks is the "hellish carillon" (carillon infernale).
Benson has then appeared in Italian national broadcast television as a music opinionist (Rai 2), together with Max Giusti, though the role of Benson in the show was, once again, rather comical than serious, in fact, playing a sort of parody of his own character.
In 2015 he released his second CD, L'inferno dei vivi, a rock-opera produced by Federico Zampaglione.[6]
Discography
- 1990: Buon Vecchio Charlie (recorded in 1971)
- 1983: Animal Zoo (single)
- 1984: Renegade (single)
- 1999: Madre Tortura
- 2015: L'inferno dei vivi
References
- ↑ (Italian) Infos at stampamusicale.altervista.org
- ↑ Richard Benson (2) – Animal Zoo, discogs.com
- ↑ Richard Benson (2) – Renegade, discogs.com
- ↑ (Italian) Infos at maxsmeraldi.com
- ↑ Richard Benson Madre Tortura, spirit-of-metal.com
- ↑ (Italian) Richard Benson torna nei negozi con "L'inferno dei vivi, Panorama, 18 March 2015.