Brook Benton
 Born
Benjamin Peay in Lugoff, South Carolina, in 1931, Benton - the son
of a Methodist preacher - began singing in his father's church,
later performing with gospel quartets.
During the 50s, Benton distinguished himself as a pop
songwriter, co-writing Looking Back for Nat King Cole and
A Lover's Question for Clyde McPhatter.
In 1959, Benton signed as a singer with Mercury. He cracked the
US Top 40 five times that year, with It's Just A Matter Of
Time, Endlessly, So Close, Thank You
Pretty Baby and So Many Ways.
Two duets with Dinah Washington - Baby (You've Got What It
Takes) and A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall In
Love) - brought Benton Top 10 hits in 1960, and in the
following year he released The Boll Weevil Song, one of
his best-known and most successful tracks.
His last appearance on the charts came in 1970, with his
version of Tony Joe White's Rainy Night In Georgia.
Benton died in New York City of pneumonia on 9 April 1988. He
was 56.
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