Al Benson
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Arthur Bernard Leaner (June 30, 1908 – September 6, 1978), who was known professionally as Al Benson, was an American radio DJ, music promoter and
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
owner in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
between the 1940s and 1960s. He was particularly significant for his promotion of
rhythm and blues music Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
and black involvement in the recording industry in Chicago.Legendaries of Radio: Al Benson
. Legendariesofradio.wix.com, Retrieved 18 May 2014
Leaner was also an ordained minister and activist, and became an important figure in the civil rights movement in Chicago. In 2017 he was inducted into the
Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...
.


Biography

He was born in
Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
. He learned
tap dancing Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...
with his father's
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
band as a child, Biography at Allmusic.com
.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Retrieved 18 May 2014
and worked in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
shows before moving with his parents in 1923 to Chicago. There, he founded a
storefront church A storefront or shopfront is the facade or entryway of a retail store located on the ground floor or street level of a commercial building, typically including one or more display windows. A storefront functions to attract visual attention to a b ...
, and worked in a wide variety of jobs including cook and probation officer, as well as becoming an established figure in
Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
William Dawson's
political machine In the politics of representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership c ...
. As Rev. Arthur Leaner, he made his first broadcasts, of sermons and
gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
, on radio station WGES in 1943. William Barlow, ''Voice Over: The Making of Black Radio''
Temple University Press, 1999, pp. 98-102
In 1945, using the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Al Benson, he started broadcasting a regular weekly one-hour secular show on WGES, in a different slot in which – unlike in the religious program – he was allowed to advertise products. He referred to himself on air as "the Old Swingmaster". Within two years, his output had increased to twenty hours a week, on WGES and WJJD, and in 1948 he was voted the most popular DJ in Chicago. The following year, he was elected to the honorary post of "Mayor of Bronzeville", which he won for several consecutive years, a testament to his huge popularity among African-Americans in the city. This is attributed to the fact that he spoke in colloquial terms with a strong Southern accent, like many of those who had migrated to the city, and that he played many of the
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
and
rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
records that had previously been ignored by broadcasters because of their "suggestive" lyrics and "lowlife" connotations. Although there had been earlier black personalities on radio in Chicago, notably Jack L. Cooper, Benson later said: Charles Walton, "Al Benson—the Godfather of Black Radio in Chicago"
, ''JazzinChicago.org''. Retrieved 18 May 2014
Radio was a field that was very difficult for Black people to get into in the 1940s.... When I got into radio it was my very ambition and intention to let people know who I was. However I did not identify myself by being degrading, being uncouth or using bad English. But I used certain terms that we Black folks are accustomed to using. Slang usage—and that alone picked up my identity. My approach to the people was down to earth. I did not talk down to them. I was on their level. I made them feel that "he is one of us."
DJ Lucky Cordell said:
enson Enson may refer to: * ''Enson'' (album), by Masaaki Endoh * Enson Inoue (born 1967), Japanese mixed martial artist * Faux d'Enson, a mountain in Switzerland * Enson, a character in ''The First'' comic book series * Enson, Staffordshire, a hamle ...
played the music that they were accustomed to hearing and that music could not be found anywhere else on the radio. Nobody was playing the blues. The blues that was played might be
Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...
or Jazz. Al Benson came on and played
Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...
,
Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...
, and so forth and started to satisfy the people. If I had to hazard a guess, his audience included about seventy percent of the Black population. I don't know how fast his recognition came, as far as sponsors, but as soon as the word got around that there was a guy on radio playing those records, and the word was passed along in the Black community, Benson was made.
By 1950, he was broadcasting ten hours each day on three stations: WGES, WJJD, and WAAF. Clovis E. Semmes, ''The Regal Theater and Black Culture''
Palgrave Macmillan, 2006, pp. 129, 192
He became popular among both local and national advertisers for his ability to sell the products that they were marketing, former WGES executive Elizabeth Hinzman describing him as "the greatest salesman that I have ever known". His power to influence the record-buying public gave him great influence over the local recording industry. It was said that he "revolutionized Chicago's Black radio programming," and that "..he was the main reason why so many independent black record companies featuring rhythm and blues and even gospel artists grew."
. Oocities.org, Retrieved 18 May 2014
In the early 1950s he also helped set up
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
s, including
Parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...
,
Blue Lake Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The term ''blue'' generally descr ...
, and Old Swing-Master, to cater for the growing demand for blues and R&B music. The labels recorded such musicians as
T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...
, J.B. Lenoir,
Sunnyland Slim Albert Luandrew (September 5, 1906March 17, 1995), "Blues pianist and singer Sunnyland Slim was born Albert Luandrew in Vance, Mississippi, September 5, 1906 (most sources say 1907, but the Social Security Death Index and 1920 census data give t ...
,
Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...
,
Willie Mabon Willie James Mabon (October 24, 1925 – April 19, 1985) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer, songwriter, pianist, and harmonica player. He had two number one hits on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' R&B chart, "I Don't Know (Will ...
,
Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...
,
Lorez Alexandria Lorez Alexandria (born Dolorez Alexandria Turner; August 14, 1929 – May 22, 2001). was an American jazz singer, described as "one of the most gifted and underrated jazz singers of the twentieth century". She became established in the midwest b ...
, and, later in the 1960s,
Magic Sam Samuel Gene Maghett (February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969), known as Magic Sam, was an American Chicago blues musician. He was born in Grenada County, Mississippi, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and ...
and others. At the height of his popularity in the 1950s he had regular television shows, and sponsored many
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
and R&B concerts in Chicago. He encouraged younger black DJs to follow in his path. He also became the owner of a newspaper, record shop, restaurant, and boutique, which all hired mostly African-American staff. Although changing tastes and Benson's "flamboyant and self-willed" character eventually undermined his popularity, he remained actively involved in the civil rights movement, ensuring the
integration Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...
of nightclubs that had refused to serve black customers, and on one occasion in 1956 hiring an airplane to drop 5,000 copies of the
United States Bill of Rights The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten list of amendments to the United States Constitution, amendments to the United States Constitution. It was proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the Timeline of dr ...
over
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
. Benson retired from broadcasting at
WVON WVON (1690 AM "The Voice of the Nation", originally "Voice of the Negro") is a radio station serving the Chicago market, which airs an African-American-oriented talk format. WVON is operated by Midway Broadcasting Corporation via a local mark ...
in 1963, and for a time returned to being a
pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
while maintaining some of his business interests and moving to live in
Three Oaks, Michigan Three Oaks is a village in Three Oaks Township, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,370 at the 2020 census. The village of Three Oaks is located in the southwest corner of Michigan, just 5 miles from the shores o ...
. In later life he encountered problems and became ill with poor blood circulation, causing amputation of his legs, thus limiting his ability to work and pay taxes, resulting in the IRS taking his home. He later became ill with lung cancer. He died in
Berrien Springs, Michigan Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County, Michigan, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township, Mi ...
, in 1978 at the age of 70. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Norma Jean, who later succumbed to brain cancer. He had two surviving children, Arleta Leaner (Parker) who took after her father and worked in radio and television and his youngest daughter, Bertina Leaner (Clark). Biography by Robert Pruter, in Edward Komara (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of the Blues''
Psychology Press, 2005, p. 74
In 2017, he was nominated for the
Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...
, the following year he became one of the inductees for Individual: Business — Production – Media or Academic.


Bands

Bands produced by Benson included The Parrots, the first group he produced; The Pelicans with "Aurelia" and "White Cliffs of Dover" (1953); and many others.Robert Pruter – ''Doowop: The Chicago Scene 1996'', , p. 52 : Another early Benson group was the Pelicans. The group was led by Roger Heard and came from Detroit. The Pelicans' two sides, released on Parrot in late 1953, were "Aurelia" and "White Cliffs of Dover." "Aurelia" was a deep-sounding ...


See also

* African American firsts *
Hal Jackson Harold Baron Jackson (3 November 1915 – 23 May 2012) was an American disc jockey and radio personality who broke a number of color barriers in American radio broadcasting. Biography Early years Jackson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, ...
* Doctor Hep Cat * DJ Nat D. *
Yvonne Daniels Yvonne Daniels (September 16, 1937 – June 21, 1991) was an American radio host in Chicago from the 1960s to 1991. Daniels was a member of the first all-woman radio team in 1967 for WSDM and the first woman radio host for WLS in 1973. Daniels ...
*
Daddy-O Daylie Holmes Daylie (May 15, 1920 – February 6, 2003) was a radio jock on radio stations in the 1940s and 1950s who rhymed, rapped, and played bebop and was one of the early pioneers of black-appeal radio. His upbeat patter and rhyming delivery from t ...
*
Jocko Henderson Douglas "Jocko" Henderson (March 8, 1918July 15, 2000) was an American radio disc jockey, businessman, and hip hop music pioneer. Early life Henderson grew up in Baltimore, where both of his parents were teachers. Radio broadcasting Henderson ...
* Jockey Jack/Jack the Rapper *
Black-appeal stations Before the development of the radio format called "Top 40" was born, "Black Appeal Stations" reinvigorated radio. By playing a specific group of songs aimed specifically at the young African American demographic, "Black Appeal Stations" helped keep ...
*
WERD (Atlanta) WERD was the first radio station owned and programmed by African Americans. The station was established in Atlanta, Georgia on October 3, 1949, broadcasting on 860 AM (now used by WAEC). The National Black Radio Hall of Fame Atlanta Chapter is ...
*
Glossary of jive talk Jive talk, also known as Harlem jive or simply Jive, the argot of jazz, jazz jargon, vernacular of the jazz world, slang of jazz, and parlance of hip is an African-American Vernacular English slang or vocabulary that developed in Harlem, where "jiv ...
*
Jive talk Jive talk, also known as Harlem jive or simply Jive, the argot of jazz, jazz jargon, vernacular of the jazz world, slang of jazz, and parlance of hip is an African-American Vernacular English slang or vocabulary that developed in Harlem, where "jiv ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Al 1908 births 1978 deaths American radio DJs Radio personalities from Chicago African-American radio personalities 20th-century African-American businesspeople African-American activists Businesspeople from Jackson, Mississippi 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American businesspeople Activists from Mississippi People from Three Oaks, Michigan Jazz radio presenters