Sammy Benskin

Samuel Benskin (September 27, 1922 – August 26, 1992) was an American pianist and bandleader.

He was born in The Bronx, New York City, United States, and made his professional debut around 1940 as piano accompanist to singer and guitarist Bardu Ali. He worked throughout the 1940s with jazz musicians including Stuff Smith, Benny Morton and Don Redman. By the early 1950s he had begun leading his own piano trio, as well as appearing as a soloist and as accompanist to singers including Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler. In 1954 he also joined a group, The Three Flames, which also featured Tiger Haynes. Later in the 1950s he worked as accompanist to Dinah Washington.

In 1959, with a band credited as The Spacemen, he recorded an instrumental, "The Clouds", written and produced by Julius Dixson and issued on Dixson's Alton record label. Other session musicians playing on the record were Panama Francis, Haywood Henry, and Babe Clark. The song originally had vocals, which Dixson removed, releasing the instrumental version. This rose to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, and No. 41 on the pop chart. "The Clouds" was the first number one on any chart released by an African-American owned independent record label, predating Motown's first No. 1 by a year.

From the 1960s Benskin worked primarily as a vocal coach, arranger and producer. In 1986, he recorded an album in Paris for Black & Blue Records, These Foolish Songs, which was reissued on CD in 2002. He died in Teaneck, New Jersey, aged 69.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 27, 1922 (The Bronx), Died August 26, 1992

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1945 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 73006 10-in. 8/14/1945 Don't explain Billie Holiday instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 73007 8/14/1945 Big stuff-1,3 Billie Holiday instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 73008 10-in. 8/14/1945 You better go now-2 Billie Holiday instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 73009 10-in. 8/14/1945 What is this thing called love? Billie Holiday instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81071 5/22/1951 No more cryin' blues Mabel Scott instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81072 5/22/1951 Boogie woogie choo choo train Mabel Scott instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81073 5/22/1951 Somebody goofed Mabel Scott instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81074 5/22/1951 Catch 'em young, treat 'em rough Mabel Scott instrumentalist, piano  
Signature SRC 354 10-in. 1946 Open the door Richard-1 Walter Brown instrumentalist, piano  
Signature SRC 355 10-in. 1946 My second best woman Walter Brown instrumentalist, piano  
Signature SRC 356 10-in. 1946 Let's get some understanding Walter Brown instrumentalist, piano  
Signature SRC 357 10-in. 1946 I'm living for you Walter Brown instrumentalist, piano  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Benskin, Sammy," accessed March 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303912.

Benskin, Sammy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303912.

"Benskin, Sammy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303912

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