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Carla L. Benson is an American vocalist, actor and educator known for her recorded background vocals.
Carla L. Benson grew up in South Jersey with her mother and two brothers. Eventually, her family grew to include a stepfather and younger sister.
Benson studied dance at Sidney King School of Dance in Camden from ages 4–12. She attended Pyne Point Junior High School where she joined the Walter Young Choral Ensemble. In 1968, they Ensemble earned an appearance on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in at The Ed Sullivan theater in New York City in April of 1968.
She graduated from Camden High School in 1971 and took classes at Glassboro State College before finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Music in 1999. [1]
Benson began her professional career singing with her cousin Barbara, who unexpectedly died in 1994, and Evette L. Benton, her best friend from childhood and later college roommate. After auditioning for Thom Bell, they became the in-house background vocalists for Philadelphia International Records for over 10 years. [2] They vigorously resisted any group name, but eventually were named "The Sweethearts of Sigma" by mix master Tom Moulton at the famous Sigma Sound Studios where they did the majority of their work.
They never signed an exclusive contract, making them free to work as independent contractors. As a result, they appeared on many projects outside the Philadelphia International stable. They can be heard on hundreds of hits, including Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones", The Spinners' "I'll Be Around", McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now", Evelyn "Champagne" King's "Shame", Patti LaBelle's "New Attitude" and "If Only You Knew", Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine", and Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald's "On My Own". [3]
During the height of Disco's popularity, The Sweethearts were heavily sought after for their vocals. Confidentiality agreements prevented the Sweethearts from being credited as the vocalists for several major disco hits. The trio also worked as named and unnamed vocalists for studio orchestras MFSB, The Salsoul Orchestra, The Original Ritchie Family, and John Davis' Monster Orchestra. They also provided background vocals for Grace Jones, The Trammps, the Village People, Gloria Gaynor, Loleatta Holloway, France Joli, and hundreds of other successful disco acts. After the runaway success of Saturday Night Fever , even John Travolta tried his hand at recording and insisted on the vocal assistance of the Sweethearts. [4]
With the sudden decline of disco, work waned and the Sweethearts decided to break up. Benson was approached to produce the annual fundraising event for The Dr. Charles Henderson Auxiliary, the only African-American auxiliary of the Cooper University Hospital in her native Camden, New Jersey. She wrote and directed an ensemble cast, produced, and performed in her creation, which she named "Rhapsody in Black". That year, the auxiliary exceeded its own expectations and was able to make its largest donation to the hospital in their history. That record still stands today.
Benson won lead roles in two productions of Ain't Misbehavin' at The Riverfront Dinner Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Sweethearts had previously recorded the background vocals for Patti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew", "Love, Need, and Want", and a few other singles. In the mid-80s, when LaBelle wanted new background vocalists, she wondered if "The Girls" would be interested. The Sweethearts quickly came back together and toured exclusively with LaBelle, who renamed them The Sweeties. LaBelle fondly referred to Benson as "Sweetie Number One". [5] It was during their tenure with LaBelle that they recorded the soundtrack for Beverly Hills Cop and did the popular video "Stir It Up". LaBelle received her first platinum album, Winner in You , on which the Sweeties performed. She graciously orchestrated the moment when the Sweeties received their platinum albums during an on-air interview on the popular television show People Are Talking with Richard Bey in 1987.
Carla Benson also worked as a substitute teacher for the Camden School system, where her love of inner-city teenagers began to take root and grow.
In 1988, Benson opened in the main room of the Claridge Hotel and Casino in November, which LaBelle attended and sang at. Benson spent the next two years performing exclusively at the Claridge Casino, as well as Trump Casino's special events.
When the casinos closed many of their lounges, Benson sang for over fifteen years with a wedding band, The Franklin Alison Orchestra, out of Princeton, New Jersey.
Tony Award-winning writer Joseph A. Walker ( The River Niger ) was hired to produce a series of musicals for Rutgers University. Under his direction, Benson starred in productions of Dreamgirls , The Amen Corner , Buddy Bolden and Raisin. Before his death, he was writing another musical, especially for her, which he hoped to have produced on Broadway.
Walker's musical director, Tony Booker, was instrumental in Benson being signed to a five-year contract at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.. There, she was featured in their annual production of Black Nativity , under the direction of the founder of the Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts, Mike Malone. She would also have a lead role in a developing work written and directed by Tony Award-winning choreographer George Faison.
In 1996, Benson graduated at the top of her class from the Technical Institute of New Jersey, Pennsauken Campus as a certified paralegal. She began work as an executive legal secretary in arbitration for Judge Vogelson at the Hall of Justice in Camden.
In 1999, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Music from Rowan University.
Benson worked as a Permanent Substitute at Camden High School.
In 2000, Benson was approached by her friend, Allan Slutsky, to participate in a film that would highlight the studio musicians of Motown, who were called "The Funk Brothers". Being a studio musician herself, this project held a particular appeal for her. Slutsky knew of Benson's professional recording career and hired her to be section leader for the background vocals for the film. Benson hired her cousin Johnny Ingram to go with her, and they traveled with her brother Keith, associate producer for the film, to Detroit, Michigan for two weeks of rehearsals and filming. She worked with artists like Gerald LeVert, whose father she'd previously worked with as a member of the O'Jays; Chaka Khan; Bootsy Collins; Ben Harper; Joan Osborne; Tom Scott; and the Funk Brothers themselves. The project, called Standing in the Shadows of Motown , became an award-winning documentary, and went on to win three Grammy Awards. [6]
Encouraged by her mother to return to music, Benson toured the world with the Funk Brothers for about three years. Due to the advanced ages of the Funk Brothers, the touring schedule was very sporadic, leaving large amounts of free time.
Also during this time, writer John A. Jackson approached Benson for an interview in his upcoming book, A House on Fire, the Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul, which was released in 2005. Benson is credited with the opening quote and is quoted extensively throughout the book.
In 2001, Dr. Stephanie Branch offered her a position as a music teacher at the Charles E. Brimm Medical Arts High School in Camden. She said, "My children need to know more than do-re-mi. They need to know they are valuable. They need to know life skills such as the importance of voting and the absolute necessity of being able to read and they must, must reconnect with their dreams and goals. I can help them do all of that, through music as I teach it." [7]
Dr. Branch thought it was beneficial to have a music teacher who was also a performing musician, as long as her absences were not too long in duration or frequency. After two years, Dr. Branch left to further her career and Benson was forced out. [8] She attended classes at the Women's Opportunity Resource Center in Philadelphia to complete her business plan, and her "Awakenings, Inc." was born. [9]
Benson continues to perform and has released two new original projects, a single called "Welcome" and a full CD entitled You Should Be Here. In November 2014, she directed and produced a Christmas video on YouTube with a cast of Camden, New Jersey residents, entitled "Voices of Camden, Featuring Carla Benson". [10]
She continues to seek funding for her "Awakenings" after-school program aimed at inner-city, at-risk high school youth. [11]
Carla appears in the documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", written by Allan Slutsky. This film won three Grammy Awards. [12]
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, and U.S. record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential in its proliferation during the civil rights movement. Soul also became popular worldwide, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. It had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo soul, which incorporated modern production elements and hip hop influences.
Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and Trenton, in New Jersey: the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, then later changing their name to the Blue Belles. The founding members were Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash.
Nona Bernis Hendryx is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade". In 1977, Hendryx released her self-titled debut solo album, a commercial failure that resulted in Hendryx being released from her recording contract. In the early 1980s, Hendryx sang with experimental funk group Material, achieving the hit "Busting Out".
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and Billy Paul.
Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a 2002 American documentary film directed by Paul Justman that recounts the story of the Funk Brothers, the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that Berry Gordy hand-picked in 1959.
"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence Trent D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham, Human Nature, En Vogue, Michael Bublé and Giorgia Todrani and Jessica Mauboy. The most famous version is attributed to The Jackson 5. Shaheen Jafargholi, then twelve years old, performed the song at Michael Jackson's public memorial service in July 2009.
"Can I Get a Witness" is a song composed by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier as a non-album single for American recording vocalist Marvin Gaye, who issued the record on Motown's Tamla imprint in September 1963.
Sarah Dash was an American singer. She first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash was later a member of Labelle, and worked as a singer, session musician, and sidewoman for The Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards.
"I Can't Hear You No More" is a composition written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded as "I Can't Hear You" in 1964 by Betty Everett. The most successful version was the 1976 top 40 single by Helen Reddy.
Muse is the third studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on September 4, 1979, by Island Records.
"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell.
Táta Vega is an American vocalist, whose career spans theater, film, and a variety of musical genres.
Taana Gardner is an American disco and post-disco singer who found her success through West End Records since 1979. She is also a former member of the Aural Exciters.
"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" is a 1972 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals, two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were sometimes credited as "Mystro and Lyric." It was produced by Thom Bell, recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios and the house band MFSB provided the backing. Bobby Smith sings lead through most of the song, while Philippé Wynne handles vocal duties on the outro.
"Games People Play", also known as "'They Just Can't Stop It' The ", is a song recorded by American R&B vocal group The Spinners. Released in 1975 from their Pick of the Litter album, featuring lead vocals by Bobby Smith, it was a crossover success, spending a week at number one on the US Hot Soul Singles chart and peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios, the house band MFSB provided the backing. Female backing vocals on the song were performed by Carla L. Benson, Evette Benton, and Barbara Ingram, who together formed the legendary studio backing vocal group Sweethearts of Sigma. The female lead vocal on the track is by Evette Benton. This song was an RIAA-certified million seller for the Spinners.
The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The group's repertoire has incorporated elements of soul, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Lead singer Levi Stubbs, along with backing vocalists Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together in the group for over four decades, performing until 1997 without a change in personnel. Along with fellow Motown groups the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temptations, and the Supremes, the Four Tops helped to establish the "Motown sound"; pop-friendly soul and R&B with a clean, polished production quality. They were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer, whereas most other male and mixed vocal groups of the time were fronted by tenors.
Barbara Jane Ingram was an American R&B singer and songwriter who was active throughout the early 1970s until the mid-late 1980s, enjoying modest success as a backup singer for almost two decades.
Paul Riser is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the "Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of the other "Brothers", as his career has been overlooked and overshadowed by the stars of Motown that became household names. Some of the Funk Brothers he worked with include: Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Dennis Coffey, Wah Wah Watson, James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, Eddie Watkins, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones, Andrew Smith, Jack Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Benny Benjamin, Cornelius Grant, Joe Hunter, Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, Marcus Belgrave, Teddy Buckner and Stevie Wonder.
The Sweethearts of Sigma, sometimes known simply as The Sweethearts or The Sweeties, were an American female vocal trio comprising Carla Benson, Evette Benton and Barbara Ingram. Primarily backing vocalists, they sung backup on many recordings made in Philadelphia, especially in the 1970s.
New York Post article "Backing Up is Hard to Do" by Jan Hoffman, 1988
