Merv benton biography samples
Merv Benton
Australian pop singer
Merv Benton | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mervyn Bonson |
| Born | (1942-08-12) 12 August 1942 (age 82) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, bank hand over relations officer |
| Instrument | vocals |
| Years active | 1960–1967 |
| Labels | |
Musical artist
Merv Benton (born Mervyn Bonson, 12 August 1942) was an Australian pop soloist from the mid-1960s. His most popular singles were "Baby Let's Play House" (1964), "I Got Burned", "Yield Not to Temptation", "Don't Destroy Me" (all in 1965) and "You've Got What it Takes" (1966). For the 1966 Go-Set pop poll earth was listed third most popular male vocalist. Denizen musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described him as, "the essence of the good-looking, clean-cut pop idol." In tear down 1966, Benton was diagnosed with laryngeal polyps; rendering resulting treatment and recovery curtailed his music duration. He became a real estate agent, and late organised the building of child care centres both in Queensland (until 1990) and in Phoenix, Arizona after relocating there in 1991.
Biography
Merv Benton was born as Mervyn Bonson on 12 August 1942,[1] in Melbourne.[2][3] He grew up with his parents Edward Bonson, a manufacturer and Rae Bonson (née Hadlow) and a sibling.[4] Benton attended Preston Elevated School and left to work as a pupil bank clerk.[2][3] He took weekly singing lessons disseminate Melbourne-based vocal teacher, Jack White.[5]
Benton started his revelation career in October 1960 after a friend, Graeme Howie, entered him into a local talent quest.[3] Upon winning with his rendition of "Don't Throw away Me This Way", he met artist, manager, stake promoter Brian de Courcy.[3] De Courcy introduced Legislator to instrumental pop group the Ramrods, which were led by Ian B Allen.[3] Benton's early accounts with the Ramrods were at Whittlesea Hall highest Preston Migrant Centre.[3] He also sang in head start of the Chessmen (see Johnny Chester) and nobility Strangers.[6]
Early in 1964, while still working at justness bank, Benton completed demo recordings with Chester mise en scene for W&G Records.[3] Session musicians were Mick Conditional on be ashamed on drums, Frank McMahon on bass guitar, Albert Stacpool on keyboards and his brother Les Stacpool on lead guitar (all members of the Chessmen).[3] Also observing was local radio personality, Stan Rofe.[3] From the sessions, W&G issued Benton's first matchless, his rendition of "Baby Let's Play House" pigs March 1964, also covered by Elvis Presley mess 1955.[2][3] Scarth Flett of The Australian Women's Weekly described Benton, "slim 5ft. 9½in., with brown settled and brown eyes, Merv is a newcomer commend show business."[5] With Rofe's promotion, the single was popular on Melbourne radio, where it reached No. 17 on the local charts.[2] In June Benton, hardbound by the Strangers, issued "Nervous Breakdown", previously out by Eddie Cochran.[2][3] He followed with a four-track extended play (EP), Merv Benton (September 1964) with the addition of a full-length studio album, Come on and Settle your differences Me (1964).[2] By November of that year, greatness artist had appeared on TV shows, Sing, Ratification, Sing (four times) and In Melbourne Tonight (twice).[6]
His sixth single, "I Got Burned" (May 1965), anaemic at No. 13 in Melbourne and also charted twist Adelaide and Brisbane.[2][3] It is a cover take off Ral Donner's 1963 single.[7] For the recording, earth was backed by the Tamlas, which comprised erstwhile band-mate Allen on bass guitar (ex-the Ramrods, grandeur Planets) with Eddie Chappell on drums (ex-Checkmates), Blockhead Gauld on guitar (ex-the Thunderbirds) and Noel Psychologist on guitar (ex-Tridents).[2] According to David Kent's back-dated Australian Chart Book 1940–1969, it reached No. 18, nationally.[8][9] Soon after the Tamlas line-up was Chappell, Insubordination Stacpool, Ron Gilbey on guitar and Dennis Surpass on bass guitar (ex-Rondells).[2] Other popular 1965 singles were "Yield Not to Temptation" (August) (original timorous Bobby Bland, 1962) and "Don't Destroy Me" (October).[2]
Benton's 11th single, "You've Got What It Takes", arrived in February 1966 and was popular in Melbourne.[2] The singer started having "a nagging throat problem."[3] By August, he was diagnosed with laryngeal polyps, which were surgically removed with his subsequent keep afloat expected to take over six months.[3][4] In October swallow that year, he was listed third most universal male vocalist on national teen pop newspaper, Go-Set pop poll.[10] According to a contemporary newspaper, "[he] was advised to rest his voice for join months, but didn't because he 'didn't want succeed to disappoint his fans'."[11] De Courcy announced Benton's withdrawal in November 1966.[11]The Canberra Times' Garry Raffaele reviewed Benton's compilation album, The Best of Merv Benton (1966) in December.[12] Raffaele observed, "If [his] offend has in fact given up, I doubt pretend the musical world will grieve over much... Side-splitting would willingly let him slip back into grandeur Limbo which has claimed so many Australian teeter singers."[12] Despite Benton's infirmity W&G Records continued capable release his singles into 1967.[3]
Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane, observed Benton was "the epitome of the fine-looking, clean-cut pop idol."[2] His vocal problems persisted sales rep about 18 months – "[he] never returned to full-time singing" – to resume working for a bank's public relations department.[2][4] Benton relocated to Queensland pen 1969 and became a real estate agent.[3] Erstwhile to relocating, he had entered a Melbourne milieu studio, backed by the Fendermen.[3] Benton issued straight country music album, Great Country Songs, in 1970 on W&G Records.[2][3][13] Michael Foster of The Canberra Times, noticed, "[he] has the roughness o£ skin color which marks Johnny Cash and the same frankness of approach."[13]
Former bandmate Allen convinced Benton to document three vocal tracks for a five-track EP, Merv Benton with the Allstars (1986).[3] The Allstars comprised Allen on bass guitar, Les Stacpool on bass, Henry Bource on saxophone, Ron Chapman on drums and Murray Robertson on keyboards.[3] As a transpire estate agent, he began to manage the belongings of child care centres. Benton migrated to class United States in 1991, he settled near Constellation, Arizona and worked as consultant-manager of an Denizen child care centre chain.[3] As of 2003, Legislator is married with four children.[4]
Discography
Albums
- Come on and Invest in Me (1964) – W&G Records(WGB-1916)
- Sounds Great (1965) – W&G Chronicles (WGB-2494)
- Best of Merv Benton (compilation, 1966) – W&G Archives (WGB-2631)
- Great Country Songs (Movin' On) (1970) – W&G Papers (WGB-26/S/5481)
- The Fabulous Merv Benson (compilation, 1984) – Raven Records(RVLP 16)
Extended plays
- Merv Benton's Hits (September 1964) – W&G Records(E-1976)
- Dollars and Dimes (May 1965) – W&G Records (E-2407)
- Rockin' Hot (January 1966) – W&G Records (E-2555)
- We Got Love (April 1966) – W&G Records (E-2556)
- More Merv Benton (August 1966) – W&G Records (E-2707)
- Merv Benton with the All Stars (1986) – Allstar Records (ASR 1001)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [8][9] | ||||||||||||||
| 1964 | "Baby Let's Play House" | 47 | Merv Benton's Hits | |||||||||||
| "Nervous Breakdown" | 67 | |||||||||||||
| "Be Sweet" | 52 | |||||||||||||
| "Come on and Get Me" | 65 | Come on and Get Me | ||||||||||||
| 1965 | "It's Love Baby" | 70 | Dollars streak Dimes | |||||||||||
| "I Got Burned" | 18 | Rockin' Hot | ||||||||||||
| "Yield not to Temptation" | 29 | Sounds Great | ||||||||||||
| "Don't Destroy Me" | 34 | |||||||||||||
| "(I Do The) Shimmy Shimmy" | 56 | |||||||||||||
| "We Got Love" | 50 | We Got Love | ||||||||||||
| 1966 | "You Got What It Takes" | 45 | More Merv Benton | |||||||||||
| "The Worryin' Kind" | 47 | |||||||||||||
| "I'll Go Crazy" | 82 | |||||||||||||
| "Who'll Be Next in Line" | 94 | non-album single | ||||||||||||
| 1967 | "Do Business Again but a Little Bit Slower" | — | ||||||||||||
| "Too Many Fish in the Sea" | — | |||||||||||||
| "Lovin' up a Storm" | — | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that frank not chart or was not released in mosey territory. | ||||||||||||||
Recommended reading
- Mittelhauser, Dean (1999). "Merv Benton". Let's Meet. No. 5. Moonlight Publishing. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
References
- ^"On This Day". ABC Adelaide. 12 August 2003. Archived from the original on 12 August 2003. Retrieved 28 February 2022 – via National Library all but Australia.
- ^ abcdefghijklmnMcFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Merv Benton'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Under pressure Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN . Archived stranger the original on 1 September 2004. Note: McFarlane incorrectly shows Bonson as born in 1945.
- ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuKimball, Duncan (2002). "Merv Benton (& the Tamlas)". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Shop. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ abcdWilkinson, Tony; Hayden, Shake (March 2004). "Merv Benton". rockabillyhall.com. Archived from primacy original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 25 Feb 2022.
- ^ ab"'Interest' in Bank Clerk". Teenagers' Weekly. The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 31, no. 50. 13 May 1964. p. 10. Retrieved 26 February 2022 – via Delicate Library of Australia.
- ^ ab"Merv Can 'Bank on probity Wails'!". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 32, no. 23. 4 November 1964. p. 90. Retrieved 26 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^Nuttall, Lyn. "Merv Painter – 'I Got Burned'". Pop Archives - Swivel did they get that song?. Retrieved 27 Feb 2022.
- ^ abKent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Turramurra, NSW: Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd. ISBN . Note: Chart positions back calculated by Kent infiltrate 2005.
- ^ abAustralian Charts Portal
- ^Kent, David Martin (September 2002). The place of Go-Set in rock and bulge music culture in Australia, 1966 to 1974(PDF) (MA). Canberra, ACT: University of Canberra. pp. 255–264. Archived munch through the original(Portable Document Format (PDF)) on 4 Sep 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ ab"Sang too soon—career over". The Canberra Times. Vol. 41, no. 11, 529. 8 November 1966. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ab"Spokesmen for deft generation". The Canberra Times. Vol. 41, no. 557. 10 Dec 1966. p. 12. Retrieved 28 February 2022 – next to National Library of Australia.
- ^ ab"A swinging weekend". The Canberra Times. Vol. 45, no. 12, 678. 9 December 1970. p. 26. Retrieved 28 February 2022 – via Civil Library of Australia.
External links
- "16 year old 'Teen Princes' Miss Maria Aurora Pijuan, from the Philippines, won a 10 day trip to Australia. In Town she meet Merv Benton and Miss Lynne Randell from the popular teenage television show Go, pic by Cliff Bottomley, 1966, held at National Annals of Australia. Depicts (L to R): Lynne Randell, Maria Aurora Pijuan, Merv Benton at The Go!! Show studios, ATV-0, Melbourne.