Oscar Benton Blues Band – The Blues Is Gonna Wreck My Life (1969)

Oscar Benton (born Ferdinand van Eis, 3 February 1949 in Haarlem ) is a Dutch vocalist. He is also the founder of the Oscar Benton Blues Band in 1967. The band rose to fame in 1968 by being a runner up in the Jazz Festival, Loosdrecht, the Netherlands.

In 1968, the Oscar Benton Blues Band released its first album, Feel so good. In 1969, they released the album The Blues Is Gonna Wreck My Life. In 1971, they released Benton ‘71.

He recorded two hit singles with the Dutch singer Monica Verschoor as “Monica and Oscar Benton” in the 1970s.

In 1974, the band changed members and also the name by becoming Blue Eyed Baby. Oscar himself changed his stage name to Billy Boy Bishop. The “Blue Eyed Baby” released the LP Blue Eyed Baby.

Oscar released with his 1981 homonymous album the Bensonhurst Blues, written by Artie Kaplan & Artie Kornfeld, and produced by the EMI Records. The Bensonhurst Blues, which is considered to be Oscar’s best hit, was part of the soundtrack of the 1999 movie La Bûche.

Earlier it was on the soundtrack of the film Pour la Peau d’un Flic (1979) which features Alain Delon. The earliest version of that song is that of Artie Kaplan in his 1973 album Confessions Of A Male Chauvinist Pig produced by the Hopi Records. The Italian singer Adriano Celentano, in his 2004 album C’é Sempre un Motivo, included an Italian version, named Vengo del Jazz. A famous Romanian singer, Margareta Pâslaru, sings it in Romanian under the title Spuneam că nu-mi pasă (Bui bui bui). Another Romanian singer Aurelian Andreescu also recorded a Romanian language version of this song titled Îndrăgostitul. The song became the musical theme of the TV show Crazy Horse in the early 2000s.

In 2011, he released his CD album, “Oscar Benton is Still Alive”.

Starting in 2016, guitarist Johnny Laporte and Oscar Benton recorded a new album titled “I Am Back”. It was released on CD, Vinyl and as a digital album in 2018.

Oscar Benton suffers from serious brain damage caused by an injury accident in 2008. (wikipedia)

And here´s is his second album with his Blues Band from the late Sixties …

What a great album, played in the style of the British Blues Boom … this is this fuckin´ good ol´blues … and you know what I´m talking about …

Enjoy !

Personnel:
Oscar Benton (Ferdinand van Eif) (guitar, vocals)
Barrelhouse Bailey (Hans van Dam) (piano)
H.J.B. Hawkins (Peter van Kouteren) (bass)
Lonesome Tanny Lant (Herman Souverein) (drums)

Tracklist:
01. I Ain’t Got The Feeling (Benton) 2.46
02. Five Long Years (Boyd) 5.02
03. How The Blues Got Me (Benton) 6.51
04. Five Hundred Miles (Benton) 2.50
05. Have You Seen My Wife (Benton/Post) 6.41
06. I’m A Blue Blues Singer (Benton/Post) 5.35
07. The Blues Is Gonna Wreck My Life (Benton) 2.48
08. Dedicated To Lofton (Part II) (Bailey) 4.50
09. My Sweet Angel (Benton) 5.48

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Oscar Benton 1949 – 2008

Oscar Benton Blues Band – Feel So Good (1968)

Oscar Benton (born Ferdinand van Eif, 3 February 1949, The Hague) is a Dutch vocalist. He is also the founder of the Oscar Benton Blues Band in 1967. The band rose to fame in 1968 by being a runner up in the Jazz Festival, Loosdrecht, the Netherlands.

Oscar released with his 1981 homonymous album the Bensonhurst Blues, written by Artie Kaplan & Artie Kornfeld, and produced by the EMI Records. The Bensonhurst Blues, which is considered to be Oscar’s best hit, was part of the soundtrack of the 1999 movie La Bûche.

Earlier it was on the soundtrack of the film Pour la Peau d’un Flic (1979) which features Alain Delon. The earliest version of that song is that of Artie Kaplan in his 1973 album Confessions Of A Male Chauvinist Pig produced by the Hopi Records. The Italian singer Adriano Celentano, in his 2004 album C’é Sempre un Motivo, included an Italian version, named Vengo del Jazz. A famous Romanian singer, Margareta Pâslaru, sings it in Romanian under the title Spuneam că nu-mi pasă (Bui bui bui). Another Romanian singer Aurelian Andreescu also recorded a Romanian language version of this song titled Îndrăgostitul. The song became the musical theme of the TV show Crazy Horse in the early 2000s.

Oscar began his solo career in 1981 with the album Bensonhurst Blues which brought him to prominence in the world of blues. In 2011, he released his CD album, “Oscar Benton is Still Alive”. (by wikipedia)

But back to the Oscar Benton Blues Band
In 1968, the Oscar Benton Blues Band released its first album, Feel so good. And here is this rare album – a great mix between the sound of the british blues boom (you know the early Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown ?) and some funny blues things with a lot of hoky tonk piano …

Personnel:
Barrelhouse Bailey (piano)
Oscar Benton (guitar, vocals)
H.J.B. Hawkins (bass)
Lonesome Tanny Lant (drums)

Tracklist:
01. I Feel So Good (Broonzy) 2.49
02. Back Door Man (Benton) 3.45
03. Heartaching Blues (Post/Benton) 2.55
04. Dedicated To Lofton (Bailey) 2.29
05. Real, Real Gone (Benton) 5.07
06. Gotta Move (Korner) 2.00
07. I May Be Wrong (But I Won’t Be Wrong Always) (Lec) 3.50
08. Lonesome Walker (Unger) 2.34
09. Rollin Man (Adams/Green) 2.01
10. All By Myself (Broonzy) 2.45
11. That’s Why I Keep On Asking (Post/Benton) 2.53
12. Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu (Moore) 2.43

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