Oscar BENTON

⬇️ OSCAR BENTON ⬇️
(Ferdinand van Eif)
DISCOGRAPHY 1968-2011 (12CD/DVD)

 BIOGRAPHY 

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 Paslaru, sings it in Romanian under the title "Spuneam ca nu-mi pasa" (Bui bui bui). Another Romanian singer Aurelian Andreescu also recorded a Romanian language version of this song titled "Indragostitul". 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".

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". 

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". (wikpedia)