HarborView Equity Partners says it has secured major royalties from 10-time Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter George Benson.
Benson released 36 studio albums and 8 live albums during his career.
Fox Rothschild served as legal counsel to HarborView in this transaction. George Benson is represented by Manat, Phelps & Phillips. Terms of the deal were not disclosed
Founded in 2021 and backed by Apollo Global Management, HarborView Equity Partners has acquired more than 50 catalogs to date.
Some of the company’s other deals include Christine McVie’s share of Fleetwood Mac’s recorded music royalties from the late artist’s estate, and a share of Fleetwood Mac’s recorded music royalties from Grammy Award-winning artist Pat Shared in “The Greatest Hits” of recorded music and publishing assets by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
In March, HarbourView, led by former Tempo Music CEO Sherry Clark Suarezapproximately fixed US$500 million Debt financing through private securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties.
HarbourView’s other recent acquisitions include “select songwriting and publishing assets” from hip-hop and R&B music groups and production teams fullstrengthand select publishing assets from Country Star Kane Brown.
“We remain committed to serving as a model for legendary cultural movers like George Benson,” said Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO of HarborView Equity Partners.
“His unique talent for sonic artistry and his acoustics forever stirred the emotions of a musical era that meant so much to so many of us.”
Sherryce Clark Suarez, HarborView
Sherrese Clarke Soares added: “The artistry of his voice was unique and its acoustics forever stirred the emotions of a musical era that meant so much to so many of us. We are honored to be a partner. , and welcome him to the Harborview family.
Benson’s three-time Grammy Award-winning 1976 album, breeze”, a selection of pop jazz hits This masqueradeThe album topped the jazz, pop and R&B charts at the time and, according to Harborview, remains one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time. It has since been certified 3x Platinum.
Benson’s 1980 smash, Give me the night, Produced by Quincy Jones and written by Rod Templeton (Michael Jackson), the song soared to the top of the soul singles chart.
In 2009, Benson was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Scholarship. Additionally, Benson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as honorary doctorates from Morris Brown College, Berklee College of Music, and Duquesne University.
In 2018, Benson collaborated with Gorillaz, co-writing and performing on the song, which featured Blur’s Damon Albarn and visual artist Jamie Hewlett humblehas accumulated more than 100 million YouTube views.
In 2021, DJ Steve Aoki remixes Benson’s hit song Give me the night.
Benson recently co-wrote and sang the title track and appeared in a video by funk pioneer Bootsy Collins. One person’s strength.
In 2020, he was inducted into DownBeat Magazine’s “Hall of Fame.” The following year, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame by music legend Quincy Jones, for which he received a personal congratulatory letter from President Obama.
HarbourView noted that Benson remains the “must-see artist of the year” at venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, Hampton Court Palace and the Sydney Opera House. Benson has also performed at various American jazz and international music festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival.global music business
