Richard Benson
Richard Benson, born March 10, 1955 in Woking, England and died in Rome on May 9, 2022, is an Italian singer and media figure of British origin.
Biography
Born in Woking, England on March 10, 1955 to a Belgian mother of Roman origin and an English father, Richard Benson moved to Italy in his youth. His career began in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1968, with the group The Light, he organized a series of concerts in the occupied schools of Rome.
In the early 1970s, Benson joined Buon vecchio Charlie, a progressive rock band: only one album, Buon vecchio Charlie, largely instrumental, was recorded in 1971 by the independent label Suono.
In 1972, he participated in the festival of Villa Pamphili, an urban area of Rome, located in the Gianicolense district.
Beginning in the late 1970s, Benson hosted several television programs as a music critic, where he featured many then unknown artists, mostly in the hard rock and heavy metal genres, but also jazz, funk, blues, fusion and Italian rock.
In 1982, he took part in the filming of the film L'inceneritore (The Incinerator) by director Pierfrancesco Boscaro, playing the role of a gang leader and working on the soundtrack.
In 1983 he released the single Animal Zoo (Mondial Laser) and in 1984 a rock single titled Renegade (Golden Sound).
He also continues to write songs, which are found in some collections, and to give concerts in small venues in the Lazio region. He arouses curiosity not so much for his musical production as for his quirky personality, and for his numerous tales of the heroic age of rock 'n' roll, the veracity of which is sometimes doubted (he says thus to be the friend of Mick Jagger and Marilyn Manson, and knowing the truth about the death of Brian Jones, none of these allegations being verifiable).
Richard Benson's concerts are regularly the scene of incidents with the public, who throw various projectiles at him (food, household objects, etc.)
Richard Benson released two rock albums: Madre Tortura in 1999 and L'inferno dei vivi in 2015.
Richard Benson died in a Rome hospital on May 9, 2022 at the age of 67.
Discography
With Buon Vecchio Charlie
1990 - Buon Vecchio Charlie -
Solo
1983 - Animal Zoo - (single)
1984 - Renegade - (45 rpm)
1999 - Madre Tortura - (studio)
2009 - Abbiamo tutti un blues da piangere - (studio)
2015 - Inferno dei vivi (studio)
Contributions
1985 - Metallo Italia - (studio)
1987 - Metal Attack - (studio)
Notes and References
External links
Music Resources: Discogs MusicBrainz
Audiovisual resource: Internet Movie Database
Metal portal Television portal Italy portal
