Benny Harrison Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson
What fun to sit down and catch up with keyboardist, singer, songwriter, producer, Benny Harrison, who I’ve known for 5 decades. There was so much I didn’t know. Benny gave us the back story––growing up mixed race from hard-working parents who may or may not have been on the wrong side of the law, but who taught him strong work ethics and appreciated immediately and encouraged his musical gifts.
When his brother sold his piano, Benny turned lemons into lemonade, practicing at a local school which garnered him his first professional gig with Henry Gross, which led him to sing onstage with Michael McDonald. When I met up with him, he was sitting in with Mason Reese, and then Phoebe Snow sat in with Benny and The Spydrs. A kickass player and entertainer, Benny was in regular rotation at all the clubs I booked back in the day.
Benny tells a great story about a night at Spo-Dee-O-Dee’s and a couple of huge surprise special guests.
Benny has played with Vernon Reid; Corey Glover; Joe Walsh; Elvis Costello; Simon Kirke; and Charlie Drayton, among many others and for four years his Spydrs were the house band at The China Club’s famed Monday nights where Bruce Willis, Rick James, Steve Stevens, Linda Perry, Eddie Vedder, Billy Idol, and whoever was in town, would sit in with the band. We talked with mutual zeal of our love for the place, those nights, that time.
Benny has been active with Veterans who are either suffering from PTSD, alcohol, drug abuse, or homelessness, in a program called Voices of Valor. It's a 9-week process to write a song with the Vets who have served our country. He produces and creates the musical/harmonic part of the process, and then takes the Vets into a recording studio, where they can experience the process. He shared a most moving sweet story of a silent woman’s transformation.
Working on an upcoming Documentary, Back Up Front, it tells the story of players including him who started out in front, worked the backline and are once again stepping out front.
Benny’s upcoming album, Pages, drops April 14th. He had planned to perform a couple of the tunes with his producer, Mike Ciro, but that didn’t pan out. He treated us to a few little tastes with an unmiked guitar. A few tech challenges, but as with all things Benny went with it, eventually singing a capella. He’s a pro! To get the album, be at The Bitter End for the album release, and for all things Benny go to BennyHarrison.com. I got an advance listen- it’s fab!
I adore my dear friend. It was such a treat to get lost in time and tales with this talented, resilient, fun, and passionate, pal.
Benny Harrison Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson
Wednesday, 3/5/25, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET
Streamed Live on my Facebook
Replay here:
What fun to sit down and catch up with keyboardist, singer, songwriter, producer, Benny Harrison, who I’ve known for 5 decades. There was so
