Buster Benton – The Very Best Of Buster Benton – Fuel 2000 Records 302 061 941 2

This 2012 expanded edition collection is a joyous overview of the bluesman whose early hits for the Ronn Records label included the enduring “Spider In My Stew” (a Willie Dixon written tune) and “Money Is The Name Of The Game,” both of which established Benton as an artist with immense talents. 

Without a doubt, soul is also at the core of Benton’s broad musical knowhows, yet his work is undoubtedly best categorized as soul-blues, albeit with an air of merrymaking, as well.

In the late 1950s and into the 1960s, Benton was the leader of his own Chicago blues band, with his work seeing releases on small labels including Alteen, Sonic, Melloway, and Twinight.  Though, like many blues artists, when they see few opportunities for their gifts, they step away from the music. And Benton too did such in the 1960s, taking time away from the music to work a day job.

Yet, as the blues’ popularity was edging lower in the 1970s, Benton emerged with recordings, many on Ronn Records, songs that critics felt provided a refreshing change to the usual blues offerings of the near recent past.  Benton’s music was bright, exciting, and one that was made to party and dance to, a delightful cross-mixing of irresistible exhilaration.

The two singles mentioned earlier provided Benton a bit of notoriety, and the 14-cut The Very Best Of Buster Benton shows just what all the fuss was about.  These are the “best of the best” of Benton’s high-level guitar and vocal attributes.

Perhaps best remembered as playing guitar in Willie Dixon’s Blues All-Stars aggregation, in later years Benton was based in Chicago, and despite some tough health setbacks, he was a constant figure on the big city’s blues scene.  Plus, he saw a late period release on Ichiban Records in 1988.

Below are the tracks on this completely nourishing collection.

Song Titles

• Spider In My Stew
• Dangerous Woman
• Money Is The Name Of The Game
• Good To The Last Drop
• Sweet 94
• Born With The Blues
• Love Like I Wanna
• Leave Me Alone
• Sorry
• Funny About The Money
• Lonesome For A Dime
• Do It In The Rain
• Disco Blues
• Lean On Me

Highly recommended!