Brook Benton was born “BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PEAY” on 19 September 1931 in Camden, South Carolina

Ben started singing at a very young age in his Church Choir at the “Efuces Methodist Church” in Lugoff, SC. After he graduated “Jackson High School” he joined a local gospel quartet called the “Camden Jubilee Singers” for a short period of time. In 1948 he moved to New York City and joined “Bill Langford’s Langfordaires” singing at night and on the weekends while during the day he worked as a truck driver. He next joined a group called “Bill Pinkley’s Jerusalem Stars” before deciding to form his own rhythm and blues band called “The Sandmen”. He subsequently decides to change his performing name to “Brook Benton” and signs a recording contract with “Epic” records that would be very short lived. He then sings a one record deal only with “RCA” records for their subsidiary “Vik” records. He next meets music publisher and A&R Chief Executive for “Mercury” records “Clyde Otis” who was the very first black in this high of a position in the music industry. He joins Clyde as a studio demo singer, a songwriter and a music arranger.