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Vassal G. Benford
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Musician and music producer
Years active1978 to present
WebsiteOfficial website

Vassal Benford (born Vassal Gradington Benford III)[1] is an American record and film producer.

Record industry[edit]

Early career[edit]

One of Benford's early inspirations and supporters was the Grammy award winning gospel singer Thomas Whitfield.[2] Benfords first album credit was as a composer on The Rance Allen Group's 1978 album Straight from the Heart. Over the 1980's he also composed on albums by Ramsey Lewis and Rebbie Jackson, in addition to playing the piano for Lewis and serving as a producer for Jackson. As a keyboardist or synthesizer accompaniest, he worked on albums for Enchantment, The Dramatics, Tramaine Hawkins, Surface, Bert Robinson, and The Controllers, for which he also served as a producer, composer, percussionist, and arranger.[3]

The R&B surge and 1990s[edit]

In 1990 Benford received credit for working on six albums, by artists including The Jets, Klymaxx, Mac Band, Ralph Tresvant, and Michael Paulo. The following year he received credit for seven, with the highlight being New Edition's album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, for which he served as a producer. In 1992 he then was credited for six albums, including those by Club Nouveau and Chanté Moore.[3]

In 1993 Billboard Magazine named Benford as one of the R&B producers picked up by the major labels, specifically MCA, as a part of the early 90's surge of R&B music.[4] That year he worked on seven albums, including some very high profile individuals at the time--such as Joey Lawrence, Bobby Brown, and Toni Braxton one her debut album. Benford would serve as a producer and song-writer on seven total Braxton albums between 1993 and 2010. Among these collaborations he composed on two songs for Braxton in 1994, in addition to working on albums for Rhythm Saints and Atlantic Starr. Through the mid-90's he was credited on a dozen or so albums, and towards the end of the decade he began working with a new wave of popular artists like DJ Danny Tenaglia, CNote Debelah Morgan, and Sheena Easton.[3]

During the 1990s Benford became the founder of Vaz Entertainment. In 1997 he formed the record label Vaz Motor City Records, a co-venture with Mercury Records, with offices in both Los Angeles and Detroit. The first album signed by the label was Morgan, and its business model included developing opportunities to produce feature-film soundtracks.[5] In 1998 Benford co-produced and wrote or co-wrote ten songs on Morgan's second album It's Not Over, in a release in collaboration with Motown Records.[6] Later Benford became Vice President of Motown Records West Coast Division, and eventually afforded his personal imprint Vaz/Motown.[1]

Later career[edit]

In the 2000s Benford produced on albums for new artists like Baby Blue Soundcrew and Michael Maxwell, in addition to nearly two dozen best hits albums featuring Benford's prior work.[3] Benford has been nominated for eight Grammy awards.[1] According to the Los Angeles Sentinel, in addition, "veteran music mogul Vassal Benford... has created, produced and marketed over 150 albums including [57] Platinum Records - for such artists as "Jade," Deborah Cox, Tramaine Hawkins and Whitney Houston." Deborah Cox's single produced by Benford Nobody's Supposed to Be Here, became the longest running number one song on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1998. Other artists he has produced or co-written albums for include Jackie Ball,[1][7][8] Jersey Ave.,[9] the late R&B artist Vesta Williams,[10] Grammy award winners Atlantic Starr,[11] R&B singer Michelle Gayle,[12] Chante Moore and Stephanie Mills.[13] He has also worked with artists including Malaysian superstar jazz vocalist Francissca Peter,[14] Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah, Sheryl Crow, Patti Labelle, Faith Evans, Chante Moore, Aaron Hall, Oleta Adams, Lisa Stansfield,[1] and Erika Jayne.[15] According to MTV, "Vassal Benford's Executive experience began at Arista Records working closely with Music Mogul Clive Davis. Benford was appointed President/CEO, given his own imprint (Vaz/Arista), at Arista by Clive Davis (Arista's Chairman/CEO) where he signed his first joint-venture along with other label mates Sean P Diddy Combs and LA Ried and Babyface."[1] Benford is also the CEO and founder of Diamond Entertainment Group.[7] In addition to urban and other forms of music, Benford is a proponent of Christian music.[16]

Film and television industry[edit]

One of the first major films for which Benford composed the score was Arnold Schwarzenegger's film The Running Man.[1] Early in the 1990s, Benford produced and composed music for several high profile films. In 1991 Benford composed the music for the Queen Latifah movie House Party 2, Wesley Snipes's New Jack City,[1] and the following year he composed the music for the Kid 'n Play film Class Act.[17][18][19] He also produced the theme song to the 1996 Sylvester Stallone film Daylight, described in Billboard Magazine as a "dreamy, heartfelt tune".[20] That year he also worked on the soundtrack for the film The Associate. In 1997 he composed for the film The Sixth Man,[21] and he was also the composer for the films Immortals and 300 through a partnership with Sony Pictures.[1]

His first credit as a film producer was for the Nigerian feature film Black Gold in 2011.[21] Benford is set to executive produce and compose the original score for an upcoming biopic about his former recording partner Marvin Gaye entitled Sexual Healing. As of 2013 the film had sold their International distribution rights to Focus Features International.[22] He is also Chairman and CEO of Paradigm Motion Pictures, which he co-founded with his partner Mark Canton, and is CEO of Cybertek Studios and New Nation Films. His first television work as a composer was for Melrose Place in 1992, and he would later compose for the series Beverly Hills 90210. He would compose for the series Malcolm & Eddie in 1996. In 1997 he composed for the series Fame L.A. as well.[21][23] Benford next provided the music for the television program The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show between 1997 and 1998.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "About Vassal Benford". MTV. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  2. ^ Lisa Collins (July 11, 1992). "In the Spirit". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Vassal Benford profile". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Janine McAdams (May 8, 1993). "Not the Same Old Song". Billboard Magazine. p. 56. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Vaz Entertainment, Mercury Link to Form Label". Billboard Magazine. August 2, 1997. p. 27. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "It's Just Beginning For Morgan: Artist Releases Impressive Debut". Sacramento Observer. December 16, 1998. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Los Angeles Contemporary Gospel Recording Artist, Jackie Ball, Enjoys National Airplay Of Her Debut CD". Los Angeles Sentinel. October 25, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Writer-Only Deals Help Fuel MCA's Banner Year". Billboard Magazine. February 5, 1994. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Don Thomas (April 18, 2001). "Jersey Ave.: 4 Gents Who Are Rendering Soulful Lyrics". New York Beacon. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith (June 7, 1996). "HOW DOES BUSY DEVITO FIND TIME TO BREATHE?(L.A. LIFE)". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Atlantic Starr Ecstatic About Arista Set". Billboard Magazine. Apr 23, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "UK's 1st Avenue takes a more 'American' track". Billboard Magazine. June 21, 1997. p. 83. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Irv Lichtman. "Words & Music". Billboard Magazine. p. 12. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Kamal Hizreen (February 16, 2008). "Fran Frenzy". New Straight Times. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Spotlight on Erika Jayne". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved February 21, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ LUCAS L. JOHNSON II (November 18, 2009). "'Holy Hip-Hop' Tries To Break Into Mainstream". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Roger Ebert (October 23, 1991). "'House Party 2' fails to build on good foundation". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Torriano S. Berry and Venise T. Berry (2007). Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 66. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  19. ^ Phyllis Rauch Klotman (1997). Frame by Frame Two. Indiana University Press. p. 96 and 230. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  20. ^ JR Reynolds (April 17, 1996). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ a b c "Vassal Benford filmography". IMDB. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  22. ^ Kenneth Miller (May 2, 2013). "REEL Talk". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved February 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "About the CEO". Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  24. ^ Vincent Terrace (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland. p. 558. Retrieved February 20, 2014.

External links[edit]

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