Arley “Buster” Benton was born on 19 July 1932 in Texarkana, Arkansas, and became an American blues guitarist and singer rooted in Chicago blues and soul‑blues. Influenced by Sam Cooke and B.B. King, he moved to Toledo, Ohio, in the mid‑1950s before forming his own band in Chicago by 1959. Benton recorded singles for local labels in the 1960s, but limited opportunities led him to work as an automobile mechanic for several years. His breakthrough came in 1971 when he joined Willie Dixon’s Blues All‑Stars, contributing to The All Star Blues World of Maestro Willie Dixon and His Chicago Blues Band in 1973; his solo version of "Spider in My Stew" appeared on Jewel Records and earned him modest recognition. He released Spider in My Stew (Ronn, 1978), Buster Benton Is the Feeling (Ronn, 1980), First Time in Europe (Blue Phoenix, 1983), Money’s the Name of the Game (Ichiban, 1989), and I Like to Hear My Guitar Sing (Ichiban, 1991), with a later compilation Blues and Trouble (Black & Blue, 2002). Despite battling diabetes and losing parts of both legs in the 1990s, Benton continued performing until his death on 20 January 1996 in Chicago, aged 63, leaving a lasting contribution to the Chicago blues canon.
