In 1950, however, he returned to South Carolina, where he sang with the Sandmen, a local R&B group. He sang with several gospel ensembles there, including the Golden Gate Quartet and the Jerusalem Stars and worked various odd jobs.
In 1948, Benton left the south at the age of 17 for Harlem, New York, to search for opportunities as a musician. Composer, lyricist, baritone Brook Benton, who sang R&B and ballads, was born on September 19, 1931, in Camden, South Carolina, as Benjamin Franklin Peay to Willie Peay, a United Methodist Minister, pianist, and choirmaster in Lugoff, South Carolina, and Mattie Hill Peay, a gospel singer who taught music to her son.