Early on, George Benson honed his skills as an entertainer in the pubs and clubs of Pittsburgh, where he grew up.
Playing the ukulele as a child was part of the learning experience that would eventually serve him well in the world of show business.
The winner of 10 Grammy Awards plays an 8 p.m. Saturday show at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.
An acclaimed jazz artist who sat in on Miles Davis sessions, Benson built an iconic career from uncertain beginnings.
“I always loved the guitar, but I never imagined me as a guitar player,” Benson said in a recent phone interview. “It only happened when a guy did a article on me, and he wasn’t saying nice things about my guitar playing. I was still young — about 19 or 20 — but he called me a guitarist, and nobody called me a guitarist before. They called me a guitar player.”
The term “guitarist” unleashed waves of determination in him.
“It made me practice,” the Arizona resident recalled. “I started practicing, trying to live up to that title — guitarist. Man, that had an effect on my psyche.”
His work ethic would eventually sprout hit pop-chart singles, the first of which was the sultry Top 10 hit “This Masquerade” (1976).
An even bigger hit came two years later when Benson released his up-tempo take on the Drifters’ 1963 rhythm-and-blues gem, “On Broadway.”
“It was always one of my favorite songs,” said Benson, noting he was initially resistant to his producer’s idea of covering the tune.
“I said, ‘No, man, I don’t want to destroy that classic;’ I said ‘I can’t think of anything I can do to improve on it,'” Benson recalled.
However, a staccato, two-bar opening was enlisted for a live recording of the song that became the Grammy-winning single.
“That changed the whole nature of the song — it made it danceable,” the singer-songwriter said.
The ’70s were good to Benson, with 1976’s “Breezin'” reaching the million mark in sales — a first for a jazz album, according to Benson’s website.
The early ’80s retained the momentum, as the sassy “Give Me the Night” and the buoyant “Turn Your Love Around” became R&B-rooted tunes that cracked Billboard’s Top 10 pop-singles chart.
Chicago native Henry Johnson, a guitar aficionado who lived in Gary from 1969 to 1979, lauds Benson’s talents and contributions to his personal development as a musician.
“I met George Benson in Chicago in 1975,” recalled the Grammy-nominated Johnson. “Besides being one of the greatest all-time singers in any genre, he is, and remains, one of the most influential jazz guitarists since Wes Montgomery. His accomplishments on the guitar are now a major part of jazz-guitar history. Besides all this, his friendly and outgoing spirit is always there supporting others. And I get to call him my teacher, mentor and longtime friend.”
Johnson performed with Nancy Wilson and Dizzy Gillespie, while taking to the road with vaunted jazz organist Jack McDuff, with whom Benson served an apprenticeship.
While in his late teens, Benson began playing for McDuff in the early ’60s.
McDuff was a demanding bandleader.
“He stayed on my back every day,” Benson remembered. “But if he hadn’t, would I be where I am today? I don’t know.”
When he landed on the Creed Taylor Incorporated label in 1970, Benson was able to hook up with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard — two jazz greats who were recording brothers there.
By the early ’80s, Benson was regularly snatching Grammys, one of which was bestowed for “Being With You” for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Meanwhile, the sweeping beauty of “Lady Love Me (One More Time)” gave Benson another pop-chart success in 1983.
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Benson’s life story is getting the big-screen treatment.
“There’s a screenplay being written up right now,” he noted, speculating the feature film could be released in late 2017 or 2018. “It’ll be a major film.”
The movie will look back at a life that was influenced by standout jazz guitarists who include Indianapolis native Wes Montgomery and St. Louis-born Grant Green.
Benson holds Green in especially high regard: “I liked him because he was raw. It was never boring. He would take a song and just start from scratch, and build and build. He taught me how to play melody.”
Benson still brings all he has learned to the road, although the number of concerts has waned.
“This year, maybe we’re down to about 50 concerts,” he said. “I play for people, live — and I try to make them glad they came out; you know, make this night special, different than yesterday.”
Benson is able to look back on a sparkling career filled with different turns, some unplanned.
“I’ve learned not to force things because it’s usually the byproduct that really sticks out,” he said. “I’m amazed at what has happened and how it has happened. But it teaches me a great lesson: You have to believe in yourself first.”
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance writer.
George Benson
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 3
Where: The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond
Tickets: $40, $57.50, $75; 21 and up
Information: 219-473-7000; www.horseshoehammond.com