Benson’s striking level of stardom began some forty years ago when he started out as a guitarist working the corner pubs of his native Pittsburgh which is where his yen to please a crowd was born. "I was an entertainer first," he says proudly, "As a kid I sang, danced and played ukulele in a nightclub. As my career has progressed, I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the baddest jazz cats on the planet. But that doesn’t change my desire to entertain folks. That’s really who I am."
Highlights in his career over the years include sitting in on Miles Davis sessions, putting a personal spin on the tunes from the Beatles’ Abbey Road, the creation of the 70’s blockbuster album "Breezin’ (which was the first jazz record to attain platinum sales), winning eight Grammies and playing around the world.
