George Benson grew up in Pittsburgh singing and playing his ukulele on the street corner and snatching every opportunity to hear the recordings of Nat “King” Cole. More than 50 years later, he pays tribute to his idol in a National Symphony Orchestra Pops concert, “An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat ‘King’ Cole.” From the ukulele, Benson moved to guitar, inspired by the jazz recordings of Wes Montgomery and Charlie Parker. Now recognized as one of the world’s greatest guitarists, he is an NEA Jazz Master with more than 30 recordings that have earned ten Grammy Awards. His latest, “Guitar Man,” will share the Kennedy Center stage with his favorites from Nat Cole’s catalog.

“From the very beginning, I picked up two-thirds of what I know from listening to him on street corners,” Benson said. “He influenced my singing style. When I first consider performing a song, you can’t beat a good melody. After that, the lyrics weigh in. Each time I go into a recording session, my goal is to do something different from the last project.”