Ben Harper, a native Californian boy was lucky to be raised in a house of musicians. At an early age Ben found his passion for acoustic slide guitar while exploring round his Grandfather’s guitar shop. This sound later would become his trademark style. As a young man he grew up listening to an eclectic range of music which included blues, folk , soul, R&B and Reggae, which heavily influences his style of music today.
After some serious gigging in Los Angeles Ben developed his sound of funky soul and folky singer/songwriter songs. In 1992 Ben got his break and signed with the Virgin label which would later produce his debut album Welcome to the Cruel World in 1994.
With his honest lyrical content, strong beliefs and ability to cover many styles Ben Harper managed to build a huge cult following round the World. He released a politically heavy album in 1995 called Fight For Your Mind , then later went on to release Will to Live which unleashed his new found backing band The Innocent Criminals. With a band that complemented Ben’s diversity in sound they would go on to produce their most successful album Burn to Shine.
Ben Harper at Bonnaroo
After touring the World numerous times over Ben went back into the studio to record some of his most creative work in Diamonds On the Inside and later teamed up to release an album with the Boys Of Alabama. In March 2006 he released a double album called Both Sides of the Gun which featured 7th in the US charts, showing that his loyal fan base had grown with his intensive touring.
While Ben Harper may never make it into the Rock ‘n’ Roll hall of fame he has been fortunate enough to open for some great acts, including, REM, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band. He has also released acoustic versions of songs form Marvin Gaye, The Verve and the great Led Zepplin.
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