Ben Harper Grabs Acoustic Guitar for Fall Tour : March 20, 2012

Ben Harper is not exactly known for playing loud metal riffs on distorted electric guitars in concert, but he’s also never gone on an all-acoustic tour. But the latter [...]

Ben Harper Announces 2011 Tour Dates : May 18, 2011

It's been almost twenty years since the solo debut of Ben Harper with his first two albums “Welcome to the Cruel World” in 1994 and “Fight For Your Mind” in 1995. [...]

ben harper Biography

The American musician and singer-songwriter Ben Harper was born in Claremont, California on October 28, 1969. Harper performs an eclectic mixture of folk, blues, soul, rock and reggae music. He is noted for his live performances, vocals, guitar playing skills and activism. Harper has achieved commercial success for his albums in Europe, North American and Oceania. He won two Grammy Awards in 2005 for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Harper recorded “Pleasure and Pain” in 1992 with Tom Freund, the folk multi-instrumentalist. He then signed with Virgin Records and in 1994 released “Welcome to the Cruel World.” His followup set “Fight For Your Mind” was released in 1995 and emerged as a favorite on college radio stations. “The Will to Live” was released in 1997 and was his first set to featured the Innocent Criminals, Harper's backup band. In the early stages of his career, Harper was more popular in Australia and Europe than he was in the U.S. He released “Diamonds on the Inside” in 2003, which was followed by a highly successful Australian tour. “Both Sides of the Gun,” a double album, was released by Harper in 2006 and debuted in the No. 7 spot on Billboard's album chart.

Harper formed a new band called Relentless7 while recording his 2005 set “Both Sides of the Gun.” Band members include Jordan Richardson (drums), Jesse Ingalls (bass) and Jason Mozersky (guitar). In May 2008 “White Lies for Dark Times” was released and was credited to Relentless7 and Ben Harper. In August 2010 Harper along with Joseph Arthur and Dhani Harrison formed Fistful of Mercy. The band released “I Call You Down,” their debut album, in October 2010. Harper released “Give Till It's Gone,” his latest album, in May 2011.