Ben Harper
Benjamin Charles Harper[1] (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.[2] Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music,[3] and he is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances, and activism.[4] He has released twelve studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records, and has toured internationally.[5][6]
For other people named Ben Harper, see Ben Harper (disambiguation).
Ben Harper
Benjamin Charles Harper
October 28, 1969
Pomona, California, U.S.
Musician
- Vocals
- guitar
- lap steel guitar
- slide guitar
- keyboard instruments
- piano
- bass
- drums
- percussion
- vibraphone
1992–present
Relentless7
Fistful of Mercy
The Innocent Criminals
Harper is a three-time Grammy Award winner and seven-time nominee, with awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2004 and Best Blues Album in 2013.[7]
At the 40th Blues Music Awards ceremony, Harper's joint composition with Charlie Musselwhite, "No Mercy in This Land", was named Song of the Year.[8]
Early life[edit]
Harper was born in Pomona, California.[2] His late father, Leonard Harper, was of African-American ancestry, and his mother, Ellen Harper Verdries (née Chase),[9][10] is Jewish. His maternal great-grandmother was a Russian-Lithuanian Jew.[11][12][13] His parents divorced when he was five years old, and he grew up with his mother's family. Harper has two brothers, Joel and Peter Harper.
Harper began playing guitar as a child.[14][15] His maternal grandparents' music store, the Folk Music Center and Museum (Claremont, CA), laid a foundation of folk and blues for the artist, complemented by regular patrons Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal, John Darnielle, and David Lindley and quotes of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost made often by his grandfather.[16]: 5
In 1978, at the age of 9, Harper attended Bob Marley's performance in Burbank, California, where Marley was joined by former bandmate Peter Tosh for the encore. It was, according to Harper, an important influence.[17]
Philanthropy[edit]
Harper supports Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit organization that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. In 2013, he donated items to their San Francisco Bay Area benefit concert.
On December 11, 2016, he played an acoustic benefit concert at Bimbos in San Francisco supporting New Light India's "Boys Home Project". Founded in 2000 by Urmi Basu, New Light India provides shelter, educational opportunities, recreational facilities, healthcare and legal aid for the girls and women in Kalighat, notorious for its red light district.
Harper and his wife, Jaclyn, have been long-time supporters[49] of International Medical Corps’ work around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they supported the organization's work in California, and Harper recorded a song[50] to benefit International Medical Corps’ global relief efforts.
Studio albums
