Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
| Ben Harper | |
|---|---|
Ben Harper at the Eurockéennes in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Chase Harper |
| Born |
October 28, 1969 Pomona, California United States |
| Genres | Folk rock, blues rock, alternative rock, soul, funk rock, gospel, reggae, jam rock, neofolk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, humanitarian |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, lap steel guitar, slide guitar, keyboard instruments, piano, bass, drums, percussion, vibes |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Virgin, EMI Records |
| Associated acts |
Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama Relentless7 Vanessa da Mata Fistful of Mercy Natalie Maines Charlie Musselwhite Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals |
| Website | Official web site |
| Notable instruments | |
| Weissenborn lap steel guitar | |
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances, and activism. He has released twelve regular studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records and has toured internationally.
Harper is a three-time Grammy Award winner, with awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2005 and Best Blues Album in 2014.
Harper was born in Pomona, California. His late father, Leonard, was of African-American and Cherokee ancestry, and his mother, Ellen Chase-Verdries, is Jewish. His maternal great-grandmother was a Russian-Lithuanian Jew. 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 began playing guitar as a child. His maternal grandparents' music store The Folk Music Center and Museum 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.
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.
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