Ben Shepherd

Ben Shepherd
Shepherd performing with Soundgarden in September 2013
Background information
Birth name	Hunter Benedict Shepherd
Also known as	HBS
Born	(1968-09-20) September 20, 1968 (age 48) Okinawa, Japan
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Alternative metal, grunge, alternative rock, heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar, guitar, vocals, drums, mandolin
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Sub Pop, A&M, Burn Burn Burn, Dine Alone Records (Canada)
Associated acts	Soundgarden, Hater, Wellwater Conspiracy, The Desert Sessions, Mark Lanegan

Hunter Benedict "Ben" Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician best known for playing bass in the rock band Soundgarden since 1990.

Shepherd was born on an American military base in Okinawa, Japan. His father worked in the Nike missile program and played the guitar. His family moved to Texas, then settled in Kingston, Washington, where Shepherd grew up. Shepherd became interested in music after listening to Johnny Cash on television, sitting as close to the speakers as possible. When Shepherd asked his father for a guitar, his father complied only after insisting he must learn every chord in a large book with nothing but a guitar neck. Shepherd did such with help from his cousin Ralph "Tony" McMullen and his father bought him his first guitar.

Shepherd played in numerous punk-rock bands with friends as a teenager like March of Crimes, Mind Circus and 600 School, meeting future musicians such as Stone Gossard, Krist Novoselic and Matt Cameron. After graduating from high school, he worked as a carpenter and a laborer, and while playing in Tic Dolly Row with drummer friend Chad Channing, introduced him to Novoselic, who went on to bring Channing into his band Nirvana. Shepherd would later travel with Nirvana on a tour leading up to the release of Nevermind, being a nominal second guitarist but not playing on stage.

Shepherd was a fan of Soundgarden ever since their early days as a three-piece. Once bassist Hiro Yamamoto left in 1989, Shepherd auditioned to replace him even as his primary instrument was the guitar. The band members liked Shepherd and his attitude, but given he did not know how to play the songs, they eventually picked bassist Jason Everman. Following the closure of the Louder Than Love tour in 1990, Everman was fired, and the band contacted Shepherd to see if he could join the band. His introduction was deemed by Soundgarden as helpful towards their musical evolution, bringing his own compositions that showed a new style, and guitarist Kim Thayil adding that Shepherd gave "a creative and emotional punch". In addition to his role as bass player, Shepherd's role as a singer and songwriter increased during his tenure with Soundgarden. On his first recording with the band, the studio album Badmotorfinger, Shepherd took part in writing the following songs: "Slaves & Bulldozers" (music, co-written), "Jesus Christ Pose" (music, co-written), "Face Pollution" (music), and "Somewhere" (music and lyrics). Shepherd also introduced some of the now signature alternate tunings to the band, such as in the singles "The Day I Tried To Live", "My Wave", "Pretty Noose", and "Burden in My Hand".