Ben Sidran
| Ben Sidran | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ben Hirsh Sidran |
| Born |
August 14, 1943 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer, label owner |
| Instruments | Piano, organ, vocals |
| Years active | 1944–present |
| Labels | Blue Thumb, Arista, Windham Hill, Go Jazz, Nardis |
| Associated acts | Steve Miller Band |
| Website | bensidran |
Ben Hirsh Sidran (born August 14, 1943) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist, producer, label owner, and music writer. Early in his career he was a member of the Steve Miller Band.
Sidran was raised in Racine, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1961, where he became a member of The Ardells with Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs. When Miller and Scaggs left Wisconsin for the West Coast, Sidran stayed behind to earn a degree in English literature. After graduating in 1966, he enrolled in the University of Sussex, England, to pursue a PhD. While in England, he was a session musician for Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, and Charlie Watts.
In San Francisco, Steve Miller invited Sidran to join his band after keyboardist Jim Peterman left. Sidran joined as keyboardist and songwriter, appearing on the albums Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, and Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden. He produced Recall the Beginning and co-wrote the hit song "Space Cowboy". In 1988, he produced Miller's jazz album Born 2B Blue. He has also produced albums for Mose Allison and Diana Ross.
Sidran returned to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1971 and has spent most of his life there. He taught courses at the university (on the business of music) and beginning in 1981 hosted jazz radio programs for NPR (including the Peabody Award-winning Jazz Alive series) and TV programs for VH1 (where his New Visions series in the early 1990s won the Ace Award.)
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