Ben Folds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Folds
Folds in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Scott Folds
Born	(1966-09-12) September 12, 1966 (age 58) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock power pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards drums bass guitar guitar
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Attacked by Plastic Epic New West
Signature

Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is best known as the lead singer and pianist for the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. This band was active from 1993 to 2000 and reunited from 2011 to 2013.

Ben Folds has also released many solo albums, including Sleigher in 2024. He has worked with other famous musicians like Regina Spektor and "Weird Al" Yankovic. From 2019 until 2025, he was an artistic advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Folds often performs his music with unusual instruments for rock and pop songs, such as symphony orchestras. He has also written music for animated movies like Hoodwinked! and Over the Hedge. He produced albums for other artists, including Amanda Palmer's first solo album.

Ben Folds was a judge on the NBC singing competition The Sing-Off from 2009 to 2013. In 2019, he published his first book, a memoir called A Dream About Lightning Bugs.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Ben Folds was born in 1966 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He became interested in playing the piano when he was nine years old. His father, a carpenter, brought a piano home after trading his work for it.

During this time, Ben listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on the radio. He learned to play them by listening carefully. While attending Richard J. Reynolds High School, Folds played in several bands. He played piano, bass guitar, or drums.

Folds went to the University of Miami's Frost School of Music on a scholarship for percussion. However, he left after failing a music exam and losing his scholarship. He then spent a lot of time practicing piano. He said he spent "maybe six months just running scales with a metronome like a freak."

After leaving Miami, he returned to North Carolina. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1985. There, he met Robert Darnell, who became an important mentor for his music.

Music Career Highlights

Starting with Majosha

Ben Folds (third from left) in a promotional photo for Majosha

In the late 1980s, Ben Folds played bass in a band called Majosha. He formed the group with his friends Evan Olson, Millard Powers, and Eddie Walker. They released some records in their local area. Their first show was at Duke University's Battle of the Bands in 1988, which they won.

Majosha played at local bars and parties. They released an EP (a short album) called Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus in 1988. They also recorded Shut Up and Listen to Majosha in 1989. This album included songs like "Emaline" and "Video," which Folds later recorded with Ben Folds Five.

After Majosha broke up, Folds played drums in other bands. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1990 to work on music publishing. He also worked as a session musician, playing drums for recordings.

Forming Ben Folds Five

In 1994, Folds moved back to North Carolina and started Ben Folds Five. He formed the band with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee in Chapel Hill.

In 1995, Ben Folds Five released their first album. This was followed by Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997. This album included popular songs like "Song for the Dumped" and "Battle of Who Could Care Less." Their most successful song, "Brick," was also on this album.

In 1999, the band released The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, which featured the hit song "Army". Ben Folds described Ben Folds Five's music as "punk rock for sissies." Their songs often had a mix of sadness, personal struggles, and funny sarcasm. After touring for their last album, the band decided to take a break.

Solo Albums and Collaborations (2001–2013)

Folds performing in Knoxville, Tennessee, 2006

Ben Folds' first solo album after Ben Folds Five was Rockin' the Suburbs in 2001. On this album, he played almost all the instruments, including guitar, which he rarely used with Ben Folds Five. The song "The Luckiest" was written for a movie but the scene was cut. "Weird Al" Yankovic directed the music video for the album's title song.

In 2002, Folds released Ben Folds Live, which was a collection of his live solo performances. He also released several short albums (EPs) like Speed Graphic and Sunny 16.

His album Songs for Silverman came out in 2005. This album went back to the trio format with a bassist and drummer. It included "Late," a song honoring singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. "Weird Al" Yankovic also sang backup on the song "Time."

In 2006, Folds released Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP, which collected songs from his earlier EPs. He also became the first person to stream a live concert by request on MySpace.

His album Way to Normal was released in 2008. It became his highest-charting album in the US. In 2009, Folds released Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!, an album of his songs sung by college a cappella groups.

In 2010, Folds collaborated with English author Nick Hornby on the album Lonely Avenue. The band Ben Folds Five reunited in 2011 and released the album The Sound of the Life of the Mind. They then toured in 2012 and 2013.

Orchestra Work and Recent Albums (2014–Present)

Folds and yMusic on stage in 2016

In 2014, Ben Folds performed a new piano concerto he wrote with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, he released So There, an album with the yMusic Ensemble. This album included eight pop songs and the piano concerto.

From 2017 until 2025, Folds was the first Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center. He helped plan concerts that mixed classical and modern music. These concerts featured the orchestra playing with artists like Regina Spektor and Sara Bareilles.

In 2020, he released the song "2020," describing the challenges of living during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he started his own podcast, Lightning Bugs: Conversations with Ben Folds, where he talked with guests about creativity.

In 2022, Folds contributed the title song to the Peanuts special It's The Small Things, Charlie Brown on Apple TV+. He also appeared in three episodes of the TV series The Wilds, performing his song "Brick" and a cover of "The Ghost in You."

On June 2, 2023, Folds released his album What Matters Most. He toured the United States and Europe for this album. In 2024, he released a Christmas album called Sleigher.

On July 4, 2025, Folds released a live album called Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra. It was recorded at the Kennedy Center and features his classic songs and new music with the orchestra.

Other Musical Projects

Working with Other Artists

Ben Folds often works with other musicians. He played piano on "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" in 2003. Yankovic said that Folds was an "old friend" and perfect for the song.

In 2004, Folds produced and played on William Shatner's album Has Been. Shatner also sang on some songs for Folds' earlier project, Fear of Pop. Folds also played piano for Japanese singer Angela Aki's song "Black Glasses" in 2008. He produced Amanda Palmer's first solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, released in 2008.

Music for Movies and TV

Folds has contributed songs to many movies and TV shows. He covered The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers" for the 2001 film I Am Sam. For the 2005 animated film Hoodwinked!, he performed "Red is Blue."

In 2006, Folds wrote three original songs for the movie Over the Hedge: "Heist," "Family of Me," and "Still." He also recorded a new version of his song "Rockin' the Suburbs" with lyrics for the movie. His song "Rockin' the Suburbs" was also featured on the TV show Surviving Suburbia. Folds wrote the soundtrack for the 2017 Netflix original film Handsome.

Tours and Performances

Folds in 2009

After Ben Folds Five broke up, Folds toured with a full band to support Rockin' the Suburbs. He also toured with other solo artists, Ben Kweller and Ben Lee, as a group called The Bens. They even recorded a short album together.

Folds has performed with many famous musicians, including Weezer and Tori Amos. He has also performed with several symphony orchestras, such as the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. A DVD of his performance with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in 2005.

During his concerts, Folds often uses a synthesizer. He also has some fun traditions, like hitting the piano keys with his palm and sometimes throwing his piano stool.

In 2007, Folds toured as the main opening act for John Mayer. During this tour, Mayer sometimes joined Folds on stage. In 2009, Folds did a solo tour in Australia. At one concert, Aimee Mann joined him, and at another, Missy Higgins sang "You Don't Know Me" with him.

In 2011, Folds worked with Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, and Damian Kulash to write and record eight songs in eight hours. In 2012, Ben Folds Five reunited to play at the Mountain Jam Music Festival. In 2013, Ben Folds Five toured North America with the Barenaked Ladies and Guster.

From 2017 to 2018, Ben Folds went on "The Paper Airplane Tour." During these concerts, audience members threw paper airplanes with song requests onto the stage. Folds would then pick requests and perform them solo.

Other Activities

Ben Folds is also a passionate photographer. His photos were featured by National Geographic during the 2010 Tennessee floods.

In 1996, Folds made a brief appearance on the TV show Space Ghost Coast to Coast. From 2009 to 2013, he was a judge on NBC's a cappella singing competition The Sing-Off. He also had acting roles in TV shows like Community and You're the Worst.

In 2019, Folds started a podcast called ArtsVote 2020 with Ben Folds. He aimed to talk with political candidates about their views on arts and arts education. In 2019, he published his memoir, A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons. In 2021, he launched another podcast, Lightning Bugs, where he discussed creativity with various guests.

Personal Life

Ben Folds' personal experiences have inspired some of his songs. The song "Brick," co-written with Darren Jessee, was based on a difficult experience from his high school years.

Folds has been married five times. He met his first wife, Anna Goodman, in first grade. She helped write several Ben Folds Five songs. He later married Frally Hynes, an Australian, in 1999. They had twins, Louis Francis and Gracie Scott, who inspired his songs "Still Fighting It" and "Gracie." Folds and Hynes divorced in 2006. He was married to Emma Sandall from 2017 until 2024.

Folds is a fan of the Port Adelaide Football Club in Australia. He lived in Santa Monica, California, and also owned a home in Hudson, New York, until 2020. In 2020, he was in Sydney, Australia, for a tour when travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic kept him there temporarily.

Awards and Recognition

Ben Folds received a Gold Record award in 2002 for Ben Folds Five's album Whatever and Ever Amen. In 2011, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2018, Folds received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.

Discography

Solo Albums

• Rockin' the Suburbs (2001)
• Songs for Silverman (2005)
• Way to Normal (2008)
• What Matters Most (2023)
• Sleigher (2024)

With Ben Folds Five

• Ben Folds Five (1995)
• Whatever and Ever Amen (1997)
• The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (1999)
• The Sound of the Life of the Mind (2012)

With Nick Hornby

• Lonely Avenue (2010)

With yMusic

• So There (2015)

Film and TV Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Ben Folds para niños