Ben Harper facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Harper
Harper at the Eurockéennes in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Charles Harper
Born	(1969-10-28) October 28, 1969 (age 55) Pomona, California, U.S.
Genres	Folk rock blues rock alternative rock soul funk rock gospel reggae jam rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar lap steel guitar slide guitar keyboard instruments piano bass drums percussion vibraphone
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Virgin, EMI Records, Chrysalis

Benjamin Charles Harper, born on October 28, 1969, is an American musician. He is a talented singer and plays many instruments. Ben Harper mixes different styles of music like blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock. People know him for his amazing guitar playing, his singing, and his exciting live shows. He has released seventeen studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records, and has performed all over the world.

Ben Harper has won three Grammy Awards and been nominated seven times. He won awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2004. He also won Best Blues Album in 2013. In 2019, his song "No Mercy in This Land," which he wrote with Charlie Musselwhite, was named Song of the Year at the 40th Blues Music Awards.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Ben Harper was born in Pomona, California. His father, Leonard Harper, was African-American. His mother, Ellen Harper Verdries, is Jewish. His parents divorced when he was five years old. Ben grew up with his mother's family. He has two younger brothers, Joel and Peter Harper.

Ben started playing guitar when he was a child. His grandparents owned a music store called the Folk Music Center and Museum. This store helped him learn about folk and blues music. Famous musicians like Leonard Cohen and Taj Mahal often visited the store.

In 1978, when Ben was 9 years old, he saw Bob Marley perform in California. Bob Marley was joined by his former bandmate Peter Tosh for the end of the show. Ben said this concert was a very important influence on him.

Ben Harper's Music Career

Ben Harper played his first show when he was twelve. In the 1980s, as a teenager, he started playing the slide guitar. He copied the style of blues musician Robert Johnson. Ben improved his style using a special type of slide guitar called a Weissenborn.

Taj Mahal invited Ben Harper to tour with him. They recorded Taj Mahal's album Follow the Drinking Gourd in 1990 and toured Hawaii.

Early Albums and Tours

In 1992, Ben Harper recorded an album called Pleasure and Pain with folk musician Tom Freund. After this album, Ben signed a record deal with Virgin Records. In 1993, he toured places in California and France with his band, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. They also performed with Taj Mahal at Austin City Limits.

In 1994, Ben released his first album, Welcome to the Cruel World. He then toured the US and Canada with the Innocent Criminals. Later that year, he played two solo shows in Spain.

He released his second album, Fight For Your Mind, in 1995. This album became very popular on college radio. It included many songs that Ben Harper still plays live today. That same year, the band started performing in Europe, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Their music was very popular in Europe and Australia.

Collaborations and Success

In 1999, Ben Harper met Jack Johnson at a concert. Ben sent a demo tape of Jack's songs to his producer, J. P. Plunier. This led to Jack Johnson's first album, Brushfire Fairytales, in 2000. Jack Johnson later opened for Ben Harper's "Innocent Criminals" tour in 2001.

Ben Harper backstage with Toots and the Maytals and Jack Johnson.

In 2002, Ben Harper was one of the singers who covered Motown songs in the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. This film was about the history of The Funk Brothers. Ben Harper also appeared on the album True Love by Toots and the Maytals. This album won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2004. Many famous musicians were on this album, like Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton.

In 2003, French Rolling Stone magazine named Ben Harper their Artist of the Year. His tour in Australia that year for his album Diamonds on the Inside was very successful. On April 3, 2004, Ben Harper and Jack Johnson performed with Toots and the Maytals on Saturday Night Live.

Harper playing a Weissenborn in Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, 2008

In 2006, Ben Harper released a double album called Both Sides of the Gun. It reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. He also appeared briefly in the 2006 film Inland Empire.

Ben Harper is part of the No Nukes group, which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007, the group made a music video for a version of the song "For What It's Worth". His song "Boa Sorte/Good Luck" with Brazilian singer Vanessa da Mata was a number one hit in Brazil and Portugal. It also won a "Best Song" award in Brazil in 2008. In 2008, Ben Harper also contributed to the benefit album Songs for Tibet.

Recent Projects and Albums

In 2010, Ben Harper formed a band called Fistful of Mercy with Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur. Their first album, As I Call You Down, was released on October 5, 2010.

On May 17, 2011, Ben Harper released his album Give Till It's Gone. This album continued his work with the band Relentless7.

On October 1, 2012, an album with Charlie Musselwhite called Get Up! was announced. It was released on January 29, 2013. Ben Harper produced this album. It was his 12th studio album.

In December 2012, it was announced that Ben Harper helped produce the first solo rock album for Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks. The album, Mother, was released on May 7, 2013.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals performed at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015. They also played at the Rock Werchter Festival in June 2015.

On February 12, 2016, Ben Harper released the song "Call It What It Is" as a YouTube video. This was the first song from his album Call It What It Is, which came out on April 8, 2016.

In April 2019, Ben Harper was a guest artist on American Idol. He sang "There Will Be a Light" with contestant Alejandro Aranda.

On March 20, 2019, Mavis Staples announced her album We Get By. Ben Harper wrote and produced all eleven songs on this album. He also sang on the title track and appeared in its music video, released on May 15, 2019.

In 2020, Ben Harper released Winter Is for Lovers. This album features only solo lap steel guitar songs. He described it as one long piece of music played on a single guitar.

On June 9, 2021, Juan Nelson, Ben Harper's longtime bassist and member of the Innocent Criminals, passed away at age 62. Ben Harper shared a tribute, calling him a "musical genius" and "the finest man I've ever known."

On July 22, 2022, Ben Harper released the album Bloodline Maintenance. This album is dedicated to Juan Nelson.

On June 2, 2023, Ben Harper released his seventeenth album, Wide Open Light. This album mostly features acoustic songs, with only one song including drums.

On April 1, 2024, Michael Ward, a former guitarist for the Innocent Criminals, passed away at age 57. On May 1, 2025, Ben Harper released a new song, "Before The Rain Dried," as a tribute to Ward.

Personal Life

Harper with his second wife, Laura Dern, in December 2009

In 1996, Ben Harper married his first wife, Joanna. They had two children together. They separated in 2000 and divorced in 2001.

Ben Harper started dating actress Laura Dern in late 2000. They married on December 23, 2005, in Los Angeles. They have two children: a son named Ellery Walker (born August 2001) and a daughter named Jaya (born November 2004). In 2006, they worked together to direct the music video for his song "Better Way." Ben Harper filed for divorce from Laura Dern in October 2010. They briefly got back together, but their divorce was finalized in September 2013.

Ben Harper married Jaclyn Matfus on January 1, 2015. Their son, Besso, was born in June 2017.

Ben Harper is also a skateboarder. He has trained with famous skateboarders like Rodney Mullen. He even owns a warehouse for his own skateboarding. Ben Harper also co-owns a skateboarding brand called Roller Horror. In 2016, he talked about his love for skateboarding on The Nine Club podcast.

Ben Harper's cousin is Washington State Supreme Court Justice Steven Gonzalez.

Helping Others

Ben Harper supports Little Kids Rock, a group that helps bring music education back to public schools in the U.S. In 2013, he donated items for a benefit concert to help them.

On December 11, 2016, he played an acoustic concert to support New Light India's "Boys Home Project." This group helps provide shelter, education, and healthcare for children and women in a difficult area of India.

Ben Harper and his wife, Jaclyn, have also supported International Medical Corps. This group helps people around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they helped the group's work in California. Ben Harper also recorded a song to help their global relief efforts.

Legacy

A street in Saint-Jean-d'Heurs, a small town in France, has been named after Ben Harper.

Awards and Nominations

Discography

Studio albums

• Welcome to the Cruel World (1994)
• Fight for Your Mind (1995)
• The Will to Live (1997)
• Burn to Shine (with The Innocent Criminals) (1999)
• Diamonds on the Inside (2003)
• There Will Be a Light (with The Blind Boys of Alabama) (2004)
• Both Sides of the Gun (2006)
• Lifeline (with The Innocent Criminals) (2007)
• White Lies for Dark Times (with Relentless7) (2009)
• Give Till It's Gone (2011)
• Get Up! (with Charlie Musselwhite) (2013)
• Childhood Home (with Ellen Harper) (2014)
• Call It What It Is (with The Innocent Criminals) (2016)
• No Mercy in This Land (with Charlie Musselwhite) (2018)
• Winter Is for Lovers (2020)
• Bloodline Maintenance (2022)
• Wide Open Light (2023)

Filmography

Ben Harper has appeared in various films and TV shows, often contributing his music. Here are some notable examples:

See also

In Spanish: Ben Harper para niños