Ben Shepherd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Shepherd
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Shepherd in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hunter Benedict Shepherd |
| Also known as | HBS |
| Born | September 20, 1968 Okinawa, USCAR (now Okinawa, Japan) |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
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Hunter Benedict Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band Soundgarden. With Soundgarden, he has won two Grammy Awards.
Ben Shepherd was born in Okinawa. He grew up in Washington state. He became interested in music after seeing Johnny Cash on TV. Ben played in several punk-rock bands. He joined Soundgarden as their bassist in 1990. Ben helped the band grow musically. He also wrote many songs for them. In 1993, he started a side project called Hater. Soundgarden broke up in 1997. Ben played in other bands after that. Soundgarden reunited in 2010. They continued playing until Chris Cornell passed away in 2017.
Ben Shepherd released a solo album called In Deep Owl in 2013. He has two children. He partly owns a bar in Seattle called Hazlewood. He lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Contents
Early Life
Ben Shepherd was born on an American military base in Okinawa. His father worked in the Nike missile program. His father also played the guitar. Ben's family moved to Allen, Texas. They later settled in Kingston, Washington, where Ben grew up.
Ben became interested in music after hearing Johnny Cash on TV. When he asked his father for a guitar, his father agreed. But first, Ben had to learn every chord from a big book. He did this with help from his cousin. Then, his father bought him his first guitar.
As a teenager, Ben played in many punk-rock bands. These included March of Crimes, Mind Circus, and 600 School. He met other future musicians like Stone Gossard and Matt Cameron. After high school, he worked as a carpenter. He also played in a band called Tic Dolly Row. He introduced his friend, drummer Chad Channing, to Krist Novoselic. Channing later joined Novoselic's band, Nirvana. Ben even traveled with Nirvana on a tour. This was before their album Nevermind came out.
Musical Career
Soundgarden (1990–1997)
Ben Shepherd was a big fan of Soundgarden. He liked them even when they were a new band. When their first bassist, Hiro Yamamoto, left in 1989, Ben tried out. Even though he mostly played guitar, he wanted to join. The band liked Ben and his energy. But he didn't know their songs yet. So, they chose another bassist, Jason Everman.
After their Louder Than Love tour in 1990, Everman left. Soundgarden then asked Ben to join. The band felt Ben helped them grow musically. He brought new songs and a fresh style. Guitarist Kim Thayil said Ben added "a creative and emotional punch."
Ben's role in Soundgarden grew over time. He played bass, sang, and wrote songs. On his first album with the band, Badmotorfinger, he helped write several songs. These included "Slaves & Bulldozers" and "Jesus Christ Pose." He also wrote "Face Pollution" and "Somewhere." Ben also introduced new guitar tunings to the band. These tunings were used in popular songs like "The Day I Tried To Live" and "My Wave."
In 1993, Ben and Soundgarden's drummer, Matt Cameron, started a side band. It was called Hater. John McBain from Monster Magnet also joined. In Hater, Ben sang and played guitar. He wrote many songs for their first album, Hater. They recorded a second album, The 2nd, in 1995. But it was not released until 2005.
In 1994, Soundgarden released Superunknown. This album included Ben's songs "Half" and "Head Down." "Head Down" was inspired by The Beatles. Ben wrote "Half" as a song for his daughter. It had an Indian music feel. It was also the first Soundgarden song where Ben sang the main vocals.
In 1996, Soundgarden released Down on the Upside. Ben wrote or co-wrote six of the sixteen songs on this album. These included "Zero Chance," "Dusty," and "Ty Cobb." He also wrote "Never Named," "Switch Opens," and "An Unkind." Ben once said he wrote the music for "Never Named" when he was sixteen. "Ty Cobb" was the first song Ben wrote that became a single.
The Down on the Upside tour ended on February 9, 1997. It ended with some tension. Ben became very frustrated with technical problems during a show. He broke his bass and left the stage. He later explained he was tired of his equipment failing. He didn't want to pretend to play. After this, Soundgarden announced they were breaking up. They said it was due to creative differences.
Post-Soundgarden (1997–2010)
After Soundgarden broke up, Ben continued making music. He, Matt Cameron, and John McBain formed Wellwater Conspiracy. Ben was the lead singer on their first album, Declaration of Conformity. He left Wellwater Conspiracy in 1998. Matt Cameron then took over as lead singer.
Ben also worked with other musicians. He played bass and guitar on some Josh Homme's Desert Sessions albums. He also played bass with Mark Lanegan on his albums I'll Take Care of You (1999) and Field Songs (2001). In 2005, Ben formed a band called Unkmongoni. He also released the second Hater album, The 2nd.
In 2008, Ben's musical equipment was stolen. This included guitars, basses, and amplifiers. He also lost two finished music records. After this, Ben thought about quitting music. He worked as a carpenter's assistant. But he was later encouraged to make his solo album. He also reunited with Soundgarden.
Soundgarden Reunion (2010–2017)
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On January 1, 2010, Chris Cornell announced that Soundgarden would reunite. Ben Shepherd rejoined as their bassist. The band played their first show in 13 years on April 16, 2010. It was in Seattle under the name Nudedragons.
The band released a collection of songs called Telephantasm in September 2010. Then, they released King Animal in November 2012. This was their first new studio album since 1996. Ben contributed two songs he had written years before: "Taree" and "Attrition." He also worked with Chris Cornell on "Been Away Too Long" and "Rowing."
Soundgarden continued to tour often. They worked around Matt Cameron's schedule with Pearl Jam. They also worked around Chris Cornell's acoustic tours. In 2014, they re-released their 1994 album Superunknown. This was to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. They also toured with drummer Matt Chamberlain filling in for Cameron.
Chris Cornell passed away suddenly on May 18, 2017. This led to the cancellation of the rest of their tour.
Solo Project
In the summer of 2010, Ben finished recording his solo project. He started writing the music in 2009. It began as an acoustic project. But it grew into an electric concept album. Ben first planned for the songs to be just voice and acoustic guitar. But soon, Matt Cameron and Matt Chamberlain offered to play drums. The album was recorded in different studios. It was mixed and mastered by Adam Kasper.
On June 25, 2013, Ben announced his solo album. It was called In Deep Owl. It was released on August 27, 2013, under the name HBS. Ben shared the first song, "Baron Robber," with Spin magazine.
Musicians who played on the album include:
- Ben Shepherd – Guitar, Bass guitar, Vocals, Mandolin, Drums
- Matt Cameron – Drums, percussion
- Matt Chamberlain – Drums, percussion
- Joseph Braley – Drums, percussion
- Greg Gilmore – Drums, percussion
- Klaus – Winds (Sax)
Personal Life
Ben Shepherd has two children. He lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Ben also partly owns an upscale bar in Seattle called Hazlewood.
Musical Style
Ben Shepherd started playing bass to replace Soundgarden's first bassist, Hiro Yamamoto. He sees Yamamoto as a big influence. Yamamoto played bass in a unique way. Ben said Yamamoto was different from bassists who just "follow along."
Ben plays bass using his fingers, a style called fingerstyle. He learned from Yamamoto and punk rock musicians like Chuck Dukowski and Mike Watt. He also listened to jazz bassist Charles Mingus. Ben sometimes uses a pick for different sounds. He thinks of guitars like a "horn section." He feels bass is more free. He likes to play the bass along with the vocals. He believes this helps the music sound more harmonious.
When he sings, Ben says he tries to find his own voice. He doesn't try to sound like someone else. He usually writes songs on the guitar. This is because other Soundgarden members also play guitar. Songs focused on bass lines are rare. He explained that it's hard to write a bass line without knowing the drums and guitar chords.
Discography
HBS
- In Deep Owl (2013)
- The Star Chief Chronicles EP (2025)
600 School
- Live recording (circa 1982)
Tic Dolly Row
- Live recording (1987)
Soundgarden
- Badmotorfinger (1991)
- Superunknown (1994)
- Songs from the Superunknown (1995)
- Down on the Upside (1996)
- A-Sides (1997)
- Telephantasm (2010)
- Live on I-5 (2011)
- King Animal (2012)
Hater
- Hater (1993) - vocals, guitar
- The 2nd (2005) - lead vocals, guitar, piano
Wellwater Conspiracy
- Declaration of Conformity (1997) - vocals
With Mark Lanegan
- I'll Take Care of You (1999) - bass
- Field Songs (2001) - acoustic & electric guitar, bass, piano, vocals, lap steel guitar; wrote track 10, "Blues for D"
Ten Commandos
- Ten Commandos (2015)
See also
In Spanish: Ben Shepherd para niños
