27 Facts About Ben Harper

Benjamin Charles Harper was born on October 28,1969 and is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Ben Harper has released twelve studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records, and has toured internationally.

Ben Harper is a three-time Grammy Award winner and seven-time nominee, with awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2004 and Best Blues Album in 2013.

Ben Harper's parents divorced when he was five years old, and he grew up with his mother's family.

In 1978, at the age of 9, Ben Harper attended Bob Marley's performance in Burbank, California, where Marley was joined by former bandmate Peter Tosh for the encore.

Ben Harper refined his style, taking up the Weissenborn slide guitar.

Ben Harper was offered an invitation by Taj Mahal to tour with the artist.

In 1992, Ben Harper recorded the LP Pleasure and Pain with folk multi-instrumentalist Tom Freund.

In 1994, Ben Harper released his debut album, Welcome to the Cruel World and toured the US and Canada with the Innocent Criminals.

Ben Harper released his second album, Fight For Your Mind, in 1995, with Juan Nelson on bass, which became a college radio favorite and included several songs that Harper has played live throughout his career.

Ben Harper's music received a great deal of airplay and critical acclaim in Europe and was widely played in Australia.

In 2002, Ben Harper was one of the featured singers covering Motown hits by Marvin Gaye in the documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

In 2003, Ben Harper was French Rolling Stone magazine's Artist of the Year, and his Australian tour that year for Diamonds on the Inside was highly successful with record sales.

In October 2004, Harper participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organized to benefit Moveon.

In 2006, Ben Harper released the double album Both Sides of the Gun which debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200.

Ben Harper is part of the No Nukes group, which is against the expansion of nuclear power.

Also in 2008, Harper participated in the benefit album Songs for Tibet.

In December 2012, it was announced that Ben Harper had co-produced lead vocalist Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks first solo rock album Mother.

On February 12,2016, Ben Harper released the single "Call It What It Is", the first track taken from his studio album Call It What It Is, released on April 8,2016.

Ben Harper sang with contestant Alejandro Aranda, playing "There Will Be a Light".

In 2020 Ben Harper released Winter Is for Lovers, an album recorded with solo Monteleone lap steel songs.

On July 22,2022, Ben Harper released the album Bloodline Maintenance.

Ben Harper began dating actress Laura Dern after they met at one of his concerts in fall 2000.

Ben Harper married social advocate Jaclyn Matfus, on January 1,2015.

Ben Harper is a skateboarder who has trained with Rodney Mullen and he owns a warehouse for his personal skateboarding.

In September 2016, Ben Harper appeared on The Nine Club skateboard podcast, hosted by Chris Roberts, where he discussed his relationship and history with skateboarding.

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