Ben Harper

Born in Pomona, California, in 1969, Ben Harper grew up in Claremont in the environment of the Folk Music Center run by his family, where he learned slide guitar and absorbed folk and blues culture. Discovered in the early 1990s, he released his debut album Welcome to the Cruel World in 1994, followed by Fight for Your Mind (1995), which established him on international stages, notably in Europe. His work blends folk, rock, blues, soul and reggae, with a strong emphasis on acoustic guitar and lap steel, and lyrics that range from social commitment to introspection. Regularly accompanied by the band The Innocent Criminals, Harper developed a discography marked by The Will to Live (1997), Burn to Shine (1999) and Diamonds on the Inside (2003). He alternates group projects and collaborations—such as There Will Be a Light with The Blind Boys of Alabama (2004), Get Up! with harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite (2013), and Childhood Home with his mother Ellen Harper (2014)—and throughout the 2010s and 2020s has maintained steady activity on stage and in the studio, between electric albums, more intimate formats and the instrumental solo record Winter Is for Lovers (2020).