Ben Harper

About

Also known as: Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Benjamin Chase Harper, Harper, Ben & the Innocent Criminals

Ben Harper plays slide guitar like very few people can, favoring the resonant lap steel Weissenborn style that gives his sound an instantly recognizable warmth. His 1994 debut Welcome to the Cruel World set the tone: emotionally direct lyrics, a voice that feels almost fragile, and a musical range that pulls from folk, soul, and rock without ever feeling scattered. Over a career spanning decades he has worked with the Blind Boys of Alabama, helped launch Jack Johnson's recording career, and released projects under several names including Ben Harper and Relentless7 and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. His catalog is genuinely varied. There Will Be a Light with the Blind Boys of Alabama sits comfortably alongside the heavier Both Sides of the Gun and the blues driven White Lies For Dark Times. More recent releases include Get Up! and No Mercy in This Land, both made with harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite, and the intimate Winter is For Lovers from 2020. French Rolling Stone once named him artist of the year, which tells you something about how seriously Europe takes him.