Ben Harper is an American singer songwriter who became well known throughout the late nineties for his acoustic rock. While his career was primarily successful in America among the college audience during the nineties, he has gone on to become increasingly successful in Europe, especially since the turn of the millennium.
Ben Harper was born in Claremont, California on October 28, 1969. He played guitar from a young age, specializing in acoustic slide guitar. His first record deal came at the age of twenty five when Virgin Records released the album "Welcome to the Cruel World" after hearing his work on the limited self published album "Pleasure and Pain". A year later, Ben Harper released the album "Fight For Your Mind", making him successful across America on college radio. He has continued to release albums regularly, including "The Will to Live", "Burn to Shine", "Live From Mars", "Diamonds on the Inside", "There Will Be a Light", and "Both Sides of the Gun". His singles released over a decade include "Ground on Down", "Faded", "Jah Work", "Burn to Shine", "Steal My Kisses", "With My Own Two Hands", "Diamonds on the Inside", "Better Way", and "Morning Yearning".
While Ben Harper's popularity has waned in America since his 1995 success with "Fight For Your Mind", he has continued to be extremely popular in Europe. In 2003, Ben Harper was named "Artist of the Year" by the French version of Rolling Stone Magazine. It is possible that Ben Harper is becoming better known in America again, as his most recent double album, "Both Sides of the Gun", appeared at number seven on the Billboard charts when it was released in 2006. This came following increasing political activity in America during the previous presidential election. Ben Harper continues to record and perform, with a European fan base that allows him to sell out venues and extensive international critical acclaim.