ON TOUR - Ben Harper, sharp guitars and a social conscience

Ben Harper was born in 1969 in Claremont, California. His discography includes several gems infused with rock, blues, and even reggae. A multifaceted and essential artist, he will be touring Belgium, France, and the Netherlands this summer!

Ben Harper’s mother, Ellen Chase-Verdries, is of Jewish descent, and his father, Leonard, has African American and Cherokee roots. So we can truly say this is a multicultural family—and one that’s passionate about music. Raised on both blues and reggae, Ben didn’t have to look far for his major influences…

His childhood was also shaped by the “Folk Music Center,” a music store founded by his grandparents. All he had to do was reach out to grab one of the many guitars on display—or even a banjo. It would be hard to imagine a more fertile ground for nurturing talent. It was in this true treasure trove that he discovered the distinctive sound of the “slide guitar” and the Weissenborn, which, over time, would become his signature sound.

He began his career in the early ’90s. His debut album,“Welcome To The Cruel World” (1994), revealed the core elements of his artistry that he would later refine. Just as he does today, with his raw sensitivity, he was already navigating the space between poetry and social activism. Since then, he has recorded nearly twenty albums, including "Fight For Your Mind” (1995), “The Will To Live” (1997), and above all “Burn To Shine” (1999), which cemented his popularity not only in his native country but also in France, for example, where the local edition of “Rolling Stone” named him“ Artist of the Year” in 2003.

To keep things interesting, he has alternated between projects over the years and surrounded himself with various musicians—first with the Innocent Criminals, then with the Blind Boys of Alabama, Relentless 7, and even in a duo with harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, with whom he refined a stripped-down blues-folk —if not downright roots —sound, particularly on “No Mercy In This Land,” their second collaboration in 2018. In 2014, he also recorded “Childhood Home” with his mother, Ellen. On“ Wide Open Light,” his latest album to date, released in 2023, he continues to channel his social conscience with the same intensity. And “Before The Rain Dried,” his latest song released in May 2025, is dedicated to his friend Michael Ward, who recently passed away, serving as a prelude to a new album that’s taking a while to arrive.

In the meantime, we can always look forward to his upcoming summer performances, which will undoubtedly send the same shivers down our spines...

A little anecdote to wrap up this profile: while he may not have an avenue or a square named after him, Ben Harper already has a street named after him in the small village of Saint-Jean-d’Heurs in the Puy-de-Dôme region of France. It’s just a small dead-end street, but it’s a start!

Ben Harper on tour this summer:

Monday, June 22: Paradiso - Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Tuesday, June 23: De Roma - Antwerp (Belgium)

Saturday, July 4: Jardin Public - Cognac (France)

Sunday, July 5: Eurockéennes - Belfort (France)

Tuesday, July 7: OM - Liège (Belgium)

Wednesday, July 8: Tivoli - Utrecht (Netherlands)

Photo: Ben Harper with The Innocent Criminals on stage at the Cactus Festival in Bruges (Belgium) on July 9, 2022