Listen to Ben Walker Songs
UPCOMING GIGS:
BEN WALKER SOLO
watch this space
BEN AND GARY’S ICE CREAM BAND
1pm Sunday February 19th 2012
Rebas Cafe and Gallery
3289 Dundas St West
Toronto ON M6P 2A5
Tel: (416) 626 7372
Video of ‘Love in London’ from Ben’s latest CD, ‘Kill or Cure’
‘August of ’99′ from ‘Bahaudin’ (featuring photos of Colin Ward)
‘The Acupuncturist’ from ‘Kill or Cure’
‘No One Likes Me’ from ‘Kill or Cure’
‘Hold On to Your Hard Times’ from ‘Kill or Cure’
Biography:
Ben was born in London, became interested in The Beatles and absorbed the popular music of the late 70s before moving to Suffolk. He was the singer and songwriter in a few bands and recorded an album, ‘Defence Cuts’, in 1990 with Dan Simmons, a bass-playing arranger and producer he met In the Suffolk Youth Jazz Orchestra. Although this was a low-fi, low budget affair copied manually by Ben onto cassette, it gained him respect and a reputation as a quirky songwriter in the folk community.
Ben travelled to New Jersey in 1992 to study jazz singing and his performances of his folk and jazz-influenced originals at open stages and coffeehouses gained him a few write-ups and airplay in student media. Moving on to Toronto, he became a busker as well as a popular solo act, the second, more rock-oriented album, ‘Warm and Normal’, receiving a favourable review and more college radio airing. Ben returned to London for a year and gained a first class degree in Performance Arts from Middlesex University in 1994.
After getting married in Toronto in 1995, Ben spent 3 years back in Suffolk, trying his hand at many musical activities. In addition to busking on the streets of East Anglia, he was also a piano vocalist, jazz singer and classical mandolin player, as well as the front man for the rock trio Daylight Dog. In 1998, Ben headed north to Bradford and made contact with producer Nigel Stonier, who played on the ‘Bahaudin’ CD (2001), along with Rod Clements of Lindisfarne, Paul Burgess of 10cc and acclaimed singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore.
A steady period of gigging in the Bradford/Leeds area, as well as selected shows in Ben’s old stomping grounds of London, Suffolk, New Jersey and Toronto during 2002-6 was punctuated by a new EP. ‘If You Want Love (Have Mine)’ in 2004, which was engineered by the late drummer and songwriter in New Model Army, Robb Heaton.
2008 saw the launch of ‘An Orphan’s Song’ in Toronto, a CD of Canadian writer Stuart Ross’s poems put to music and performed by Ben. This project was well-received by the Canadian literary media and brought Ben’s skills to the attention of many new listeners.
Back in the UK, Ben booked sessions in London, Leeds and Suffolk to record the album ‘Kill or Cure’. Derek Nash from Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra engineered 4 tracks and played sax on ‘Love in London’, which also featured Patrick Naylor; another guitar wizard, Al Lindsay, dropped into the studio in Suffolk to play some blistering blues/rock licks and 2 members of the faculty at Leeds College of Music, Rus Pearson and Barkley McKay, contributed on the northern date, as did piano jazz genius Kevin James.
2009 saw the release of the single ‘Hold On To Your Hard Times’, an angsty acoustic pop duet with the peerless Kate Peters, 2 long radio interviews on BCB Radio and a farewell gig in Bradford with Loz Eccles, shortly before a trip to Tbilisi with Samzeo**.
Following the passing of his father, the anarchist author Colin Ward*, in February 2010, Ben re-recorded some of his older songs in London with Dan Simmons, his producer from the early days. Ben moved back to Toronto in September 2010, singing Georgian music with Machari*** for a time before forming BEN AND GARY’S ICE CREAM BAND with Gary Black****. Stay tuned in 2012!
Albums :
Kill or Cure (2008)
(features Derek Nash (Jools Holland), Patrick Naylor, Al Lindsay, Kevin James, Kate Peters)
- single Hold on to your Hard Times released by theblacklabel Mar ’09
An Orphan’s Song: Ben Walker Sings Stuart Ross (2008)
If You Want Love EP (2004)
(recorded by Robb Heaton of New Model Army)
Bahaudin (2001)
(features Rod Clements (Lindisfarne), Paul Burgess (10cc), Nigel Stonier and Thea Gilmore)
Warm and Normal (1993)
Defence Cuts (1990)
Reviews :
R2 Magazine
Maverick Country Magazine
Journal of Classic Rock Society (Kill or Cure)
Tykes News (Yorkshire folk mag) (Kill or Cure, Bahaudin)
The Sandman (northern indie music mag) (Kill or Cure, If You Want Love)
taddlecreekmag.com (Toronto literary mag) (An Orphan’s Song)
Purple Mountain Poetry (Canadian literary site) (An Orphan’s Song)
Sound on Sound (national sound tech mag) (If You Want Love)
Vanguard Online (pop music website) (If You Want Love)
T.O.Nite (Toronto music mag) (Warm and Normal)
Radio :
BCB, Bradford (2002/4/6/9) – live performance, airplay + interviews, including One-to-One (Desert Island Discs-type show)
BBC Radio Leeds (Sep 2008) – live on Paul Carrington Show
BBC Radio Suffolk (May 2006) – live on Drivetime w/ Stephen Foster
Fresh Radio, Yorkshire (2006) – airplay on Loz Budd show
CIUT, Toronto (1993) – airplay
Essence Radio, New Jersey (1992) – live performance + interview
youtube :
How Much is Enough (August 2011)
Love in London (March 2011)
August of ’99 (June 2010)
The Acupuncturist (April 2010)
No One Likes Me (September 2009)
Hold On to your Hard Times (March 2009)
With Your Love, Room for Manoeuvre (live in Wakefield 2004)
Biography by Angel Easy
Links:
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Ward
**www.myspace.com/samzeo
***www.machari.com
****www.myspace.com/gareblack