Ben's songs, voice and vibe, touches that sweet, tender spot within -- and his music, which blends blues, folk, reggae and rock is all heart and soul. Ben Harper, two-time Grammy Award winner, grew up in Southern California and got turned on to roots music at an early age, mostly hanging around his grandparents place, The Folk Music Center and Museum, which was frequented by the likes of Taj Mahal and David Lindley. Harper played guitar as a child, and as a teen was influenced by the early delta blues of Robert Johnson and took up slide guitar. Soon afterwards Ben refined his style by taking up the Weissenborn slide guitar (which is a lap steel guitar made by Hermann Weissenborn in L.A. back in the 1920's). Twenty years ago he made an album with good friend/singer-songwriter and High Sierra alum Tom Freund and got a deal with Virgin records, which set his star soaring. Since then Ben has recorded 10 albums and earned international acclaim particularly in Europe and Australia. We've wanted to present Ben Harper at High Sierra for years and are thrilled to have the opportunity to do so in 2012.
