Ben Harper

A native of Pomona, California, musician Ben Harper grew up surrounded by musicians, due to his grandparents' music store The Folk Music Center and Museum. The store was often filled with legendary musicians like Taj Mahal, Leonard Cohen and David Lindley. After attending a reggae performance in Burbank, CA at the age of 9, Harper felt moved to make his own music. Harper began to play the guitar, performing his first gig at age 12 and continuing to study and practice throughout his teen years. In 1994 at the age of 25 Harper released his debut album Welcome to the Cruel World, after signing a deal with Virgin Records. The following year Harper released Fight for Your Mind, which did very well on college radio and featured Juan Nelson playing bass. He had some commercial and critical success in the United States, but Harper enjoyed a tremendous success in Australia and Europe, and his 2003 tour for the album Diamonds on the Inside was a huge success. In addition to his work as a musician, Harper was an activist against the expansion of nuclear power.