Following in the footsteps of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page...
Ben King is a British-American professional lead guitarist who is currently touring with legendary English blues-rock band The Yardbirds. He has gained popularity as a musician owing to his extensive natural and technical ability of the guitar coupled with his young age.
Born to a musical family (his father having also been a professional guitarist) in 1984, King spent the majority of his life devoted to the guitar, growing up listening to the vast range of music provided by his parents. King developed an astute understanding of the guitar at a very early stage, garnering both a technical and philosophical approach alongside a head-down work ethic. Having spent time in various bands and gaining local notoriety for his talent. He moved to Guildford, Surrey where he enrolled at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM). King received a good amount of attention from the faculty with his talents and, most importantly, gained the interest of ex-Alice Cooper guitarist Pete Friesen and Yardbirds bass guitarist John Idan. Having completed his vocational studies, King was offered an audition by Idan, founding Yardbirds members Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja. Speaking of Idan's interest in King, McCarty commented: "Idan met Ben and he happened to be best guitarist there. John recommended him. He was great. We were looking for someone who could create some of the sounds we were used to" King was offered a role within The Yardbirds and replaced Jerry Donahue as lead guitarist in October 2005. The band booked a run of shows across England in that year before beginning to tour internationally in Europe, Canada and the United States.
Ben King features on The Yardbirds' recent live release Live At B.B. King's Blues Club (2007; Favored Nations). A clip of the song "I'm A Man" from this album was used by 20th Century Fox on the first episode of season 19 of The Simpsons.
'”The mantle has been passed to a younger generation; they [The Yardbirds] have discovered the extraordinarily talented Ben King. Ben King's mastery of the Fender Telecaster is truly frightening; invoking the distinct possibility that Ben's unbelievable ability will take him to the heights that echo those of this band's illustrious predecessors'” – USA Today
“Just 22 and Tiger Beat handsome, King cuts a disquietingly similar figure to the young Beck, but even more frightening is his apparent mastery of the Fender Telecaster. On "My Blind Life," "The Nazz Are Blue" and a screaming set-closing version of "Dazed and Confused", King demonstrated an uncanny knack for making exciting blues rock.” -Washington Post(Jul 31, 2006)
“Twenty one year old Ben King has stunned everyone in the band with his unbelievable natural gifts and feel for our music. Ben will undoubtedly be a future star that we are proud to have discovered and we are very excited to have this young and brilliant prodigy in our ranks.” - Chris Dreja-- The Yardbirds
Thanx for the add Ben. Glad you have remained with the band, you have the feel the sound needs. Saw you at Summerfest Milwaukee, although things weren't as tight as I have seen them in the past, it was definitly 5 live yARdbiRds!
Hey Ben, Cheers for checking out the tunes, glad you liked 'em. All going well hope to be able to make it to Ottawa to see you rip it up with the new line-up!!! All the best, Sean L , ShowDown!!!
Online Now!
