Ben is the second studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson's previous studio album, having charted within the top ten on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at number twelve in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France.

Worldwide, Ben has sold a reported 5 million units. The album released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success on music charts, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Jackson his first number one single on the chart. "Ben" also charted within the top ten in other territories worldwide. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but canceled for unspecified reasons. Two of the album's songs were "stripped" in 2009 as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.

Background[link]

In January 1972, while still a member of the band, Jackson released his first studio album, entitled Got to Be There, under Motown Records.^[1] The album received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. The album was not commercially successful worldwide as well as not having a good chart performance on music charts. Although, the album's three singles had a good chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100, with all three charting within the top twenty positions on the chart, with two of them peaking within the top-five.^[2] Got to Be There was more successful in the United States than in international territories, having peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard 200^[3] while peaking at number thirty-seven in the United Kingdom^[4] and one hundred-twenty-one in France.^[5]

Music[link]

Ben was recorded by Jackson from 1971 to 1972. It was produced by six people, and executively produced by Berry Gordy, Jr..^[6] Songwriters for the eleven tracks Ben has include, Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, Thom Bell, Linda Creed, The Corporation, Smokey Robinson, and Ronald White, among others.^[6] Ben has R&B, contemporary pop rock and soul musical styles.^[7] The album's title track, which was the theme song for the 1972 film of the same name (the sequel to the 1971 killer rat movie Willard), won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. "What Goes Around Comes Around" has similarities to Jackson's older brother Jackie's single, "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)",^[8] which featured vocals from Jackson and his older brothers.^[9] For Ben, Jackson recorded cover's of The Temptations' 1964 single, "My Girl", a cover of Lionel Hampton's "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", a cover of Brenda Holloway's 1965 single, "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" and a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1968 single, "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day". "My Girl" has a funk rhythm and the song's score includes some call-and-response interaction, which is similar to what Jackson and his brothers displayed in their Jackson 5 material.^[7] "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" is a mid-tempo song.^[7] "We've Got a Good Thing Going" was previously issued as the B-side to "Got to Be There"'s "I Wanna Be Where You Are" and "In Our Small Way" was also featured on Jackson's previous album Got to Be There.

Release and reception[link]

The album was released by Motown Records, his second studio album for the label as a solo artist, in August 1972. As part of promotion for the album, "Ben" was released as the album's lead, and only single in July 1972. "Ben" was a commercial success worldwide, generally charting within the top-ten and top-twenty positions on music charts. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which was Jackson's first, of what would be thirteen songs, to top that chart during his career as a solo artist.^[2] "Ben" also charted on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number three and five.^[2] "Ben" charted within the top-ten on the Dutch Top 40 chart, peaking at number two^[10] and number seven on the UK Singles Chart,^[11] as well as charting at number fourteen in Australia.^[10] "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but was cancelled for unspecified reasons.^[12]

Ben was more successful on music charts in both the United States and worldwide compared to Jackson's previous studio album. The album peaked at number five on the United States' Billboard 200; becoming Jackson's first, of what would be six studio albums, to peak within the top ten on that chart.^[13] Ben also peaked at number four on the United States' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[13] On January 13, 1973, Ben debuted on the United Kingdoms' Album Charts at its peak position, number seventeen.^[14] The album remained within the country's music chart's top fifty positions for seven consecutive weeks.^[14] On January 1, 1973, the album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for shipping sixty thousand units across the United Kingdom.^[15] After Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity. The album charted on French's music charts on July 25, 2009, at its peak position, number one-hundred-sixty-two.^[16] Ben remained within the country's top two-hundred positions for two consecutive weeks.^[16] The album has reportedly sold over five million units worldwide.^[17]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[7]
Entertainment Weekly	B[18]
Rolling Stone	[8]

The album generally received mixed to positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Lindsay Planer of Allmusic gave Ben a four out of five star rating.^[7] Planer cited "What Goes Around Comes Around' as being "one of Ben's better deep cuts" and "Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day" as being a "winner" while describing "In Our Small Way" as being a "lesser note" for the album, having felt that the song contained a "hopelessly dated 'message'".^[7] Planer noted that one "interesting shift was the lack of participation from the Motown hitmaking machine known collectively as 'the Corporation'".^[7] Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone magazine gave the album a two out of five star rating.^[8] Aletti noted that while the album "contains a good deal more original material" it "has nothing as luscious as 'Got to Be There' or 'I Wanna Be Where You Are,'" but, "it's on the whole a much stronger album than the first."^[8] He noted that in the albums title track, Jackson had a "surprising amount of feeling" in his vocal performance.^[8] Leah Greenblatt, of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "B" grade.^[18] Greenblatt commented that Ben's title track was a "testament to his talent" and added that the album would "always be defined" by that song.^[18]

Track listing[link]

Charts and certifications[link]

Personnel[link]

• Michael Jackson – vocals
• The Corporation – producer
• Hal Davis – producer
• Berry Gordy, Jr. – executive producer
• Mel Larson – producer
• Jerry Marcellino – producer
• Bobby Taylor – producer
• Source: ^[6]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection liner notes. Sony BMG.

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Look up Ben in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ben is often a shortened version of the given name Benjamin, Benvolio, Benedict, or less commonly Bentley, although it is also used as a formal given name in its own right.
In Arabic and Hebrew "Ben" means "son of" or a male human.

People with the given name Ben[link]

• Ben (singer), German singer (Bernhard Albrecht Matthias Lasse Blümel)
• Ben Adams, member of the British boy band A1
• Ben Affleck, American actor and screenwriter
• Ben Barnes (actor), British actor, Prince Caspian
• Ben Bernanke, Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank
• Ben Bishop, American professional ice hockey goaltender
• Ben Bova, American science fiction author and editor
• Benjamin Brafman, criminal defense attorney
• Benjamin Breedlove, American Internet personality
• Ben Browder, American actor
• Benjamin Burnley, American musician, founder of the band Breaking Benjamin
• Ben Carson, American surgeon and motivational speaker
• Ben Cohen (businessman), co-creator of Ben & Jerry's
• Ben Cohen (rugby player), English rugby union player
• Ben Cohen (bridge), author, publisher and distributor of bridge books and stationery supplies
• Ben Coleman, former basketball player
• Ben Crenshaw, PGA Tour golfer
• Ben Eager, Canadian professional ice hockey left winger
• Ben Fayot, Luxembourgian politician
• Ben Folds, singer-songwriter
• Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, author, diplomat, founding father, and polymath.
• Ben Gibbard, lead singer from the indie-pop band Death Cab for Cutie
• Ben Gillies, drummer of Silverchair
• Ben Gordon, professional basketball player
• Ben Harper, American musician
• Ben Hogan, PGA Tour golfer
• Ben Helfgott, Polish-born British lightweight weightlifting champion
• Ben Jeby (Morris Jebaltowsky), American world champion middleweight boxer
• Ben Jelen, singer
• Ben Jackson (disambiguation), multiple people
• Ben Kasica, American musician, lead guitar player for Christian Rock band Skillet
• Ben Kenobi, major character on the film saga, Star Wars
• Ben Kingsley, British actor
• Ben Kinsella, British murder victim
• Ben Knapen, Dutch politician and journalist
• Benjamin Kowalewicz, Lead singer of Canadian punk band Billy Talent
• Ben Kweller, American rock musician
• Ben Leber, Minnesota Vikings linebacker
• Benjamin Linus, character on American TV show Lost
• Ben Miller, English actor and comedian
• Ben Moody, American musician
• Ben Nicholson, English artist
• Ben Ownby, American kidnap victim
• Ben Plucknett (1954–2002), American discus thrower
• Ben Richards A British actor, best known for his role on ITV's Footballers' Wives
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
• Ben Sahar, Israeli soccer player (Hapoel Tel Aviv & national team)
• Ben Sheets, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Ben Skywalker, a major character in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
• Ben Spijkers, Dutch judoka
• Ben Stein, law professor, economist, writer and actor
• Ben Stiller, American actor, writer and director
• Ben Templeton, co-creator of the comic strip Motley's Crew
• Ben Tennyson,Tv character
• Ben Underwood, blinded at birth, used ecolocation in everyday life
• Ben Vautier, French Fluxus artist, also known simply as 'Ben'
• Ben Verweij (1895–1951), Dutch footballer
• Ben Way, English entrepreneur
• Ben Whishaw, English actor
• Ben Wildman-Tobriner, American Olympic swimming champion
• Ben Wierenga, A Russian spy
• Ben Wong, Hong Kong actor

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Early record albums were packages of 78 RPM records in book form

An album may be understood as a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution, however the concept is found in printed music dating into the early nineteenth century in works by composers such as Schumann and Mendelssohn.^[1] The word derives from the Latin word for list.^[2]

Today, with the vinyl record no longer being used as the primary form of distribution, the term "album" can still be applied to any sound recording collection, such as those on compact disc, MiniDisc, Compact audio cassette, and digital or MP3 albums.^[3] Cover art is also considered an integral part of the album. Many albums also come with liner notes and inserts giving background information or analysis of the recording, reprinted lyrics, images of the performers, or additional artwork and text.^[4] These are now often found in the form of CD booklets.^[5]

History and Formats[link]

Vinyl records[link]

Two vinyl records with inner and outer album sleeves

Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album. If a pop or rock album contained tracks released separately as commercial singles, these were often traditionally placed in particular positions on the album.^[3] A common configuration was to have the album led off by the second and third singles, followed by a ballad. The first single would lead off side 2. In the past many singles (such as the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street") did not appear on albums, but others (such as the Beatles' "Come Together" and Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone") were part of an album released concurrently. Today, many commercial albums of music tracks feature one or more singles, which are released separately to radio, TV or the Internet as a way of promoting the album. ^[6]Albums have also been issued that are compilations of older tracks not originally released together, such as singles not originally found on albums, b-sides of singles, or unfinished "demo" recordings.^[3]

Album sets of the past were arranged "in sequence" for phonographs equipped with record changers. In the case of a two-record set, for example, sides 1 and 4 would be printed on one record, and sides 2 and 3 on the other. The consumer would then stack the two records onto a spindle equipped with an automatic record changer by stacking the record with side 1 on the bottom and the record with side 2 directly on top of it. The record containing side 1 would then automatically drop onto the turntable, and the tone arm containing the stylus needle would automatically play the album's side 1. When that side was finished, the tone arm would swing back to allow the record containing side 2 to drop down on top of the record containing side 1 and automatically begin to play. When that was done, the consumer would pick up the stack of records that have already played, flip them over (as a stack, without rearranging), and put them back on the spindle. Sides 3 and 4 would play in sequence without further intervention from the consumer.^[3]Record changers persisted throughout the LP era, but were discontinued after it was discovered that the stacking up of records had the potential to warp them.^[3]

Compact cassette[link]

A blank compact cassette tape and case

The Compact Cassette was a popular medium for distributing pre-recorded music in the late 1970's through to the 1990's. The very first "Compact Cassette" was introduced by Philips in August of 1963 in the form of a prototype.^[7] Compact cassettes became especially popular during the 1980's after the advent of the Sony Walkman, which allowed the person to personally control what they listen to.^[8][7] The Walkman was convenient because of its size, the device could fit in most pockets and often came equipped with a clip for belts or pants.^[7] The compact cassette used doubled-sided magnetic tape to distribute music for commercial sale.^[7][9] The music is recorded on both the "A" and "B" side of the tape, with cassette being "turned" to play the other side of the album.^[7]

Compact disc[link]

A compact disc within an open 'Jewel Case'

The Compact Disc's format effectively replaced both the vinyl record and the cassette, to become the standard for the commercial mass-market distribution of music albums.^[10] The CD is a digital data storage device which permits digital recording technology to be used to record and play-back the recorded music.^[9][10]

Length[link]

According to the rules of the UK Charts, a recording counts as an "album" if either it has more than four tracks or lasts more than 25 minutes.^[11] Sometimes shorter albums are referred to as "mini-albums" or EPs.^[12] Albums such as Tubular Bells, Amarok, Hergest Ridge by Mike Oldfield, and Yes's Close to the Edge, include fewer than four tracks. Other artists such as Pinhead Gunpowder refer to their own releases under 30 minutes to bake as "albums" despite the normal distinction.

If an album becomes too long to fit a single vinyl record or CD, a recording artist may make the decision to release a double album where two vinyl LPs or compact discs are packaged together in a single case, or a triple album containing three LPs or compact discs.

Recording artists who have an extensive back catalog will often re-release several CDs in one single box with a unified design, often containing one or more albums, or a compilation of previously unreleased recordings. These are known as box sets. Some musical artists have also released more than three compact discs or LP records of new recordings at once, in the form of boxed sets, although in that case the work is still usually considered to be an album.

See also[link]

Look up album in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Music albums

• Album cover
• Concept album
• Compact Disc
• Extended play
• Liner notes
• List of albums
• Long play
• Release (music)
• Single (music)

References[link]

Ben Folds
Ben Folds (2007)
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Scott Folds
Born	(1966-09-12) September 12, 1966 (age 45)
Origin	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Genres	Piano rock, rock
Occupations	Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keytar, melodica, synthesizer, drums
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Attacked By Plastic, Epic
Associated acts	Ben Folds Five The Bens Fear of Pop Majosha Snuzz Pomplamoose Julia Nunes Charlie McDonnell Regina Spektor Amanda Palmer Angela Aki Kate Miller-Heidke William Shatner Sara Bareilles 8in8
Website	benfolds.com

Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world. He has also collaborated with musicians such as William Shatner, Regina Spektor and "Weird Al" Yankovic and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with authors such as Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman. In addition to contributing music to the soundtracks of the animated films Over the Hedge, and Hoodwinked!, Folds produced Amanda Palmer's first solo album and has been a judge on the NBC a cappella singing contest The Sing-Off since 2009.^[1]

Early life and career[link]

Folds became interested in piano at age nine. His father, a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer who was unable to pay.^[2] During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned them by ear.^{[citation needed]} During his years at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer.

In the late 1980s, Folds (as a bassist) and longtime friend Millard Powers formed the band Majosha. The group released several locally produced records. They played their first gig at Duke University's Battle of the Bands in 1988, and won.^[3] They played at bars and fraternity parties, and eventually put out a self-produced EP, which was sold at a few local stores called Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus (1988). The record featured only four songs, with none of them actually being about Jesus. They recorded Shut Up and Listen to Majosha in 1989. It contains, among other tracks, the four songs from Party Night (remixed and/or re-recorded) and what Folds would later record with his own band ("Emaline" and "Video"). At about the same time, they did a dance mix of "Get That Bug" that was released in Japan.

Majosha broke up in early 1990, and Folds formed Pots and Pans with Evan Olson (bass) and Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell (guitar and vocals), where Folds played drums. The newly formed band lasted only about a month, after which Olson and Uzzell went on to form Bus Stop^[4] with Folds' brother, Chuck Folds, on bass, and Eddie Walker on drums.^[5]

Folds eventually got a music publishing deal with Nashville music executive Scott Siman who saw Folds open for musician Marc Silvey (as well as playing bass for Silvey's band Mass Confusion), and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue it in 1990. He played drums for a short stint in Jody's Power Bill, headed by Millard Powers, Will Owsley, and Jody Spence. Jody's Power Bill was later renamed The Semantics. Folds did not take a creative role in the band. He, again, attracted interest from major labels. He ended up playing drums there as a session musician.^[6]

"In Nashville, I was running eight miles a day, hanging out with my friends, walking around eating chocolate-chip cookies and playing a lot of drums, which I enjoyed. Life was easy. I was never frustrated – even though I wasn't fulfilling my contract obligations. If you are failing in Nashville, at least your standard of living is nice. Nashville is a nice way to fail."^[6]

Folds attended the University of Miami's Frost School of Music on a percussion scholarship, but dropped out with one credit to go before graduating. He devoted a lot of time to working on piano technique. "I spent maybe six months just running scales with a metronome like a freak," Folds said. "I suppose that did something."^[7]

Folds tells audiences about a jury recital when he was a student at the University of Miami’s music school. A jury recital consists of playing a prepared repertoire (and sometimes unprepared pieces from prior years of training) before faculty members who apply a grade for the entire semester. Folds, a drummer, showed up with a broken hand from defending his roommate from bullies the night before, but was required to play anyway. He ended up losing his scholarship and in desperation threw his drum kit into the campus' Lake Osceola.^[8]

After leaving Miami, Folds moved to Montclair, New Jersey and began to act in theater troupes in New York City. He enjoyed it in 1993 to the point where he didn't want to keep pursuing a musical career.^[6] He also played weekly gigs at Sin-é, famous for being the cafe which had helped start Jeff Buckley's career.

Soon after, Folds moved back to North Carolina. The trio of Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and drummer Darren Jessee formed Ben Folds Five in 1994^[9] in Chapel Hill. As Folds put it, “Jeff Buckley was being signed at that time by Columbia and I was talking to Steve, his A&R guy, and somehow we knew the same people or something."

Ben Folds Five[link]

In 1995, Ben Folds Five released their self-titled debut album. The debut was followed by Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation Naked Baby Photos was released in early 1998. Whatever and Ever Amen spawned many singles such as "Brick", "Song for the Dumped", and "Battle of Who Could Care Less". In 1999, the band released their final album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, which included the hit, "Army".

Folds has described his former band as "punk rock for sissies",^[10] and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of melancholy, self conflict, and humorous sarcasm, often punctuated by profanity.

Despite its presence on multiple Billboard genre charts, no Ben Folds Five singles reached the US Hot 100, although they did show well on both adult contemporary and modern rock charts. However they gained a strong following in the United Kingdom and Australia early in their career, and like many other 'alternative' American acts this was largely thanks to consistent support from national broadcasters in those countries, the BBC in Britain and the ABC's Triple J youth radio network in Australia (and ABC-TV's music video show Rage).

The group's first chart breakthrough came in the UK, when "Underground" made the lower reaches of the Top 40, peaking at #37. Britain was the Five's strongest territory in terms of chart success, with five singles making the national Top 40 there – "Underground", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", "Kate", "Brick" and "Army" – although none managed to crack the UK Top 20.

In Australia "Underground" likewise broke the band locally and while it did not make the ARIA chart, it came in at #3 the 1998 Triple J Hottest 100 poll. The 1998 single "Brick" became the group's only major chart placing in Australia, reaching #13; it also came in at #53 in the ARIA Australian Top 100 for that year^[11] and earned a Gold Record award^[12] while its parent album Whatever and Ever Amen peaked at #9 and charted for 32 weeks.

Folds and his bandmates have moved many albums since 2001. He said, "The songs have been getting a great reaction, it makes me look forward to having a new album out there because it’s been a while. This feels like a really free period in my life and I’m really enjoying it.”^[13] Ben Folds Five reunited to perform its first concert appearance in nearly 10 years on September 18, 2008 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall.^[14] The one-off gig was part of the MySpace "Front to Back" series, in which artists play an entire album live. The band played its final album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. The concert aired during October and can be viewed at Nowwhat.com.^[15] All proceeds from ticket sales benefited the charity Operation Smile, of which Ben's uncle, Jim Folds, is on the board of directors for the North Carolina Chapter.^[16]

Solo career[link]

Folds performing in Knoxville, Tennessee (2006)

As of 2008, Folds had released six solo LPs, including an experimental side project called Fear of Pop, which was released while Ben Folds Five was still together.

Folds's first solo release after the breakup of the band was Rockin' the Suburbs in 2001. He played nearly all the instruments, notably guitar (an instrument seldom used during the Ben Folds Five days). The Luckiest was written for the Amy Heckerling movie Loser, but the scene it was meant for was deleted.^[17] Millard Powers, Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell, and Jim Bogios joined him on the promotional tour of the album. "Weird Al" Yankovic directed and appeared in Folds' video for "Rockin' the Suburbs". Folds' friend and fellow musician John McCrea, lead singer of the band Cake, contributed vocals to Folds' song "Fred Jones, Part 2".

A year later, he released Ben Folds Live, a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs, Speed Graphic and Sunny 16, were released. The last EP, Super D, was released in mid-2004.

Songs for Silverman was released in the United States on April 26, 2005. The album featured Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums, thus returning to the trio format. This album includes the track "Late", a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and also features backup vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time" (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his Poodle Hat album).

Folds contributed to William Shatner's album, Has Been, as producer, arranger, musician, and backup vocalist. Shatner was also involved in Folds' Fear of Pop project, and contributed vocals to a number of songs on the album.

The soundtrack for the 2006 animated film Hoodwinked! featured "Red is Blue," performed by Ben Folds.

In May 2006, Folds contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of Over the Hedge, dubbed "Heist," "Family of Me," and "Still." Included with them was a cover of The Clash song "Lost in the Supermarket" and a remix of "Rockin' The Suburbs." "Rockin' the Suburbs" featured new lyrics written to complement the script of the film.

On October 24, 2006, Folds released Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP, a compilation of songs that were originally released on the EPs Sunny 16, Speed Graphic, and Super D. He announced on his MySpace blog that he planned to work on his next studio album in October 2006 (although recording did not actually start until 2007). On that same day, Folds became the first person to broadcast a live concert over MySpace. The concert was complete with pranks staged ahead of time by Folds, including a drunk man falling over the balcony during "Jesusland" and a suicide attempt at the end. The concert is also notable for featuring a "guitorchestra", a group of acoustic guitarists from Nashville who accompanied Folds on some songs, as well as an impromptu ringtone orchestra made up of audience members playing their cellphone's ringtones in unison.

Folds produced The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer's first solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer which was released September 16, 2008. He also performs on the album.^[18][19]

During a concert at the National in Richmond, Virginia on April 11, 2008, Folds announced that he had completed his newest album, and played four new tracks from this album. He played the first track, "Hiroshima", at the same show in Richmond on April 11. He also debuted new music at an impromptu gig at the Exit/In on December 19, 2007 and at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on January 25, 2008. Other new songs include "Errant Dog", "Effington", "Bitch Went Nuts", "Free Coffee", and "Kylie From Connecticut". Folds played The 6th annual Langerado on March 8, 2008 and was a part of the lineup for the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

On July 16, 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Ben's latest album on a fan site (eventually called Way to Normal (Fake)). The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from Way to Normal, pastiches of dry humor and melodramatic pop interwoven with bright, energetic melodies. Folds explained on Triple J radio a few weeks later that in one overnight session in Dublin he and the band had recorded 'fake' versions of songs from the new album. His sources had then leaked them to the public as a light-hearted joke on his fans.^[20]

Way to Normal was released on September 30, 2008 in the United States and on September 29, 2008 in the United Kingdom.^[21][22] It became Folds' highest-charting album ever in the US, debuting at #11 on the Billboard 200.^[23]

Soon before Way to Normal was released, Folds announced that he planned to record an album with English author Nick Hornby, with Hornby writing the lyrics and Folds writing the music. The idea of the collaboration came out of the 'fake' leak of the album Way to Normal released in July 2008. "(We will) write and record it in about three days, just like we did in Dublin with the fake record," Folds said.^[24]

In August 2008, Folds played piano for friend and Japanese singer-songwriter Angela Aki's song "Black Glasses" on her new album Answer.

On April 28, 2009, Folds released Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella, an album consisting of college student's a cappella arrangements of his music performed by some of the country's best college a cappella groups.^[25]

Folds' song "Rockin' the Suburbs" has been featured as part of the music for ABC's sitcom Surviving Suburbia.

Folds was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists.^[26]

From December 14 through 21, 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing Off alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman and offered insightful, constructive comments and criticisms to the contestants. On the final show, in a departure from his a cappella purism, showcased his talents and played the roaring, riffing piano background on "Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, The Beelzebubs from Tufts University near Boston and Nota, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's second season, and has been confirmed to return for the third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and Sara Bareilles.

In March 2010, Folds became a YouTube phenomenon in a video titled "Ode To Merton". In the video, Folds improvises several songs about people that he sees on the popular social networking site Chatroulette, in the style of "Merton" another YouTube phenomenon who many thought was Folds himself.^[27][28]

Folds' newest album, a collaboration with English author Nick Hornby, is entitled Lonely Avenue and was released on September 28, 2010. On June 14, Folds released the official album art via his Twitter account. "From Above", the first single from the album, premiered on Richard Kingsmill's new music show 2010 on Triple J in Australia on July 18, 2010. "From Above" features Australian singer Kate Miller Heidke on backing vocals.

Folds has recently recorded a video song with Nick Hornby and Pomplamoose. As well, English YouTuber Charlie McDonnell was commissioned to create the music video for Folds' song "Saskia Hamilton", which was uploaded on October 1, 2010.^[29]

Tours[link]

Ben Folds playing the piano in 2009

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After Ben Folds Five split, Folds' first tour with a full band was to support the album Rockin' The Suburbs. He was accompanied by Britt "Snüzz" Uzzell on guitar and electronic keyboard, Millard Powers on bass and keys, and Jim Bogios on drums. Powers and Bogios later went on to join Counting Crows.

On a tour of Australia, Folds joined with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country as The Bens, at the suggestion of a fan on Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together.

In the summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Guster. Folds again performed with Wainwright and Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other notable musical names, including Weezer and Tori Amos. After seeing The Fray perform with Weezer, Folds asked the band to join him for twelve performances in 2005.

Folds also performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) in March 2005, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in November 2005, the North Carolina Symphony in March 2010, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in July 2010. A DVD of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December 2005.

On May 9, 2007, Folds performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra. The orchestra's performance was marred when a fight broke out between two audience members in the balcony, though Folds had not yet taken the stage.^[30]

Folds performed with symphony orchestras again in August 2006 during a tour of Australia, which included performances with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and The Queensland Orchestra.

After his MySpace performance on October 24, 2006, Folds's tour performances began to feature a synthesizer, which he uses in many of the songs when played live. The synthesizer is a red Nord Lead II synthesizer. During his concerts, Folds performs two of his concert traditions: palm-smashing and throwing his stool at the piano.

Folds toured with John Mayer as an opening act (though his set typically lasted an hour) in the summer of 2007. During this tour, Mayer sometimes joined Folds on the song "Narcolepsy", playing synth. At various concerts throughout the tour, parents of young children going to see Mayer would file complaints about Folds' lyrics. Folds responded by posting on his website, "We have kids too, but we don't take them out to rock shows that last until 11pm."^{[citation needed]}

On March 29, 2008, Folds played the Cage Center Arena at Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA. During contract negotiations, he was asked by the administration to not play one of his songs due to its explicit lyrics. Folds refused, citing artistic freedom.^[31]

On May 9, 2008, Folds played his first completely solo show in years at Western Connecticut State University due to the fact that his bassist Jared Reynolds was with his wife who had just given birth to their first son.^{[citation needed]}

Folds made a brief solo tour of Australia during August 2009; at one of his sold out Sydney Opera House concerts he was joined onstage for several songs by Aimee Mann, who was also touring Australia at the time. At the Palais theatre in Melbourne Missy Higgins joined him for You Don't Know Me.^[32]

In 2010, Folds went on a brief tour of North America called "Ben Folds and a Piano" where he played solo other than with Zach Williams or Kate Miller-Heidke and her husband Keir Nuttall as supporting musicians.^{[citation needed]} A small number of copies that were pre-ordered also included signed manuscripts by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby.

In April 2011 Folds collaborated with Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Damian Kulash as 8in8 to write, record and produce eight songs in eight hours which were then available online within 24 hours, as well as being performed once on its world tour, as part of the ReThink Music conference.^[33]

Folds will reunite with Ben Folds Five to play the Mountain Jam Music Festival on June 2, 2012. This will be the first time the band has played together since 2008.

Ben Folds performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC for the 2012 Presidential Scholar in the Arts ceremony with several of YoungArts best alumni.

Personal life[link]

Folds has been married four times. His personal life has inspired several of his songs; the hit single "Brick", co-written with Darren Jessee, was based on the experience of Folds and his girlfriend having an abortion while they were in high school.^[34]

Folds met Anna Goodman in first grade at Moore Elementary School, Winston Salem and was married to her from 1987–1992.^[35] She co-wrote several Ben Folds Five songs: "Alice Childress", "The Last Polka", "Smoke", "Kate" and "Lullaby." Folds was then briefly married to Kate Rosen in 1996.

Folds met Australian Frally Hynes in January 1998 and they were married in Adelaide, South Australia in May 1999.^[34] Two months after their wedding, Frally gave birth to their twins, Louis Francis (July 22, 1999) and Gracie Scott (July 23, 1999),^[36] the former inspiring his song "Still Fighting It" and the latter inspiring his song "Gracie." Hynes also sang lead on "Root To This" on Fear of Pop's 1998 album Volume 1. Folds filed for divorce in November 2006.^[34]

Ben and Fleur Folds were married on November 17, 2007 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.  They are currently based in Nashville where they live with their three children, Gracie, Louis and Julia-Rose.^[37] Folds stated in an online chat on the fan forum thesuburbs.org.uk that he and Hynes share joint custody of their twins. Julia Rose is Ben's stepdaughter.^[38]

Discography[link]

See also[link]

• Kalamazoo, Michigan

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ben Folds

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ben Folds

• Official website
• Ben Folds at Allmusic
• Ben Folds in New York Magazine Slideshow On "Career Highs and Lows"