Ben Folds

Artist Image: Ben Folds
Attribution
Image Credit: Kim Tonelli (submission by Brian Hultgren), FAL

Biography

Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. From 1995 to 2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. After the group temporarily disbanded, Folds performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world. The group reunited in 2011. 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.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1995
Number of Albums 23
Record Label New West Records
Website benfolds.com
Wikipedia Ben Folds on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What year was Benjamin Scott Folds born?

1966

...Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966 , in WinstonSalem, North Carolina) is an American singersongwriter. He is widely known for his prowess as...
Who is the band Snuzz?

Britt Harper Uzzell

...aring in Pots & Pans now known as the Snuzz demo, as a pianist in Britt Harper Uzzell 's (aka Snuzz) band. Folds is best known for his later work as th...
Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman have undertaken what type of songwriting projects?

experimental

...atner, Regina Spektor, Weird Al Yankovic, and yMusic, and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with authors such as Nick Hornby and Neil Gaima...
Who brought a piano home from a barter trade with a customer?

His father

...ras and a cappella groups. He became interested in piano at age nine. His father , a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer...
What two artists did Folds listen to on AM radio?

Elton John and Billy Joel

...as unable to pay. During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned them by ear. During his years at Ric...
Where was Richard J. Reynolds High School?

WinstonSalem

... them by ear. During his years at Richard J. Reynolds High School in WinstonSalem , Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer. ...
What was Folds' main focus?

piano technique

...ianist, bassist, or drummer. He devoted a lot of time to working on piano technique . I spent maybe six months just running scales with a metronome lik...
What university did he attend in 1985?

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

...said. After leaving Miami, he returned to North Carolina and enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the fall semester of 1985....
What year was he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro?

1985

...said. After leaving Miami, he returned to North Carolina and enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the fall semester of 1985 ....
Ben Folds Five's sound and fury were reminiscent of what decade?

1970s punk

...rvers by surprise. While the bands sound and fury were reminiscent of 1970s punk , their songwriting demonstrated a fervent passion for 1970s soft rock...
What is the name of the band?

Ben Folds Five

...Hence, the emergenceand successof Ben Folds Five is something that took many observers by surprise. While the bands sound and fury were reminiscent of...
What state is Folds from?

North Carolina

...s, chief songwriter Folds is the focal point of the group. That the North Carolina native would end up leading his own band is probably not a surprise...
What university did Folds attend?

University of Miami

...cal education helped Folds earn a scholarship to the wellregarded University of Miami jazz program, but the classically trained orchestral percussioni...
Where did he work as a songwriter?

Nashville

...al waters elsewhere, including an unrewarding stint as a songwriter in Nashville . As Folds told Richard Cromelin in a 1996 interview in the Los Angele...
In what year did Fold's interview with Richard Cromelin occur?

1996

... stint as a songwriter in Nashville. As Folds told Richard Cromelin in a 1996 interview in the Los Angeles Times, I had been railroaded into a lot of ...
When did the band release their first live album?

2013

...olds Five, released a new album and toured the world in 201213. In early 2013 they released their first LIVE album. Folds returned to his solo career ...
When did Ben Folds emerge as the leader of the power pop trio?

mid'90s

...American singer, songwriter, and producer Ben Folds emerged in the mid'90s as the leader of the power pop trio Ben Folds Five, before striking out on ...
In what year did Folds strike out on a solo career?

2001

... trio Ben Folds Five, before striking out on a successful solo career in 2001 . In addition to his own work, Folds has collaborated with a wide array o...
What was the name of the band that Folds played for in the late '80s?

Majosha

...y and Neil Gaiman. Following a late'80s stint playing bass for the band Majosha , the North Carolina native spent several years in Nashville working la...
What did Folds do after moving to New York?

acting

...ars in Nashville working largely as a session drummer. Folds dabbled in acting after relocating to New York, while performing solo gigs around the cit...
Who was the bassist in Ben Folds Five?

Robert Sledge

... 1994 Folds formed Ben Folds Five, a trio that also included bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee. But like punk bands, Ben Folds Five put ...
What was Ben Folds Five's first cult hit?

Underground

...t arrived in 1995 on Caroline Records, yielding their first cult hit, Underground . With some help from MTV's 120 Minutes and plenty of touring, the ba...
When was their self-titled debut released?

1995

...on a highenergy, blistering live show. Their selftitled debut arrived in 1995 on Caroline Records, yielding their first cult hit, Underground. With so...
What was Folds' first solo album?

Volume 1

...oline, issued a 16track rarities collection (Naked Baby Photos), while Folds released his first solo album, Volume 1 , under the pseudonym Fear of Pop....
What instruments have reigned supreme in the 90s?

guitarsbassdrums

...neglected instrument in the 1990s world of alternative rock, where guitarsbassdrums have reigned supreme. Hence, the emergenceand successof Ben Folds ...
What did their songwriting demonstrate a passion for?

1970s soft rock

...of 1970s punk, their songwriting demonstrated a fervent passion for 1970s soft rock . As Folds was quoted as saying in a 1997 New York Times article, O...
What was Folds' father's occupation?

carpenter

...prise to those who know him, as Folds grew up with music. The son of a carpenter father and a painter mother, he was raised in WinstonSalem, where he ...
On what date was Ben Folds born?

September 12, 1967

...Born on September 12, 1967 ; son of a painter and a carpenter; married Kate Rosen, 1999; children: two. Education: Graduated from University of North C...