Ben Carroll: Ben

Ben Carroll's soulful, powerful voice lives somewhere at the crossroads of Stevie Wonder and James Taylor--he's captivating, distinctive, mesmerizing. With the help of his accomplished acoustic guitar playing, Carroll moves his audiences with his plaintive songwriting, written from the heart and with a thoughtful, keen eye, while exploring the endless themes of love, of a search for a place and meaning in the world. A soul and folk artist at once, Carroll has steadily toured North America and Europe as a solo act since 2004. He released his debut solo album Lover Undercover in 2005 and his followup Real Thing in 2007 (on UK label Blue Cloud Records), which was #1 for five weeks on AAA FM Radio in Ohio and was played on over fifty radio stations in the US and Europe. His songs have also been featured in television and film, most recently in Pier's End Productions' 2008 release "Wake", which premiered at the Tribeca Cinema in New York City (home of the Tribeca Film Festival). Amore Magazine's reader poll voted Carroll a top solo artist, and his songwriting and performances have been celebrated by the New York Songwriters Circle and BMI New York.

Coming from a musical family as the son of Grammy-winning Starland Vocal Band members ("Afternoon Delight", 1976), Carroll enjoyed a rich musical exposure in his childhood, chiefly in the veins of harmony-laden folk and pop of the 70s, and the R&B/Soul/Roots sounds of the deep south. These influences have been naturally integrated into his music, lustrously evoked by his poetic delivery and his voice of startling honesty and beauty.

Highlights

Spent several years before 2005 as a member of pop/rock/soul band The Minors, based in New York City, and of world folk band Baraka, out of Philadelphia; these collaborations produced one full-length album and two EPs, while keeping an international touring schedule

Released second solo studio release "Real Thing" in 2007 on British indie label Blue Cloud Records; went #1 for five weeks on AAA FM Radio in Ohio and was played on over fifty radio stations in the US and Europe

Released first solo studio release “Lover Undercover” on US indie Luckytone Records in 2005; was described as "bare and revealing...Carroll's lyrics are poetic yet tangible, and his vocals are reminiscent of James Taylor and John Legend."

Performed live on American FM radio stations WXPN (Philadelphia), WVIA (another NPR station, in Pittston, PA), WRNR (Annapolis/Baltimore) and WAMC (Albany)

Songs have been used in numerous programs on MTV, Country Music Television and other television programs internationally

Composed and performed original music for the New York Off-Broadway production of "The Good Thief", by Irish playwright Conor McPherson

Wrote and performed original music for the soundtrack of the short film "Jason's Song", by writer/director Shane Tilston, in which he also appeared on-screen

Selected artist to participate in the New York Songwriters Circle showcases in 2008, at the Bitter End

Invited by BMI to participate in their 2007 and 2008 Contemporary Professional/Advanced Songwriting Workshops

Lyrics to original song "Dola Rosa" were selected for publication in American Songwriter Magazine (Nashville) as part of their August, 2005 edition

Voted a top male solo artist of 2005 in Amore Magazine's Readers' Poll (Portland, ME)

Invited to sit as a panel judge for Mountain Stage's NewSong Contest (NE Regional Round), a national singer-songwriter competition of high esteem