Ben Folds

Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American singer-songwriter. Although widely known for his prowess as a pianist, his first instrument was drums, and he is also adept at guitar and bass.

Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American singer-songwriter. Although widely known for his prowess as a pianist, his first instrument was drums, and he is also adept at guitar and bass. Folds' musical career didn't really get off the ground until the late '80s, as bassist for band Majosha, but he is best known as the frontman and pianist of Ben Folds Five. Folds' compositional and playing technique remain wholly unique, combining elements of the typical 'singer/songwriter' genre, jazz, and power rock. Indeed, his music is evocative of artists such as Joe Jackson and Sir Elton John, with an added edge and bold infusion of energy and wit. Although his music has no distinctive genre with which it is associated, the terms piano rock and indie are often used to describe his unique style. It is worth noting that popular, piano-centric artists such as trio-based Keane and solo artist Matt Hales, a.k.a. Aqualung, began their rise to popularity after Ben Folds' three-member band, Ben Folds Five, broke up in 2000 due to creative differences.

As of fall 2005, Ben Folds has released four solo LPs. His first album, Fear of Pop: Volume 1, was recorded and released while Ben Folds Five was still together. Since it was highly experimental and a pre-breakup release, his first "proper" solo album was Rockin' the Suburbs (2001), on which he played most of the instruments himself. A year later, in 2002, he released Ben Folds Live, which is a collection of live solo recordings of mostly songs originally recorded with Ben Folds Five. In late 2003, two solo EPs, Speed Graphic and Sunny 16, were released, with a third entitled Super D released in mid-2004. His most recent release is Songs for Silverman (2005).