Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the
National Symphony Orchestra at the
Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C., since May 2017.
Folds was the
frontman and pianist of the
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
trio
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge ( bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gr ...
from 1993 to 2000, and again in the early 2010s during their reunion. He has recorded a number of solo albums and performed live as a solo artist. He has also collaborated with musicians such as
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
,
Regina Spektor,
"Weird Al" Yankovic, and
yMusic, and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with authors such as
Nick Hornby and
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...
.
Folds has frequently performed arrangements of his music with uncommon instrumentation, including symphony
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
s and
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
groups. In addition to contributing music to the soundtracks of the animated films ''
Hoodwinked!,'' and ''
Over the Hedge'', Folds has produced several albums, including
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...
's first solo album.
Folds was a judge on the
NBC a cappella singing contest ''
The Sing-Off'' from 2009 to 2013. In July 2019, Folds published his first book, a memoir, titled ''
A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons''.
Early life and education
Folds was born in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the Li ...
. He 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. During this time, Folds listened to songs by
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
and
Billy Joel on
AM radio, and learned them by ear. During his years at
Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer.
Folds attended the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
's
Frost School of Music on a full percussion scholarship, but dropped out after having failed 'the jury' and losing his scholarship. 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."
After leaving Miami, he returned to North Carolina and enrolled at the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the fall semester of 1985. It was while studying at UNCG that he met his 'accidental mentor', Robert Darnell. Folds would acknowledge the impact of Darnell on his appreciation of music in his 2019 memoir ''
A Dream About Lightning Bugs''.
Career
Majosha and early career
In the late 1980s, Folds (as a bassist) formed the band
Majosha with longtime friends
Evan Olson
Evan Scott Olson (born 1967) is an American rock singer and songwriter based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Professionally known since the early 2000s for his work as a songwriter for film and television, Olson received renewed interest in his e ...
,
Millard Powers, and Eddie Walker.
The group released several locally produced records. They played their first gig at
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...
's
Battle of the Bands in 1988, and won. They played at bars and
fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternit ...
parties, and self-produced an
EP called ''Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus'' (1988), which they sold locally. The EP has four songs, none of which is 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 "Emaline" and "Video", which Folds would later record with
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge ( bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gr ...
.
The song "Get That Bug" from ''Party Night'' was released as a dance mix in Japan.
After Majosha broke up, Folds played drums in a band called Pots and Pans with
Evan Olson
Evan Scott Olson (born 1967) is an American rock singer and songwriter based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Professionally known since the early 2000s for his work as a songwriter for film and television, Olson received renewed interest in his e ...
on bass and Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell on guitar and vocals, but the newly formed band lasted only about a month.
Olson and Uzzell formed Bus Stop with Folds' brother, Chuck Folds, on bass, and Eddie Walker on drums.
Folds eventually got a music publishing deal with Nashville music executive
Scott Siman
Scott Foster Siman (born July 22, 1954) is a leading American country music entertainment executive based in Nashville, Tennessee. He oversaw the rise of country music superstar Tim McGraw and the launch of Dancing With the Stars celebrity ...
who saw Folds open for musician Marc Silvey, as well as playing bass for Silvey's band Mass Confusion, and moved to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, to pursue it in 1990. He played drums for a short stint in Power Bill, headed by
Jody Spence, Millard Powers, and
Will Owsley
William Reese "Will" Owsley III (March 6, 1966 – April 30, 2010), known professionally as Owsley, was an American singer and songwriter. His two solo albums won critical acclaim, and his debut album was nominated for a Grammy Award, as was the ...
. Power Bill was later renamed
The Semantics. Folds did not take a creative role in the band. He attracted interest from major labels. He ended up playing drums there as a
session musician.
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.
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 did not want to keep pursuing a musical career.
He also played weekly gigs at
Sin-é
Sin-é (; from the Irish phrase meaning "that's it") was a music venue in New York City that helped launch the careers of several noted musicians in the early 1990s.
History Original café
The original Sin-é, located at 122 St. Mark's Place i ...
, famous for being the café which had helped start
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...
's career.
Ben Folds Five (1995–2000)
Folds moved back to North Carolina and formed
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge ( bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gr ...
in 1994, with bassist
Robert Sledge
Robert Sledge (born March 9, 1968) is an American musician, best known for his work with Ben Folds Five.
Biography
Robert Sledge began playing bass guitar at the age of eleven. His brother was playing guitar at his house so he also learned ho ...
, and drummer
Darren Jessee in
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia
*Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area
Canada
*Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbou ...
. As Folds put it, "
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...
was being signed at that time by
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
and I was talking to Steve, his
A&R guy, and somehow we knew the same people or something." In 1995,
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge ( bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gr ...
released their self-titled
debut album. The debut was followed by ''
Whatever and Ever Amen
''Whatever and Ever Amen'' is the second album by Ben Folds Five, released in 1997. Three singles were released from the album, including the lead single, " Battle of Who Could Care Less", which received significant airplay on alternative radio ...
'' in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation ''
Naked Baby Photos'' was released in early 1998. ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' included many singles such as "Song for the Dumped", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", and the band's most successful song, "
Brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
". In 1999, the band released what was to be their final album for over a decade, ''
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner'', which included the hit "
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
".
Folds has described Ben Folds Five as "
punk rock for sissies", and his lyrics often contain nuances of melancholy, self-conflict, and humorous sarcasm, often punctuated by profanity.
They gained a strong following in the United Kingdom and Australia early in their career. Like many other '
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
' American acts, this was largely due to consistent support from national broadcasters in those countries, the
BBC in Britain and the
ABC's
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
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 no. 37. Britain was the band'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 no. 3 on the 1996 Triple J Hottest 100 poll (broadcast on January 26, 1997). The 1998 single "Brick" became the group's only major chart placing in Australia, reaching no. 13; it also came in at no. 53 in the
ARIA
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
Australian Top 100 for that year and earned a Gold Record award while its parent album ''
Whatever and Ever Amen
''Whatever and Ever Amen'' is the second album by Ben Folds Five, released in 1997. Three singles were released from the album, including the lead single, " Battle of Who Could Care Less", which received significant airplay on alternative radio ...
'' peaked at no. 9 and charted for 32 weeks. Following their tour in support for ''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner'', the band decided to amicably break up, with each of the band members pursuing different projects.
''Rockin' the Suburbs'' to ''Supersunnyspeedgraphic'' (2001–2007)
Folds' first solo album after the breakup of the band was ''
Rockin' the Suburbs'' in 2001, released on the same day as the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
. He played nearly all the instruments, most notably guitar which was an instrument seldom used during the Ben Folds Five days. ''The Luckiest'' was written for the
Amy Heckerling
Amy Heckerling (born May 7, 1954) is an American filmmaker. An alumna of both New York University and the American Film Institute, she directed the commercially successful films ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), ''National Lampoon's Europ ...
movie ''
Loser'', but the scene it was meant for was deleted.
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 the album's namesake song, "
Rockin' the Suburbs". Folds' friend and fellow musician
John McCrea, lead singer of the band
Cake
Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...
, contributed vocals to "Fred Jones, Part 2".
A year later, Folds released ''
Ben Folds Live'', a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo
EPs, ''
Speed Graphic'' and ''
Sunny 16'', were self-released on Folds' label
Attacked by Plastic
Attack may refer to:
Warfare and combat
* Offensive (military)
* Charge (warfare)
* Attack (fencing)
* Strike (attack)
* Attack (computing)
* Attack aircraft
Books and publishing
* ''The Attack'' (novel), a book
* ''Attack No. 1'', comic an ...
. The last EP, ''
Super D
''Super D'' is an EP by Ben Folds, the last of 3 in a series released between ''Rockin' the Suburbs'' and ''Songs for Silverman''. It has three original songs and two covers: The Darkness' "Get Your Hands Off My Woman", and a live performance o ...
'', was released in mid-2004.
''
Songs for Silverman'' was released in the United States on April 26, 2005. The album returned to the trio format, featuring Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums. This album includes the track "Late", a tribute to the late singer-songwriter
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
, 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.
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 webcast a live-by-request 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" by Folds 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. A
DVD of the performance, "
Live at MySpace", was released on February 20, 2007.
''Way to Normal'' to Ben Folds Five reunion (2008–2013)
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 tracks from it. He played the first track, "Hiroshima", at the show. He also debuted new music at an impromptu gig at the
Exit/In
Exit/In is a music venue in Nashville, Tennessee. Exit/In is located on Elliston Place near Centennial Park and Vanderbilt University, west of downtown. It opened in 1971 under the management of Owsley Manier and Brugh Reynolds. As a small ve ...
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 Folds' latest album on a fan site (eventually called ''
Way to Normal (Fake)''). The file contained nine tracks along with a
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
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.
[Buell, Gromt]
"Way to Normal Leak"
''BenFolds.org''. July 16, 2008.
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
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...
's Memorial Hall. The one-off gig was part of MySpace's "Front to Back" series, in which artists played an entire album live. The band played ''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner''. All proceeds from ticket sales benefited the charity
Operation Smile, of which Folds' uncle, Jim Folds, is on the board of directors for the North Carolina Chapter.
''
Way to Normal'' was released on September 30, 2008, in the United States and on September 29, 2008, in the United Kingdom. It became Folds' highest-charting album ever in the US, debuting at no. 11 on the
''Billboard'' 200. Fan reception of the album was rather mixed, with several citing the heavy use of
dynamic compression as a major downfall of the album. Folds responded, releasing a more "traditional" mix of the album entitled ''
Stems and Seeds'', featuring various bonus tracks such as the entire "leaked" album and providing
stems that allowed fans to create remixes.
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.
In March 2010, a video Folds created titled "Ode To Merton" went
viral on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. In the video, Folds improvises several songs about people that he sees on the social networking site
Chatroulette
Chatroulette is an online chat website that pairs random users with a choice between two other users for webcam-based conversations. Visitors to the website begin an online chat (audio, and video) with another visitor. At any point, either user ...
, in the style of "
Merton", a YouTube creator who many initially thought was Folds himself.
Folds' final solo album before his reunion with
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge ( bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gr ...
, a collaboration with English author
Nick Hornby, was entitled ''
Lonely Avenue
"Lonely Avenue" is a popular song written by Doc Pomus that was a No. 6 rhythm and blues hit for Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as ...
'' and was released on September 28, 2010. Announced shortly before the release of ''Way to Normal'', he idea of the collaboration came out of the "fake" leak of the album 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. As schedules began to misalign, the plans for the album began to change and take on the form of a more major release. On June 14, 2010, 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
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
in Australia on July 18, 2010. "From Above" features Australian singer Kate Miller Heidke on backing vocals. Folds also 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.
The band reunited once again in 2011 with a subsequent release of the album ''
The Sound of the Life of the Mind'', leading to a tour of their new work throughout 2012 and 2013.
Work with chamber pop to present (2014–present)
In March 2014, Folds premiered a commissioned
piano concerto he composed with the
Nashville Symphony Orchestra. This was followed up in 2015 with ''
So There
''So There'' is an album by Ben Folds and the yMusic Ensemble, released on September 11, 2015. The album includes eight chamber pop songs and one piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony.
Track listing
Personnel
Tracks 1-8:
*Be ...
'', an album by Folds and the
yMusic Ensemble, released on September 11, 2015. The album includes eight
chamber pop songs and the piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony.
In September 2018, Ben Folds released the song "Mister Peepers" as a single commissioned by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
''. The song depicts former
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
Rod Jay Rosenstein (; born January 13, 1965) is an American attorney who served as the 37th United States deputy attorney general from April 2017 until May 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as a United States attorney for the District ...
's conflict with
Republicans during the
Russia investigation, with the name coming from
President Trump's nickname for Rosenstein.
In June 2020, Ben Folds released the song "2020", describing the difficulty of living during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
In 2021, Folds was reported to be appearing on the podcast ''
Storybound
''Storybound'' is a podcast created, produced, and hosted by Jude Brewer, with original music composed for each episode. The show is a collaboration between ''Lit Hub'' and The Podglomerate podcast network, featuring household names and Pulitze ...
''.
Other work in music
Work for other musicians
In addition to collaborations on Folds' own music, he often works with other musicians on their projects. In 1997, Ben Folds recorded an unreleased studio album titled ''
Forever Valentine'' with
Whiskeytown.
"Weird Al" Yankovic's parodied Ben Folds' style in the song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his 2003 album ''
Poodle Hat''.
According to music critic
Nathan Rabin, the song "amplifies the noxious self-absorption of the American character to hilarious extremes" by describing a narrator who, upon hearing about a number of horrible tragedies, only complains about the (minor) inconveniences that affect him.
[Rabin and Yankovic 2012, p. 161.] Folds himself plays piano on the track. Yankovic later told ''
The A.V. Club'': "Ben and I are old friends at this point, and of course I sought his keyboard work for that song. So he came in and knocked it out."
In 2004, Folds acted as producer, arranger, musician, and
backup vocalist
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...
to
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
's album, ''
Has Been
''Has Been'' (2004) is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's ''The Transformed Man''. The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements for ...
''. Shatner was also involved in Folds' ''Fear of Pop'' project, contributing vocals to a number of songs on the album, most notably the song "In Love".
In August 2008, Folds played piano for friend and Japanese singer-songwriter
Angela Aki
known professionally as , is a pop singer, songwriter and pianist.
Biography
Early life
Aki was born in the small town of Itano in Tokushima Prefecture, in the mostly rural island of Shikoku. Her mother is Italian American and her father is ...
's song "Black Glasses" on her album ''
Answer''.
Folds produced
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...
of
The Dresden Dolls' first solo album, ''
Who Killed Amanda Palmer'', which was released September 16, 2008. He also performs on the album.
Soundtracks
Ben Folds has often contributed both original and previously recorded songs to movies and television shows. The
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...
for the 2005 animated film ''
Hoodwinked!'' featured "Red is Blue", performed by Folds. In May 2006, Folds contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of ''
Over the Hedge'', titled "Heist", "Family of Me", and "Still". Included with them was a cover of
the Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
song "Lost in the Supermarket" and a recording of "Rockin' the Suburbs" featuring new lyrics written to complement the plot of the film.
Folds' song "
Rockin' the Suburbs" was featured on the soundtrack for
ABC's sitcom ''
Surviving Suburbia'', which aired in August 2009. Folds also wrote the soundtrack for the
Netflix original film
__NOTOC__
The following are lists of Netflix original films by year:
Lists
*List of Netflix original films (2015–2017)
*List of Netflix original films (2018)
*List of Netflix original films (2019)
*List of Netflix original films (2020)
*Lis ...
''
Handsome
Handsome may refer to:
*Physical attractiveness
*Human physical appearance
Music
*Handsome (band), an American rock band
Albums
*Handsome (EP), ''Handsome'' (EP), 1989 EP by American band Tar
*Handsome (Handsome album), ''Handsome'' (Handsome al ...
'', released in May 2017.
Tours
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
Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist Mil ...
.
On a tour of Australia, Folds joined with solo artists
Ben Kweller and
Ben Lee to travel the country as
The Bens
The Bens were a rock supergroup consisting of the trio, Ben Folds, Ben Kweller and Ben Lee, which toured for "the Bens Rock Over Australia tour" in 2003.
History
Kweller described how the trio formed, "Well actually our fans noticed that we ...
, 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
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
and
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
. 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
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...
(BSO) in November 2005, the
Sydney Symphony at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
,
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian performing arts organisation comprising 75 full-time musicians, established in 1936.
Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Ha ...
,
Western Australian Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Perth, Western Australia. Its principal concert venue is the Perth Concert Hall. WASO also gives concerts at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. , WA ...
,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008.
The MSO relies on f ...
, and the
Queensland Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, th ...
during an Australian tour in 2006. Folds performed with 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.
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 frequently performs two of his concert traditions: palm-smashing the keys and throwing his stool at the piano.
In March 2007, Folds went on a headlining tour, which opened on March 24 at
Assumption College in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
. In the summer of 2007, he performed as the primary opener for
John Mayer during his ''Continuum'' 38-day summer tour. 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 11 pm."
On March 29, 2008, Folds played the Cage Center Arena at
Berry College
Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian princip ...
in
Mount Berry, Georgia
Mount Berry is an unincorporated community contiguous with the main campus of Berry College in Floyd County, Georgia, United States, bordering the city of Rome. Mount Berry Mall, the shopping mall serving Rome, is in the Mount Berry area. It i ...
. 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.
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.
Folds made a brief solo tour of Australia during August 2009; at one of his sold out
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
concerts he was joined onstage for several songs by
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
, who was also touring Australia at the time. At the Palais theatre in Melbourne
Missy Higgins
Melissa Morrison Higgins (born 19 August 1983), known professionally as Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her Australian number-one albums are ''The Sound of White'' (2004), ''On a Clear Night'' (2007) and '' The O ...
joined him for "
You Don't Know Me", a single from ''Way to Normal'' that Folds originally sang with
Regina Spektor.
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. A small number of copies that were pre-ordered also included signed manuscripts by Folds and Hornby.
In April 2011, Folds collaborated with
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...
,
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...
, 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.
Folds reunited with Ben Folds Five to play the
Mountain Jam Music Festival on June 2, 2012. This was the first time the band had performed live together since 2008.
Ben Folds performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for the 2012 Presidential Scholar in the Arts ceremony with several of YoungArts best alumni.
As part of their 2013 "Last Summer on Earth" Tour,
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge ( bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gr ...
joined the
Barenaked Ladies along with
Guster for 30 dates across North America, beginning June 17 at the
Verizon Theatre in Dallas, Texas and ending at the 2013
Celebrate Brooklyn festival.
From November 22 to 24, 2013, Folds took part in Performing Arts' ''American Voices'' festival hosted by
Renée Fleming
Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for ...
at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which featured American jazz, country, Broadway, gospel, popular and classical music. With
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
, he conducted a pop/rock master class for aspiring singers. During the concert series he premiered his new song "I'm Not the Man" with the
National Symphony Orchestra and sang "Not the Same" with Bareilles.
On January 20, 2014, Folds performed at the
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, in support of the
David Lynch Foundation's celebration of
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
's "lifetime of peace and love".
From July 2017 to early 2018, Ben Folds went on a tour titled "The Paper Airplane Tour", in which audience members were encouraged to throw paper airplanes with song requests onto the stage halfway through the concert. Folds would then randomly select from these requests from his extensive catalog and perform them solo.
Other ventures
Folds is an avid photographer and cites it as more than just his hobby. His work was featured by
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
during the
2010 Tennessee floods.
Folds made a brief guest appearance on a 1996 ''
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American adult animated comedy talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. In contrast to the original ...
'' episode, Surprise, on
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
. This marks one of Ben's first non-musical TV appearances.
In 2001, Folds was an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists.
Starting in December 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on
NBC's
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
competition ''
The Sing-Off'' alongside
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
and
Shawn Stockman. In the
season 1 finale, Folds showcased his talents and played the piano background on "
Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, the
Beelzebubs
The Tufts Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", is a male a cappella group of students from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song." Founded ...
from
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
near
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and
Nota, from
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's
second season in December 2010, the
third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
and a
fourth season with Stockman and
Jewel in December 2013. The show featured several performances of songs from Ben's first solo album.
Folds has also taken several acting roles in his career. He made a cameo appearance in the 2013 film ''
We're the Millers'' playing himself as a piano teacher, although the scene did not make the theatrical cut. In January 2014, Folds had a brief appearance in the TV show ''
Community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...
'', in episode "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics" (S5E03) as "Professor Bublitz", a botany teacher who secretly grows marijuana in his office, as well as contributing the song that closes out the episode, "Ass Crack Bandit". This led to him taking a recurring role in seasons 3, 4 and 5 of the
FXX
FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...
comedy ''
You're The Worst'' playing himself as an alcoholic. In 2022, Folds appeared as himself on 3 episodes of the 2nd season of
Prime Video's drama series ''
The Wilds The Wilds may refer to:
* The Wilds (Johannesburg), a municipal nature reserve and park in Johannesburg, South Africa
* The Wilds (Ohio), a safari park in Ohio, USA
* The Wilds (TV series), a US streaming television show
{{dab ...
''. Folds described his role on the show as playing a "twisted, dream version" of himself.
Since May 2017 he has been serving as the first artistic advisor to the
National Symphony Orchestra at the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
In June 2019, Folds launched a podcast titled ''ArtsVote 2020 with Ben Folds'' with the stated goal of getting every candidate in the 2020 United States presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...
to have "a one-on-one, 30-minute conversation with Ben Folds about their personal background in the arts and arts education, their observations and previous policy efforts to transform through the arts the communities and states that they represent, and their vision for advancing support for the arts and the charitable sector in the future."
In July 2019, Folds published his first book, a memoir, titled '' A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons''. This was followed up in April 2021 when Folds launched a podcast titled ''Lightning Bugs''. In the podcast, Folds discusses creativity with guests from a variety of backgrounds and fields and writes a song with them at the end of every episode. Guests have included frequent collaborators William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
and Nick Hornby, as well as other guests such as Mo Willems
Mo Willems (born February 11, 1968) is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children's book author. His work includes creating the animated television series ''Sheep in the Big City'' for Cartoon Network, working on ''Sesame Street'' a ...
, Bob Saget, and Jon Batiste.
Personal life
Folds' personal life has inspired several of his songs; the hit single "Brick", co-written with Darren Jessee, was based on the experience of Folds' girlfriend having an abortion while they were in high school. Folds initially refused to discuss the story behind "Brick", thinking it was too serious for a pop song, but he eventually confirmed the inspiration for the song during a show on his Ben Folds Live tour. His telling of the story is included on the "Brick" track on the album.
Folds leased RCA Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
beginning in 2002 and was pivotal to the preservation of the historic building during its developer controversy in 2014. His efforts, along with others, led to the creation of the Music Industry Coalition.
Folds supports the Port Adelaide Power in the Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...
.
Folds supported Bernie Sanders for president in the 2016 presidential election.
As of 2016, he lived in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
. He also owned a residence in Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the riv ...
from 2016, until it was sold in December 2020. As of March 2020, Folds is temporarily residing in Australia, where he was touring when travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
prevented him from traveling home.
Marriages and children
Folds has been married five times and divorced four times. He met his first wife, Anna Goodman, in first grade at Moore Elementary School, Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...
and was married to her from 1987 to 1992. She co-wrote several Ben Folds Five songs, including "Alice Childress", "The Last Polka", "Smoke", "Kate", and "Lullabye". Folds has since described Goodman as his "oldest friend" and the person who originally inspired him to play music.
Folds was then briefly married to Kate Rosen in 1996.
Folds met Frally Hynes, an Australian, in January 1998 and they were married in May 1999 in Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, South Australia, making their home there and later releasing a song about the city titled "Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
".[ Two months after their wedding, Frally gave birth to twins, Louis Francis (July 22, 1999) and Gracie Scott (July 23, 1999), 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
Fear of Pop is the name of an experimental recording project by Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five) and Caleb Southern (Ben Folds Five's long-time producer), along with John Mark Painter (of Fleming and John), William Shatner and others. Their only al ...
's 1998 album ''Volume 1 Volume One, Volume 1, Volume I or Vol. 1 may refer to:
Albums
* ''Volume One'' (The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band album), 1966
* ''Volume One'' (Sleep album)
* ''Volume One'' (Fluff album)
* ''Volume One'' (She & Him album), 2008
* ''Volum ...
''. Folds and Hynes were divorced in 2006.[
Folds married Fleur Stanbrook on November 17, 2007, at The Venetian in ]Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
. They were based in Nashville. Folds and Stanbrook ended their marriage sometime in 2011. In 2012, Folds stated that "As much as I love the idea of being married, it's not for me."
Folds married Emma Sandall, a former Royal Ballet dancer, sometime before July 2020. They have been together since at least 2016.
Awards and recognition
Folds received a 2002 Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA) Gold Record award for Ben Folds Five's ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' (1998).
He was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2011.
October 29, 2015, Folds was initiated as an honorary brother of the men's music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at the University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
.
On August 21, 2018, Folds received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
.
Discography
* '' Rockin' the Suburbs'' (2001)
* '' Songs for Silverman'' (2005)
* '' Way to Normal'' (2008)
* ''Lonely Avenue
"Lonely Avenue" is a popular song written by Doc Pomus that was a No. 6 rhythm and blues hit for Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as ...
'' (2010) (with Nick Hornby)
* ''So There
''So There'' is an album by Ben Folds and the yMusic Ensemble, released on September 11, 2015. The album includes eight chamber pop songs and one piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony.
Track listing
Personnel
Tracks 1-8:
*Be ...
'' (2015) (with yMusic)
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folds, Ben
1966 births
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American singers
21st-century American pianists
21st-century American singers
American expatriates in Australia
American lyricists
American male pop singers
American male singer-songwriters
American multi-instrumentalists
American pop pianists
American memoirists
American rock pianists
American male pianists
American pop rock singers
American rock songwriters
Ben Folds Five members
Keytarists
Living people
Melodica players
Musicians from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Singer-songwriters from North Carolina
University of Miami Frost School of Music alumni
The Bens members
8in8 members
Judges in American reality television series