Clive John "Benji" Webbe (born 11 March 1967) is a Welsh singer, best known as the lead vocalist and synthesizer player for the

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band

Skindred Skindred are a Welsh reggae metal band formed in Newport in 1998. Their musical style mixes heavy metal, alternative rock and ragga. The band also integrate elements of punk rock, hardcore punk, reggae, dancehall, jungle, ska, hip hop, drum ...

. Aside from his main project, he is also active in Diamond Spider, Dub War, Mass Mental and his own solo project. He has featured on albums by Bullet for My Valentine and

Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 19 ...

. Webbe is a native of Newport, South Wales, and a veteran of the rock explosion of the mid-1990s which led to ''Spin'' magazine dubbing Newport as 'The New Seattle'.

Early life

Benji Webbe was born Clive John Webbe on 11 March 1967 in Newport to Jamaican immigrant parents. Webbe's father was brought to the UK on the Windrush ship which brought one of the first groups of

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

immigrants to the United Kingdom. Webbe's father arrived in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

where he struggled to find a job and moved to Wales instead. He became an orphan at the age of 13 and was raised by his older brother in Newport.

Career

Webbe first came to prominence with Dub War, releasing two studio albums, ''Pain'' and ''Wrongside of Beautiful''. A third album was in the works before the band split in 1999. Benji left Earache after they refused to let him record a solo album, which was intended to move to a more hip-hop sound. After a short lived project with

Robert Trujillo Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash ban ...

, Mass Mental, which released one studio and one live album, Webbe formed Skindred with former members of Dub War. Due to a dispute with the record label, a new lineup moved to Bieler Bros. and has released six studio albums. In 2006, Webbe performed with Korn at the 2006 Download Festival, while Korn's lead singer

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, who are considered a pioneering act of the nu ...

was seriously ill, he sang A.D.I.D.A.S. He has also appeared on Bullet For My Valentine's 2008 album

Scream Aim Fire ''Scream Aim Fire'' is the second studio album by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The album was released on 28 January 2008 in the United Kingdom and the preceding day in the United States through Jive Records. Since its relea ...

(on "Take It Out on Me"), as well as

's debut album (on "Quilombo" and "Prejudice"). In 2012, Webbe collaborated with the

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and earl ...

band Dirty Wormz on their album ''Outbreak'', appearing on the song "Blood & Fire". In 2015, Webbe released his debut solo album, a purely

album entitled ''I Haven't Been Nicking in Ages'', produced by Monsta Boy. He has also been performing intermittently with the reformed Mass Mental and in 2015, Dub War. In 2018, commemorating

Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently ...

in the United Kingdom, Webbe was included on a list of 100 "Brilliant, Black and Welsh" people. In 2020, Webbe unveiled a new studio project with Dub War bassist Richie Glover, entitled Diamond Spider. The "voodoo blues" project released its debut single in October that year, with a self-titled album due in 2021 along with Dub War's fourth studio album.

Discography

Skindred - 2017153155029 2017-06-02 Rock am Ring - Sven - 1D X II - 0495 - AK8I6437

Solo discography

Skindred discography

Dub War discography

Diamond Spider discography

Mass Mental? discography

Collaborations

Personal life

Webbe has four children with his ex wife and 17 grandchildren. On September 1st 2022, Webbe married his wife Julie Christian in a private wedding ceremony.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webbe, Benji Skindred 1967 births Living people 21st-century Black British male singers Welsh male singers People from Newport, Wales British heavy metal singers Welsh people of Jamaican descent Black British rock musicians Reggae rock musicians Nu metal singers Mass Mental members