Robert Sledge (born March 9, 1968) is an American musician, best known for his work 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 ...

Biography

Robert Sledge began playing bass guitar at the age of eleven. His brother was playing guitar at his house so he also learned how to play the guitar at the same time. Before playing with Ben Folds Five he was bassist for the bands Toxic Popsickle and Lexx Luthor (with Godsmack's Sully Erna).

Ben Folds Five

Robert was a founding member of the piano-rock trio

. Robert was the bass player for the group as well as taking up backup vocal duties on almost every song at the time. During the Reinhold Messner tour Robert began to use synths on stage as well as playing electric & acoustic basses until the band's break up in 2000. Robert is known for his use of a Big Muff distortion pedal and rockstar flair. Sledge played a Hamer Blitz Bass throughout the early years of Ben Folds Five. It was used on their eponymous debut album. He later switched to a Fender Jazz Bass to record ''

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 ...

'', while playing his Gibson and Epiphone

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...

basses in live shows from that time to the present. Sledge had a sponsorship from Epiphone for his use of the Les Paul Bass, which can be seen in the Ben Folds Five performance on '' Sessions at West 54th''. He also plays an upright double bass for several songs, including " Brick".

Post-Ben Folds Five

After Ben Folds Five broke up, Robert Sledge performed for one summer with the short-lived rock group Brother Seeker, a band composed of Robert and former Squirrel Nut Zippers members Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher. According to John D. Luerssen's ''Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story'' Sledge was heavily considered to replace Mikey Welsh as the new Weezer bassist in 2001 but instead Scott Shriner took the job. He later joined the band International Orange, as a songwriter, bassist and vocalist. International Orange broke up in 2005. Django Haskin's Announcement
/ref> Robert currently lives in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange, Durham County, North Carolina, Durham and Chatham County, North Carolina, Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States Ce ...

, where he gives music lessons and plays in local rock bands the "Bob Sledge Band",Daily Tarheel Interview
/ref> and "Surrender Human."

Ben Folds 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 ...

himself mentioned Robert in his song Not The Same when part of the lyrics in the song says “You took a trip and climbed a tree at Robert Sledge’s party”.

Personal life

Sledge lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife and son, Henry Sledge, who goes by Archie.

References

* ''The Virginia Sun'' – February 17, 1987 "Beam shines music on Virginia" – Frank Roberts

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sledge, Robert American bass guitarists American double-bassists Male double-bassists Living people Ben Folds Five members 1968 births 21st-century double-bassists