Watch the video Raised in Los Angeles in the 1970s by two musician parents, Ben Harper was one lucky kid. Not only was he surrounded with all kinds of unique instruments like the acoustic Weissenborn guitar he has become so famous for playing, but he had the opportunity to see life-changing live performances.
Take the night of July 24, 1978, for example. Harper's father took him to the Starlight Bowl in Burbank, Calif., to see Bob Marley and the Wailers, whom Ben had only known from the record albums his parents played at home. He was entranced by Bob's music and presence and remains so.
"Extraordinary gig, extraordinary life experience," Harper told BobMarley.com in an exclusive backstage interview before his set with his band, the Innocent Criminals, at the recent Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. "I remember it like it was yesterday to this day. ... It was really the first concert that I'd been to, and it was the first time I'd seen the music I grew up with in my house coming off of a live stage, other than my parents making music."
Almost 30 years later, Harper has carved his own niche in music. His blend of rock, blues, reggae and folk has earned him fame, strong album sales and top billing at festivals like Bonnaroo. His kinship with Bob Marley can be found in the rootsy sounds of his slide playing, his earthy, soulful singing voice, and, most important, his lyrics, which often take on subjects of oppression and racism around the world.
"Bob Marley and John Lennon set the mark for combining music and cultural awareness," Harper said. "It's the highest level in art, I think, that those two represent. And Bob's voice ... it's the platform from which anyone from his time on (has) to reference as far as how they bring that into their own art."
Harper's Bonnaroo set fittingly echoed his Bob Marley concert experience. Whereas Harper fondly remembers Peter Tosh coming up on the Starlight stage to join Bob for a version of "Get Up, Stand Up," Harper did the exact same thing with Bob's son, Ziggy, who had performed on the same stage a few hours earlier.
It was simply the latest episode in a long-standing bond and musical relationship between Harper and the sons of Bob Marley. In fact, Harper toured with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley in the summer of 2006, and it was at that point on their tour bus recording studio that he was asked to appear on Stephen Marley's upcoming debut solo album, Mind Control. Harper "jumped at the chance," contributing slide guitar playing to the album's final and longest track, "Inna Di Red."
"They're all incredible musicians and artists in their own right, and it was a blast collaborating with them night in and night out," Harper said of the Marley brothers. "Stephen Marley is one of the most complete musicians I've ever known. He plays guitar, drums, bass, produces ... he has the ears to put it all together. He's just an exceptional, exceptional artist.
"And he also creates an incredible environment in the studio. If a lot of people are hanging around and hanging around, you can't focus. But in the environment that he creates, it's his family and his music. It was a very intimate process which I'll never forget."
But Harper made a point of recognizing the original musical gifts -- and not just the inherited bloodline -- of the Marley brothers. "I feel their spirit, truly," Harper said. "Of course, there's no separation from father to son, but I think it's only fair to note that if these kids weren't Bob's sons, they'd still be incredible talents. They'd still be the ultimate reggae force to reckon with.
"They've got their own sound and their own voice, and for me, it's about connecting with their spirit. And they are their dad's spirit. So it's inseparable. But really, I'm connecting with them as individuals, and what they're channeling musically."
Harper said he'll always channel Bob musically, which is why he and his band not only play "Get Up, Stand Up" live but also will occasionally add "War" and "Exodus" and even more songs from the Marley catalogue to live sets. "We'll probably end up doing them all," he said, "given enough time."
"Bob's music is magic," Harper said. "It just is magic, and if you could explain magic, it wouldn't be magic. There's a mystic element to it that makes all of it great, and he just never missed the mark. There's just a mystic aspect to it that will carry it through hundreds of years."