Last updated: 3 days ago
Born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina, Ben Wakeman spent a lot of time in the woods tromping through creeks and sleeping under the stars. This early love of nature figures prominently in his songs which are infused with equal measures of longing and hopefulness which you can hear in songs like Space.
He started the violin at age five and played until eighth grade when he bought a guitar from a friend for $50. The next day he started his first band which never made it past a logo on the back of a notebook. Other bands would follow in quick succession through high school and into college at Appalachian State where he graduated with a music degree. His band Eskimo Sunburn was part of the North Carolina scene that played the college circuit with other bands like Dillon Fence.
After graduation, he left the indie band scene in favor of a life as a solo troubadour. His soft baritone and facile guitar playing drew immediate comparisons to James Taylor. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia and quickly became a part of the vibrant acoustic scene that sprung up around Eddie’s Attic in the late 1990s. There he got his full education sharing the stage with artist like <a href="spotify:artist:4TROLx8HvrnfGGNo2ngL2N" data-name="Shawn Mullins">Shawn Mullins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6H2X3nGSnuLh8UeEyair9A" data-name="Kristian Bush">Kristian Bush</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2H5elA2mJKrHmqkN9GSfkz" data-name="Gillian Welch">Gillian Welch</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0hEurMDQu99nJRq8pTxO14" data-name="John Mayer">John Mayer</a>.
Not seeing many successful examples of musicians with families, Wakeman chose to focus on family but continued to write, perform, and record. He still lives in Atlanta and plays festivals, back porches, and anywhere people gather to listen.
He started the violin at age five and played until eighth grade when he bought a guitar from a friend for $50. The next day he started his first band which never made it past a logo on the back of a notebook. Other bands would follow in quick succession through high school and into college at Appalachian State where he graduated with a music degree. His band Eskimo Sunburn was part of the North Carolina scene that played the college circuit with other bands like Dillon Fence.
After graduation, he left the indie band scene in favor of a life as a solo troubadour. His soft baritone and facile guitar playing drew immediate comparisons to James Taylor. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia and quickly became a part of the vibrant acoustic scene that sprung up around Eddie’s Attic in the late 1990s. There he got his full education sharing the stage with artist like <a href="spotify:artist:4TROLx8HvrnfGGNo2ngL2N" data-name="Shawn Mullins">Shawn Mullins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6H2X3nGSnuLh8UeEyair9A" data-name="Kristian Bush">Kristian Bush</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2H5elA2mJKrHmqkN9GSfkz" data-name="Gillian Welch">Gillian Welch</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0hEurMDQu99nJRq8pTxO14" data-name="John Mayer">John Mayer</a>.
Not seeing many successful examples of musicians with families, Wakeman chose to focus on family but continued to write, perform, and record. He still lives in Atlanta and plays festivals, back porches, and anywhere people gather to listen.
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