Bio

Heartfelt and humorous, life re-examined
Acoustic and mystic: the songs of Benjammin

          Imagine James Taylor crossed with Steve Martin and Deepak Chopra. That heartfelt/funny/mystical hybrid would sound a lot like Benjammin.
          The award-winning singer/songcrafter is an ecospiritual troubadour and sly jester. A charismatic performer and sensitive balladeer. Impressive instrumentalist and tender love song singer. 
          In short, he’s hard to pigeonhole. But that hasn’t stopped the praise from fans such as acclaimed singer/songwriter Billy Jonas, who called Benjammin’s latest CD “amazing…a fine, well-crafted, inspired and inspiring work of art.”
          “I occasionally touch on serious issues,” Benjammin said, “but above all I love to entertain. My shows have plenty of humor, love songs and upbeat material, as well as a touch of the mystical. I like my audiences to go home with open hearts and big smiles.”
          Song contest judges have also been smiling: Benjammin won First Place in the OSCA Songwriting Contest, and was a finalist in two Flatrock Music Festival competitions.
          Originally a classical guitarist – he gave world premiere performances at two national guitar symposiums – the silken-voiced baritone now uses his advanced fingerstyle technique on steel strings. But he's no traditionalist, as his work with altered tunings and partial capos demonstrates. His songwriting is also eclectic, with flavors ranging from folk, Broadway and pop to New Age, Middle Eastern and jazz. 
          Benjammin lists singer/songwriters David Wilcox, Peter Mayer, David LaMotte and Tom Prasada-Rao as major influences. The full-time musician lives in Asheville, NC, and is now touring to support his new vocal CD, Shining From Inside. His critically acclaimed debut album, The Beauty Within – which he recorded as Benjamin Bernstein -- features meditative synthesizer instrumentals. His website is www.BJBmusic.com.

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Page revised 4/24/04