Ben Powell
take a listen!
You aren’t going to hear Ben Powell shouting from the rooftops that you need to hear his music. This soft-spoken musician prefers to let his music do his talking.
It’s been that way for the past 25 years. Powell, a singer-songwriter and superb blues guitarist who makes his home in Encinitas, is a world-class talent who embraces the beach lifestyle and who plies his trade by nights in small clubs and restaurants, enchanting everyone who comes in contact with his music.
Listening to Ben is a bit like happening into a Delta house party in the 1930s where he commands attention and eases a bit of the weariness of life with blues that is soothing and uplifting. He plays guitar, harmonica, sings and uses a percussive stompboard all at the same time to create his music. This is no easy task, but Ben makes it look simple.
Ben’s blues represent many hours of close listening and observation of blues stylists who came decades before him. Nothing is left to chance in his world. His music carries with it all the nuances that helped usher in the acceptance of the blues beyond the rural South.
It is also heartfelt, the key ingredient to any blues music. Anyone who sees him perform knows that you can’t just conjure up feeling in your music. Ben’s depth and attention to detail leads him to the core of one of the world’s most powerful musical forms.
Ben may be San Diego’s best kept musical secret, but many people around the world know how deep his talent runs and sing his praises every day.