Ben Sollee
is a classically trained American cellist and singer-songwriter. His music incorporates banjo, guitar, percussion and unusual cello techniques to create a unique mix of folk, bluegrass, jazz and R&B. [1]
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BEN SOLLEE TICKETS
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Musical career
Raised in
Lexington,
Kentucky, Sollee began playing the
cello in
elementary school. Besides
classical music, his early musical influences included recordings his parents played of
Wilson Pickett,
Ray Charles,
Billie Holiday and
Otis Redding, and later he discovered folk music.
In 2005, Sollee joined with
Abigail Washburn (banjo and vocals),
Bela Fleck (banjo) and
Casey Driessen (
violin) to form The Sparrow Quartet. The group's debut
album,
Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet
, was released in May 2008. That same month, Sollee came out with his first EP
If You’re Gonna Lead My Country
. A month later, in June 2008, he released his solo debut album
Learning to Bend
.
In 2007,
NPR's
Morning Edition
named Sollee one of the "Top Ten Unknown Artists of the Year"
[2]. Following the release of his album in 2008, the
public radio network's
All Things Considered aired a feature on Sollee, describing
Learning to Bend
as "an inspired collection of acoustic, folk and jazz-flavored songs, filled with hope and the earnest belief that the world is good.""
Sollee has also been featured on the
PBS series
On Canvas
, recorded at the First Unitarian Church in
Philadelphia, and has worked on the radio program
Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour
.
[3] Sollee's song "How to See the Sun Rise" was featured in a Season 4 episode of the
Showtime television series
Weeds.
[4]
In March 2009, he began touring with the Vienna Teng Trio, which is led by pianist/singer-songwriter
Vienna Teng, and The Paper Raincoats, a band from
Brooklyn,
New York.
See also
References
- All Things Considered
- Morning Edition
- Listen: Ben Sollee
- http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.do Weeds music