BT Blues Club presents Ben Glover

THE famous BT Blues Club returns on Saturday, February 6 with an extra special line up to continue the trend in 2010.

Resident act The Stonehouse Blues Band will be joined by special guest Ben Glover. Ben will play a solo set and will also join the band on stage for a special jamming session.

For those of you who don't know Ben - a good friend of the band - he has been compelled to write songs since his mid-teens when he was awoken and unsettled by Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. It’s writers whose work contains lyrical richness and who take a poetic approach in exploring the human condition that attract Ben. In his own writing he creates characters so life like that you can almost trace the lines of their face with your finger.

Whether it’s the sound of longing in 'Melodies of Midnight', or the worn portrait of a stranger people thought they understood, in 'The Ballad of Carla Boone', the crafted images linger and stir. His words and melodies find their way to the deepest place in your soul.

In his teens, Ben started performing in his home village of Glenarm, and like many in the early stages of their musical career he paid his dues performing cover gigs.

Ben gigged throughout his years at Queen's University, Belfast, where he graduated in Law. Although he had earned his degree he inherently knew that it was essential for him to pursue a career in music.

In the summer of 2004 Ben put together his touring band, The Earls and in spring 2006 the band released their debut EP The Ballad of Carla Boone.

Then in August 2007 Ben Glover and The Earls travelled to Nashville to record their debut album in Studio A in Blackbird Studios. During his time there Ben was introduced to many of Nashville’s top session musicians and the very special guests on this album include 21-time Grammy Award winner Vince Gill, John Deaderick (The Dixie Chicks, James Taylor), Willie Nelson’s longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael, pedal-steel guitar legend Al Perkins (The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, CSNY), Buddy Miller and Grammy Award winner Jim Lauderdale. The friendship that he struck with harmonica player Mickey Raphael brought Ben to of all places, face to face with musical royalty, Willie Nelson.

In early 2009 Ben relocated more permanently to the USA where he began diving into the rich southern culture of Nashville. He frequented the old homesteads and headstones of his musical idols, including Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, journeyed to the legendary crossroads in the Mississippi Delta and wrote his name on the wall at Elvis Presley’s Graceland.

He was chosen to be one of four Northern Irish songwriters to participate in the St Patrick’s Day Nashville/Belfast sister city concert. He also made an appearance in Austin, Texas at the famed SXSW (South by Southwest festival). After a few months in town, Ben performed for Nashville’s music industry heavyweights at BMI’s Basement Buzz, a showcase that features the town’s best up and coming new artists.

Ben returned to the studio on to begin recording on his new album. He teamed up with producer Neilson Hubbard to record in Mr Lemon's studio in East Nashville where he penned the new tunes with some of Music Row’s finest songwriters, including Lost Highway Recording Artist, Mary Gauthier.

Ben's first appearance at the BT Blues Club is timely considering the release of his new album on February 8. So folks, you have been given a taste of whats to come on Saturday, February 6, now make you way to the BT Blues Club to hear the rest - an afternoon of live music not to be missed.

Doors open at 3pm, entrance is 5 with the usual raffles and prizes. Everyone welcome - come early!

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