鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to sound like I am anything special,鈥 blues musician Ben Harper says rather humbly.
鈥淚 have exceeded my own expectations. I am an over-achieving slacker.鈥
The 44-year-old singer songwriter is chatting about the songs which mark out a singer鈥檚 career and for him, one of those tracks has been Forever.
鈥淚 wrote that when I was 21, yet people still get married to it,鈥 he says.
Another is With My Own Two Hands, of which he says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 been returned to me in a way that鈥檚 made me very proud of it.
鈥淚 have received letters from schools for having written that song. It鈥檚 been made a school anthem. I have had letters from close to 50 kids describing to me what they have done with their own two hands.鈥
The singer-songwriter says he is stepping out of his comfort zone by embarking on his 17-date tour of Europe, which includes a date at Symphony Hall next week.
After years of touring extensively with his bands Innocent Criminals and, more recently, Relentless 7, it will be the first time in about two decades that he has toured overseas on his own.
鈥淚鈥檝e loved being in the band for the camaraderie and friendship and seeing things as a band,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hey are some of the most special times I have had. But playing alone you get to the heart of a song.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait,鈥 he enthuses. 鈥淚鈥檝e just loved doing it as much as anything I鈥檝e ever done.鈥
It will, he says, be largely an acoustic show 鈥 just him on stage with his guitars and a piano.
鈥淯nless someone鈥檚 in town who will sit in, which is always fun,鈥 he adds.
鈥淚 do plug in a Stratocaster at times,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 a cleaner sound. It鈥檚 the acoustic side of electric.鈥
It will be his first time at Birmingham鈥檚 Symphony Hall.
In fact, he can only recall playing in the city once before 鈥 at a university gig.
鈥淲hen I played there the band Gomez came to the show. They were just kids,鈥 he recalls, amused. 鈥淲e hung out and talked about records we had in common that we liked. They were so bright-eyed. The next thing I was seeing them on TV.鈥欌
Ben was raised by his maternal grandparents, who owned the Folk Music Center and Museum in Claremont, California. Its reputation was such that he recalls serving the likes of Leonard Cohen and blues musician Taj Mahal when working behind the counter.
鈥淚 am definitely a product of my grandparents鈥 incredible musical tastes and archives,鈥 he says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been there since 1958 and it鈥檚 still going. Cousins and brothers and various members of the family are keeping it open.鈥
But that only goes part the way towards explaining his lifelong love of the blues.
鈥淥ne doesn鈥檛 have to live in a particular way to have a love of a particular art form,鈥 he suggests. 鈥淭ake Jimi Hendrix. What could he have possibly listened to that made him Hendrix?鈥
鈥淲hy would anyone play the hurdy-gurdy?鈥 he adds. 鈥淵et someone takes it and devotes their life to it, because they like the sound or they hear the call.鈥
For Ben, it was the slide guitar. Once he鈥檇 heard a recording of one of the old blues musicians he was hooked.
He recalls taking the bus with his fellow 鈥渙utcast鈥 friends from his first band to other music stores and rooting through the bins for old records. And at times it got quite competitive.
鈥淭here were three hands on a record numerous times,鈥 he chuckles.
Over the course of the past 20 or so years, he has brought out some 11 studio albums, collaborated with the likes of blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite and gospel group The Blind Boys Of Alabama and picked up three Grammy Awards along the way.
The distinctive range and quality of his singing voice, his guitar playing and his ability to write all kinds of songs - from searing political anthems to deeply personal and light-hearted songs - have set him apart.
When I ask him if he ever sits down to write a particular type of song, the answer is an emphatic no.
鈥淭he songs have always led the charge,鈥 he replies. 鈥淚 have never sat down once and tried to write a song. The songs either come or they don鈥檛 come.
You can鈥檛 just write a Blowing In The Wind, a Slip-Sliding Away or a Bridge Over Troubled Water, he adds.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 make songs timeless,鈥 he explains. 鈥淧eople do that.鈥
On his Wikipedia site, his occupations are listed as 鈥渕usician, humanitarian鈥.
It鈥檚 a description, he doesn鈥檛 dispute.
鈥淎nyone can cut a cheque. It鈥檚 almost not enough nowadays. The new model is to spend some time in the trenches and be hands on,鈥 he says.
He has four children aged between 10 and 17 and, what with family responsibilities, his music and his charitable concerns, he admits it can get a bit much.
鈥淵ou end up doing so much for your own kids, for other people鈥檚 kids and touring.
鈥淚鈥檝e just done the Grammys (he picked up an award for Best Blues Album) and a science fair project with one of my children. I don鈥檛 know which one was more exhausting. Or which one I am most proud of. It鈥檚 close.鈥
The work load is unlikely to ease up just yet. His next album is a collaboration with his mum, Ellen Chase-Verdries, which is due out in May for Mother鈥檚 Day in America.
鈥淢y mum鈥檚 a singer, a guitar player and songwriter,鈥 he explains. 鈥淪he stopped being a musician to have kids.
鈥淚鈥檝e been talking about doing a record with her for a long time and she鈥檚 held me to it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to see my mum reconnecting with her music.鈥
He is also talking about recording a second album with Charlie Musselwhite and there鈥檚 good news for fans of the Innocent Criminals, as he is hoping to do another album with his old bandmates.
鈥淚鈥檝e also got another band called Fistful Of Mercy who are knocking on the door,鈥 he adds wearily, 鈥渟o I just have to reel it in a bit.鈥
The message, though, is catch him while you can.
鈥淚 love touring,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut I don鈥檛 plan to do it a whole lot longer. The only thing harder than getting into the music business is knowing when to get out.
鈥淚鈥檓 a skateboarder at heart. I think I will be the only one to start a skateboarding career in his 50s.鈥
* Ben Harper plays Symphony Hall on April 29 at 7.30pm. For tickets, tel: 0121 345 0600 or visit
