Ben de la Cour an extraordinary and uncompromising songwriter, whose narratives are rich, fierce, and compelling. At times he’s a folksinger, at times he’s a blues man, or he can wail like a rocker or growl like a country outlaw. Ultimately he is a vivid, deeply moving and totally satisfying storyteller and an ace performer.
To say Ben has lived an eventful life in the course of keeping that flame lit is to put it mildly. As young man he was a successful amateur boxer – taking in the lithe frame he sports today and his aquiline undamaged features, you’d never know that small-time pugilism was ever a feature of his life – which may have inspired the line “never trust any man / if he don’t have no scars”. After playing New York City dives like CBGBs with his brother a decade before he could legally drink, he had already stuffed himself into a bottle of bourbon and pulled the cork in tight over his head by the time he was twenty one. There were arrests, homes in tough neighborhoods all over the world, countless false starts as well as stays in psychiatric hospitals and rehabs as Ben battled with mental health and substance abuse issues. But in 2013 he finally found himself in East Nashville and 2020 saw the release of far and away the best of his four albums – Shadow Land.
de la Cour’s music has been featured on SiriusXM Outlaw Country, BBC Radio and NPR while receiving high praise from American Songwriter, Maverick Magazine, No Depression, Twangville, Dusted Magazine and Daytrotter amongst others. He is a former Kerrville New Folk Winner and currently spends over a hundred days a year on the road touring the U.S, Canada, Europe and Australia.
Ben de la Cour is a significant talent and a fantastic addition to our Acoustic Stayaway. This is a concert and an experience you don’t want to miss.