Ben Bledsoe
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Frederick "Ben" Bledsoe (born May 11, 1982; Snellville, Georgia
) is an American
pop singer formerly of the boy band
Natural
. He is currently a solo singer and actor living in Los Angeles
, California
.
. He guest starred on the Nickelodeon
TV series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
in 1997. In his teen years he moved to Longwood, Florida
, a suburb of Orlando
, where he met future band mate Marc Terenzi
. At 16 he helped formed the band Natural
, with fellow members Patrick King, Michael Johnson
, and later Michael 'J' Horn
.
and pop
. Although were a full band when performing live, they would perform a cappella
renditions at local venues. Their first show at the House of Blues
in Orlando completely sold out.
Produced Veit Renn
signed the band, and they started recording new music. Natural obtained a following in Orlando, and Veit decided to send them on a promotional tour of Germany. Lou Pearlman
saw them perform at the German Festival "Popkomm
" in Cologne
. He was there promoting another act. Very soon after they were signed with Transcontinental Records.
Pearlman promoted the first single with Claire's
and sent the band on a tour with the Monkees
, traveling by private jet and tour bus. The first single "Put Your Arms Around Me" became RIAA-certified Gold, and reached the Billboard Sales Chart Position of #8.
Soon thereafter, Natural was signed to BMG International, based in Munich
. The band immediately started touring in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, France, and Sweden. They had success with such hits as "Put Your Arms Around Me", "Will It Ever", "Runaway", "Let Me Just Fly", "What If", and the Sarah Connor number-one hit "Just One Last Dance
", on which they were featured.
Bledsoe's new songs were a mixture of pop and rock. He wrote all of the songs himself for his first album, and played the guitar and piano (as well as other instruments) in most of the recordings and performances. The CD was named An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart
due to his lack of sleep
while creating the album, and the first song he wrote for it, titled "Lonely Heart". He released An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart on his own record label, 44th Floor Records. It was #1 on Amazon.com
for exports to Germany, and was in the top 5% of sales overall. It was simultaneously #1 and #2 on Awarestore.com, beating out Aware's own artists such as John Mayer
, Five for Fighting
, and Wheatus
. The first single release was the tongue and cheek song "Boyfriend".
He began touring in Florida and New York, and continued with Seventeen
magazine's national Rock your Prom tour in 2005 and Radio Disney Tours in the U.S. He toured Europe, and played at Hard Rock Cafe
's "Rocktober" tour—a charity tour to raise money for breast cancer
research.
He currently is working on new music in L.A. with top songwriter/producer, Eddie Galan
of Mach 1 Music.
shows, such as Hairspray
and Cry-Baby
. He studied with The Groundlings
and the Lesley Kahn School of Acting, and guest starred on an episode of the TV show House
. Ben guest starred in the pilot episode
of the TV show Glee
.
Snellville, Georgia
Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. The population was 15,351 at the 2000 census. The city's mayor, Jerry Oberholtzer, was elected to a 4-year term in 2007. The city's commercial and residential development has grown enormously in recent years...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop singer formerly of the boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
. He is currently a solo singer and actor living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Early life
Bledsoe was a child model and acted in several commercials throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s while growing up in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He guest starred on the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
TV series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo is a youth-oriented action mystery television series that ran on Nickelodeon between 1996 and 1998. A total of 41 episodes of 30 minutes each were produced...
in 1997. In his teen years he moved to Longwood, Florida
Longwood, Florida
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, a suburb of Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, where he met future band mate Marc Terenzi
Marc Terenzi
Marc Eric Terenzi is an American pop singer formerly of the boy band Natural. He was married to German pop/soul singer Sarah Connor from 2005-2008. They have a son named Tyler and a daughter named Summer.-Early life:...
. At 16 he helped formed the band Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
, with fellow members Patrick King, Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (drummer)
Michael Wayne Johnson is an American pop singer and drummer, formerly of the boyband "Natural". He performed with various projects until joining Marc Terenzi in a new band Terenzi in 2008.-Early life:...
, and later Michael 'J' Horn
Michael 'J' Horn
Michael 'J' Horn is an American pop singer formerly of the boyband "Natural". He also acts, writes plays, and teaches.-Early life:...
.
Natural
After his move to Florida, Bledsoe did some acting jobs, but after meeting Terenzi, he decided to change careers and start a band. The band was a mix of rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Although were a full band when performing live, they would perform a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
renditions at local venues. Their first show at the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in Orlando completely sold out.
Produced Veit Renn
Veit Renn
Veit Renn is a producer and songwriter born in Augsburg, Germany, and currently living in Orlando, Florida, USA. Renn has written and produced for artists such as *NSync, Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Hudson and Aaron Carter.-Background:...
signed the band, and they started recording new music. Natural obtained a following in Orlando, and Veit decided to send them on a promotional tour of Germany. Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
saw them perform at the German Festival "Popkomm
Popkomm
Popkomm is an international trade show for the music and entertainment business, and also integrates a congress and festival. It is held in Berlin but has had entries from at least 55 other countries. Popkomm is organised by Popkomm GmbH, Berlin.- History :...
" in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. He was there promoting another act. Very soon after they were signed with Transcontinental Records.
Pearlman promoted the first single with Claire's
Claire's
Claire's is a retailer of accessories and jewelry to girls and young women. Claire's has over 3,000 locations worldwide: their stores are in 95% of all U.S. shopping malls, and in 33 countries...
and sent the band on a tour with the Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
, traveling by private jet and tour bus. The first single "Put Your Arms Around Me" became RIAA-certified Gold, and reached the Billboard Sales Chart Position of #8.
Soon thereafter, Natural was signed to BMG International, based in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. The band immediately started touring in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, France, and Sweden. They had success with such hits as "Put Your Arms Around Me", "Will It Ever", "Runaway", "Let Me Just Fly", "What If", and the Sarah Connor number-one hit "Just One Last Dance
Just One Last Dance
"Just One Last Dance" is a song by German singer–songwriter Sarah Connor, featuring guest vocals by husband Marc Terenzi's former band Natural. Written and produced by Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, it was released on 1 March 2004—one month after the birth of the couple's son Tyler—as the second single...
", on which they were featured.
The life of an Insomniac
Natural finished their last tour in Europe and Asia in September 2004. Bledsoe wrote some new music with band members Terenzi and Michael Johnson. Bledsoe taught himself guitar and piano as a way to enhance his compositional skills.Bledsoe's new songs were a mixture of pop and rock. He wrote all of the songs himself for his first album, and played the guitar and piano (as well as other instruments) in most of the recordings and performances. The CD was named An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart
An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart
Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart is the debut album by American pop artist Ben Bledsoe, released on July 19, 2005 on indie label 44th Floor Records....
due to his lack of sleep
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
while creating the album, and the first song he wrote for it, titled "Lonely Heart". He released An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart on his own record label, 44th Floor Records. It was #1 on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
for exports to Germany, and was in the top 5% of sales overall. It was simultaneously #1 and #2 on Awarestore.com, beating out Aware's own artists such as John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting is the stage name of American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the Top 40 songs "Superman " , "100 Years" , and "The Riddle" .-Early years:...
, and Wheatus
Wheatus
Wheatus are an American rock group from Northport, New York. They are known for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag" which was featured in the movie Loser, as well as in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.-1995-2002: Formation and Wheatus:...
. The first single release was the tongue and cheek song "Boyfriend".
He began touring in Florida and New York, and continued with Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
magazine's national Rock your Prom tour in 2005 and Radio Disney Tours in the U.S. He toured Europe, and played at Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
's "Rocktober" tour—a charity tour to raise money for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
research.
He currently is working on new music in L.A. with top songwriter/producer, Eddie Galan
Eddie Galan
Eddie Galan is a Los Angeles born singer/musician, songwriter and record producer, who has worked on albums that have accumulated over 18 million in sales worldwide, garnered him 5 #1 records as a writer/producer and 4 #1 records as a publisher...
of Mach 1 Music.
Acting
After the release of his solo album Ben sought to do more acting. He did some BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows, such as Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
and Cry-Baby
Cry-Baby (musical)
Cry-Baby is a musical based on the 1990 John Waters movie of the same name. The music is by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, and the book is by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. O'Donnell and Meehan also adapted Waters' film Hairspray for the musical stage...
. He studied with The Groundlings
The Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
and the Lesley Kahn School of Acting, and guest starred on an episode of the TV show House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. Ben guest starred in the pilot episode
Pilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
of the TV show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
Discography
| Year | Title | Chart position |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com German export chart | ||
| 2005 | An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart An Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart is the debut album by American pop artist Ben Bledsoe, released on July 19, 2005 on indie label 44th Floor Records....
|
1 |