Ben Kweller

Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco in 1981; his family moved to Emory, Texas, and then to the larger town of Greenville by 1986. His father taught him drums at age seven, and by eight he was writing his own songs on piano. At nine he won an honorable mention in a Billboard magazine songwriting contest.

In 1993 Kweller formed Radish with drummer John Kent and bassist Ryan Green, recording the independent releases Hello and Dizzy in Dallas. A demo tape led to a bidding war among labels and a deal with Mercury Records, which released the album Restraining Bolt. Radish appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Late Show with David Letterman, scored a top-40 hit in the UK with "Little Pink Stars," and toured Europe opening for Faith No More, including a Reading Festival appearance in 1997.

After Radish dissolved, Kweller moved to New York and began his solo career in the early 2000s. His songs pair plainspoken lyrics with power-pop structures, played on guitar and piano, and his early records placed him alongside Ben Folds and Ben Lee, the three touring together as The Bens.

Later releases moved through country and rock textures without abandoning the melodic directness of his earliest work. On stage he often performs solo or with a small band, switching between instruments.