An Introduction To Ben Howard 24|04|19

Ben Howard is a mercurial British singer/songwriter who rose to prominence on the basis of his 2011 LP, Every Kingdom. His soulful croon and deft guitar work initially drew inspiration from the 1970’s British folk scene, but later works like 2014’s I Forget Where We Were and 2018’s Noonday Dream utilised more contemporary pop touchstones. Born in London in 1987, Howard grew up in South Devon, where his mother’s collection of folk records helped instill a love for Joni Mitchell, Donovan, and Richie Havens. Howard also developed an interest in surfing, briefly moving to Newquay, the surf capital of the U.K., where he received class credit for working at a surfing magazine. Howard dropped out of school six months shy of graduation, though, convinced by the surf community’s enthusiastic response to his music — which, despite its acoustic folk sound and beachy vibe, sounded more like John Martyn than Jack Johnson — that he should ditch the newsroom and focus on songwriting.