Ben Beckendorf was born in Austin Texas in the 50s. Texas was already in the groove of the Blues - with the likes of T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Freddie King, and many more. Little did they know another bluesman had been born. His family moved to California for a while, then back to Texas, and eventually located in central Texas on a ranch just North of Fredericksburg. "The nearest neighbors we had were miles away, so my guitar became my best friend. I would spend hours a day listening to records and trying to figure out patterns on the guitar." Ever since he knew what a guitar was, Ben wanted one, and in 1964 Ben picked up his first guitar (it was a Gene Autry guitar that used to be his father's that he found in his Grandmother's attic) and never put it down. In 1965 Ben bought his first electric guitar (a used 1949 Kay electric guitar - which he still has). He learned all kinds of music - He liked the Blues, Jazz, Rock, Folk,Country & Pop. He listened to his music heroes with a yearning ear. Unlike a lot of his friends, Ben liked to listen to Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Otis Rush, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and many other Blues icons. " I was always fascinated by the way the old blues players would put their heart and soul into their music." In 1968 Ben wrote his first song, Beautiful Day(which he still plays for live audiences) and has since written and recorded over 800 songs in many different styles and textures. Ben paints a very vivid picture with his lyrics and his guitar sometimes seems to speak in words instead of notes. He writes songs for everyday people about everyday things. His melodic ballads can touch and soothe even the most stringent of hearts and his Rock & Blues tunes produce irresistable rhythms with backbone beats. Ben started his first band in 1967 and has played and toured with bands, worked in studios, written, recorded, produced, and engineered music ever since .Ben has become a staple of Texas Hill Country not only with his music, but with his artwork as well. Ben is the son of the most influential artist in Texas, the late Charles Beckendorf, and some of talent must have rubbed off on Ben.. "I have been doing artwork about as long as I have been playing music." Ben's artwork can be seen at Charles Beckendorf Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas or online at benbeckendorfgallery.com. Ben has made the beautiful Hill Country of Fredericksburg, Texas his home for over forty years. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.