About

Born in Alabam’ abiding in NYC

Artist, poet, troubadour, born and raised on the banks of the Singing River in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, his cousin Buddy played upright for Hank at the Opry and waited in vain for him at what would have been his final concert. Buddy played bass ’til his fingers bled recording George Jones’ first #1 single…and in his long career…he wrote and produced hundreds of hits, worked closely with the likes of Dolly, Cher and Paul McCartney—and ultimately became a self-made man in ‘Music City’ complete with a Nashville street named in his honor. Ben’s uncle “Dub” Killen played bass with Vassar Clements in the Dixie Gentlemen and his Mother shares a birthday with both Ella Fitzgerald & Albert King, but it’s his singularly soulful voice that truly speaks volumes. Ben Killen is unequivocally original.

With Soul, Love

Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy also called it home. Nunnuhsae “The River that Sings” is the name given to the mighty river by the Euchee, native to the Tennessee Valley. It’s also the birthplace of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, discoverer of Elvis, Howlin’ Wolf and Johnny Cash, it’s a stone’s-throw…

& Heart, I only want

from the home of the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound and the infamous ‘Swampers’ in two local studios frequented by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Bob Dylan, Duane Allman, Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cher, Canned Heat and so many more!

Ben
To tell you...

His cousin Buddy was a self-made Music City magnate, who played the upright with Hank Sr. at the Opry, and tracked bass ’til his fingers bled on “White Lightning.” He worked with countless mega-stars across genres, including Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Roger Miller, Faith Hill...

Who I am.

Trace Adkins & Joe Tex. But the lore began at birth, days after the tragic loss of John Lennon, a very strange occurrence in the forest Rendlesham, certainly nearer Liverpool than Florence, but could this other-worldly encounter offer a glimpse into the true original that is Ben Killen?

Ben Killen & The Grand Prospect

Has My Love Gone Away? Live at The Living Room in NYC, for the first time publicly, singing one of the band's newest songs, a soulful power-ballad...

News

Latest News

All the latest info on Ben's newest recordings, projects and works.

8 March
Music , Launch

Breaking The Mold

Launching an online Country Radio Station to Honor Women: As a songwriter, musician, and entrepreneur, my journey in the music industry has been both rewarding and challenging, but throughout all the ups-and-downs, nothing has both disappointed and disillusioned me more than the rampant...

22 Apr
Book , New

Announcing, My first book: Scale Back!

Get 'Scale Back: Simplify Your Life And Enjoy The Things That Really Matter' What would you give to be happier? Do you have a lot of belongings, a large group of friends and a glowing career, but still don’t seem to be able to find the inner peace and happiness that you long for?

28 Oct
Branding , Personal

Illuminated Eyewear

Shades with Soul: I launched my own brand of eyewear! I'd be honored for you to check them out! "The only thihng worse than being blind is having sight, but no vision" –Helen Keller

New work

Recent projects

A few of the many projects I have had the honor to work on.

Bands

The Grand Prospect

With an Americana sound that is distinctly NYC, its many members hail from every corner of these five boroughs, but more in number from Brooklyn than any other.

The GP on Bandcamp

Purchase our debut album or stream the Grand Prospect on Bandcamp

Announcing our latest EP

On December 13th 2012, we released our eponymous Debut LP, & in a matter of weeks we release 'Easy Way Out' We could not be more proud of these songs and can't wait to share them with you!

The Grand Prospect, Four young men standing in a NYC allyway
Stream The Grand Prospect on Spotify

Help us NOT earn $0.003 per strem (since we have less than 1,000 monthly streams) and then decide how to split less-than-one-penny between everybody ;)

The Grand Prospect on iTunes

Listen to or purchase either of our two albums 'The Grand Prospect' and 'Easy Way Out' on the Apple iTunes Store

Bands

Proud Pair of Thieves

The world's first pair of three, these three southern gentlemen assembled in the Big Apple to crystallize their signature sound. Rich with rootsy acoustic instrumentation including guitar, banjo, harmonica, accordion, percussion and upright bass, their sound is as foreign as it is familiar.

Rusty Vine - Proud Pair of Thieves

Lose yourself in this snowy, wintry, stop-motion music video for Rusty Vine by Proud Pair of Thieves, Directed by Ben Killen.

Too Much - Proud Pair of Thieves

Listen to the bass roar in this magical new version of Too Much - Proud Pair of Thieves featuring the full trio!

Proud Pair of Theives, three young men seated around a table
Proud Pair of Thieves on YouTube

Be on the lookout for new videos interact with us and enjoy videos on our Proud Pair of Thieves YouTube channel. Please like and subscribe to help us grow our channel!

Stream on Soundcloud

Stream all 'the hits' from Proud Pair of Thieves on SoundCloud

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