Benji Webbe
Benji Webbe | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Clive John Webbe |
Also known as |
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Born | Newport, Wales | 11 March 1967
Genres | |
Years active | 1993–present |
Labels | |
Associated acts |
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Website | www.skindred.net |
Clive John "Benji" Webbe (born 11 March 1967) is a Welsh singer, songwriter and musician best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Skindred. Aside from his main project, he is also active in Diamond Spider, Dub War, Mass Mental and his own solo project.[1] He has also featured on albums by Bullet for My Valentine and Soulfly, and plays the synthesizer in Skindred.
Benji Webbe is a native of Newport, South Wales and a veteran of the rock explosion of the mid-1990s which led to Spin magazine dubbing Newport as 'The New Seattle'.[2]
Early life[]
Benji Webbe was born Clive John Webbe on 11 March, 1967 in Newport, Wales to Jamaican immigrant parents. Webbe's father was brought to the UK on the Windrush ship which brought one of the first groups of West Indian immigrants to the United Kingdom. Webbe's father arrived in Manchester where he struggled to find a job and moved to Wales instead.
He became an orphan at the age of 8 and was raised by his older brother in Powys.[2]
Career[]
Webbe first came to prominence with Dub War, releasing two studio albums, Pain and Wrongside of Beautiful. A third album was in the works before the band split in 1999. Benji left Earache after they refused to let him record a solo album, which was intended to move to a more hip-hop sound.[3] After a short lived project with Robert Trujillo, Mass Mental, which released one studio and one live album, Webbe formed Skindred with former members of Dub War. Due to a dispute with the record label, a new lineup moved to Bieler Bros. and has released six studio albums.
In 2006, Webbe performed with Korn at the 2006 Download Festival, while Korn's lead singer Jonathan Davis was seriously ill, he sang A.D.I.D.A.S. He has also appeared on Bullet For My Valentine's 2008 album Scream Aim Fire (on "Take It Out On Me"), as well as Soulfly's debut album (on "Quilombo" and "Prejudice").[4]
In 2015 Benji released his debut solo album, a purely reggae album entitled I Haven't Been Nicking In Ages, produced by Monsta Boy. He has also been performing intermittently with the reformed Mass Mental and in 2015, Dub War.[5]
In 2020 Benji unveiled a new studio project with Dub War bassist Richie Glover, entitled Diamond Spider. The "voodoo blues" project released its debut single in October that year, with a self-titled album due in 2021 along with Dub War's 4th studio album.
Discography[]
Solo discography[]
Year | Title |
---|---|
2015 | I Haven't Been Nicking In Ages |
Skindred discography[]
Year | Title |
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2002 | Babylon |
2004 | Babylon (2004 re-issue) |
2007 | Roots Rock Riot |
2009 | Shark Bites and Dog Fights |
2011 | Union Black |
2014 | Kill The Power |
2015 | Volume |
2018 | Big Tings |
Dub War discography[]
Year | Title |
---|---|
1993 | Words of Dubwarning |
1995 | Pain |
1996 | Wrong Side of Beautiful |
1998 | Step Ta Dis |
2009 | Demos 2010 |
2010 | The Dub, The War And The Ugly |
2021 | Declaration of Dub War |
Diamond Spider discography[]
Year | Title |
---|---|
2021 | Diamond Spider |
Mass Mental? discography[]
Year | Title |
---|---|
1999 | How To Write Love Songs |
1999 | Live in Tokyo |
Collaborations[]
Year | Band | Album | Song(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Soulfly | Soulfly | "Quilombo"; "Prejudice" |
2004 | Bullet for My Valentine | Jeff Killed John (EP) | "Nation2Nation" |
2008 | Scream Aim Fire | "Take It Out on Me" | |
2010 | Forever Never | I Can't Believe it's Not Metal | "Boombastic" |
2015 | Farmikos | Farmikos | "Fragile" |
2015 | Silly Band! | Water is the ruination of Everything | "Save my Farm" |
2015 | Crossfaith | XENO | "Wildfire" |
2015 | Modestep | London Road | "Circles" |
2016 | Dubioza Kolektiv | Happy Machine | "Riot Fire" |
2017 | Sumo Cyco | Opus Mar | "Move Mountains" |
2017 | As Sirens Fall | "In My Mind" | |
2019 | Phil Campbell | Old Lions Still Roar | "Dead Roses" |
Family life[]
Webbe has a wife, four children and 12 grandchildren.[2]
References[]
- ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Biography: Skindred". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Rawlins, Kirsten. "Music saved me: Benji Webbe of Skindred talks ahead of Bloodstock appearance". Shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- ^ Digby (26 September 2009). "ASK EARACHE: Rob Trujillo & Benji Webbe = Mass Mental". Askearache.blogspot.com. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Skindred Frontman Benji Webbe on The MetalSucks Podcast #233 | MetalSucks". MetalSucks. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- ^ "Benji Webbe reveals all about Skindred's new album Big Tings". Metal Hammer Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- Skindred
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Black British people
- Welsh male singers
- People from Newport, Wales
- British heavy metal singers
- Welsh people of Jamaican descent
- Black British rock musicians
- Reggae rock musicians
- Nu metal singers
- Mass Mental members