Biography
If Country Music greats Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash, met Blues greats Son House and Muddy Waters, what you would end up with would be Singer/Songwriter and Delta Bluesman, Ben Coulter. Combining the styles of all four legendary artists, the Montrose, AR native has come up with a sound all his own, a style called "Delta Style" Country Music. Coulter combines smooth vocals, steady harmonica, and with a rockin' acoustic guitar produces a raw, yet very polished sound.
Growing up in the Arkansas Delta of Southeast Arkansas, Coulter was influenced at an early age by Gospel music, and country greats such as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings. As he became older he was drawn more and more to the Bluesmen who had roamed the Delta years before, Bluesmen like Son House, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters.
Coulter's college years saw him playing at least once a week at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, leading worship for the University's Christian ministry organizations, the Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship, and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, along with playing at churches in the area. Leaving college in the spring of 2004, Coulter headed out to Branson, Mo, where he played on and off for 3 years. Coulter would play 3 summers in Branson, playing at night around 6 times a week, and during the day around 4 days a week in different restaurants, beer gardens, and places around town. These places include Shorty Smalls Bar and Grill, the Pasta House, The State Park Marina, and he was also hired by Midwest Concerts to be a street entertainer at the Branson Landing. During those 3 years, he would head to Fayetteville,AR, during the winter and was a regular performer on Dickson Street. He performed at Big Daddy's Bar and Grill, and Benson's Bar and Que. He also performed weekly at Sodie's Underground on the square, and a few times at The Perk on Wedington. In January of '07, Coulter headed to Nashville, TN, and was a regular host and performer at The Crescent Cafe and Oyster Bar. There he would share the stage many nights with Grammy Award winner, Anders Osborne, who raved about Coulter's voice, calling it "big like a castle". Coulter also performed at many writer's nights around town, at places such as Loser's Bar, and The Hall of Fame Lounge. He recently has moved back to the Arkansas Delta, to be back home, and to walk in the footsteps of the Delta Bluesmen who roamed the Delta years before.
Over the last 3 1/2 years, Coulter has averaged around 125 shows a year, playing bars, restaurants, and festivals throughout the South and Midwest. His live shows are always packed, fun, and entertaining, giving the fans their money's worth. Wherever he goes and plays the fans always come back to see him when he comes back to town. He has also recorded and produced 3 full length cd's, and 2 singles. And of those cd's, Coulter wrote every song but 2 out of 48 tunes. His latest cd, "Cuzz Vol. II 'Got the devil on my Heels' ", drew rave reviews from Lindy Word, a news writer for the Rogers Hometown News in Rogers,AR, where she compared Coulter to Country great Johnny Cash. With a style completely his own, and a steadily growing fan base, the sky is the limit for this Arkansas Delta Bluesman.
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Full Name- Benjamin Luke Coulter (named after Star Wars characters)
Birthday - Oct. 1, 1980
Hometown - Montrose, AR
Nicknames - "Cuzz", "Ben-jammin", "BenDoe"(this one is from only killing doe deer for years),Mr. Boulter Coulter(that one's for you april)
Brothers - 2, Chris and Scutter
Sisters - 2, Kim and Audrea
Father - Raymond Coulter (deceased)
Mother - Kathy Coulter
Nieces and Nephews - 10, Callie, Payton(deceased), Colby, Megan, Caroline, Colten, Rebecca, Ashton, Blaine, Cody Ray
Favorite Sports Teams - Arkansas Razorbacks (wooo pig), St. Louis Cardinals
Heroes - Jesus, My dad, Ozzie Smith, Merle Haggard
Musical Influences- Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Sr., Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, John Denver, Bob Wills, Tommy Wilson, and all the pickers at Portland Camp, Son House, Muddy Waters, Lightnin Hopkins, John Lee Hooker,
Relationship Status - In a Relationship
Dream Women - I've got her already
Idea of perfect woman - a woman that loves Jesus, the Arkansas Razorbacks, Merle Haggard, and the St. Louis Cardinals, with a great smile and sweet voice(i'm a big smile and voice guy)
First steady gig - Shorty Smalls in Branson
First job - Portland IGA in Portland, AR
Favorite song - "All i know" a gospel song by the isaacs
Favorite movies - Lord of the Rings, Crossroads(not the Britney Spears one), all the Rocky movies(except 5), Crossfire Trail, Tombstone, Outlaw Josey Wales, Lonesome Dove, Last of the Dogmen
What i wanted to be when i was little - Pro baseball player
Favorite baseball player of all time - Ozzie Smith
Favorite meal - Deer meat , mashed potatoes with gravy, mustard greens, pinto beans, green beans, prolly peach cobbler for desert or mama's chocolate chip cookies
Hobbies(besides music) - hunting, fishing, baseball, and anything to do with the Razorbacks
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Merle Haggard
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Johnny Cash
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Son House
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Waylon Jennings
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Charley Patton, "Father of the Delta Blues"
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Muddy Waters
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Lightnin Hopkins
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Hank Williams Sr.
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Jimmie Rodgers
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Robert Johnson
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B.B. King
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John Lee Hooker
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COUNTRY MUSIC...DELTA STYLE
The Mississippi Delta has always been known for it's music. The Delta blues have captured people's attention for over many years. Now the delta has become the birth place for another type of music, Delta style country music. Born and raised in the little ,delta town of Montrose,AR, in the Southeast corner of Arkansas, Ben Coulter has come up with a style all his own. Mixing country, early rock and roll, and delta blues, Ben has come up with a "raw, simple, and real sound" that has been called, "Country music...delta style".
Montrose,AR, pop. 500, is located in the middle of the Arkansas side of the Mississippi Delta. In every direction around the town there are flat cotton fields that run for miles and miles. In those little delta towns everything revolves around the cotton.... Running right through the heart of Montrose, and about 100 yards from the house where Ben grew up, is a North-South running train track. The train runs here about every 30 minutes, shaking everything in the houses, and is almost like a fellow citizen of Montrose.
Ben takes these experiences of growing up in the delta, and turns them into music. His songs consists of trains, cotton fields, religion, love, and life in general. His songs aren't hard to understand, they are simple, as the people are down in the delta. His songs consists of just him and his acoustic guitar, reminiscent of early blues records. Ben takes a hard acoustic style pickin, strong heartfelt lyrics, and with a rich, smooth voice, takes you to the traintracks, to the cotton fields, and makes you feel as if you know what's it's like to live in the delta, to walk in Ben's shoes... Fans of country, gospel, early rock, or blues, will all be sure to love Ben Coulter and this Delta Style Country Music.....
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