Ben Watson
Ben Watson is an LDS music artist who resides in Montana with his wife and four kids. He views music as a key that holds the power to change lives and strengthen souls. For him, the power of music isn’t so much in what a person hears as it is what a person feels.
As a young man growing up on a farm in Montana, Ben joined the Army National Guard as a junior in high school and later served an LDS mission in the Australia Brisbane Mission (2000-2002). These experiences helped forge in him a desire to travel the world, which he later did as a performer and researcher—making lifelong friends all along the way.
As a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), Ben performed throughout the world with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble. As part of that experience, he was also awarded a research grant to study folk/bush music in Australia. He later completed his master’s degree at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
His oldest daughter Liberty was born two months early (she was due Christmas Day, but arrived in October). After two difficult months at Primary Children’s Hospital and multiple surgeries, she was finally able to come home just in time for Christmas. She is the one illustrating the nativity scene in the video “Stars Were Gleaming/The First Noel.”
Besides being a musician, Ben Watson is a wildland firefighter, teacher, and father. He believes strongly that some of the most powerful musical moments are found in simple, calm arrangements. His version of “Stars Were Gleaming/The First Noel” is evidence of this. Most of his other arrangements follow that same principle.
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Recent Posts
The Killers Release Their Sixth Studio Album – “Imploding the Mirage”
The Killers’ sixth studio album, Imploding the Mirage, was released on Friday, 21 August 2020, after an almost three-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. The album is 41 minutes 59 seconds in length and was released by Island Records in the United States and...
Operation Underground Railroad Ambassadors Unite Their Voices in a Powerful Rendition of “Rescue”
Human trafficking is one of the most deplorable crimes on Earth. It is an abominable form of modern-day slavery that is driven by the evil hearts of individuals whose sole purpose is to dehumanize other individuals, be they men, women, or children, through their...
BYU Vocal Point and a Virtual Choir of 800 Musicians Worldwide Create a Stirring Rendition of “Nearer My God to Thee”
On 10 April 1912, the RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner operated by the White Star Line, set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York. On 14-15 April 1912, at around midnight, the luxury liner hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean....
From a Distance David Archuleta and the Rexburg Children’s Choir Created an Awe-Inspiring Music Video
Two years ago, Ben Watson founded the Rexburg Children’s Choir with children 6-17 from across eastern Idaho. Thus far, the group has released four music videos, and Ben wanted to release something extra special this spring. He was impressed with a hit song made...
The Bonner Family’s Powerful Rendition of “Run and Tell That” from “Hairspray” Sends Succinct Message
The Bonner Family teamed up with their fellow Latter-day Saints behind the YouTube channel Working with Lemons and created a music video with a powerful and succinct message. Using the song “Run and Tell That” from the 2002 musical, Hairspray, they hope to shed a...
Celebrating 90 Years of “Music and the Spoken Word” Broadcast
This summer, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are commemorating 90 years of the weekly Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. To celebrate the longest running national radio program’s 90th year of broadcasting, the Choir will host a special worldwide...