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.
Follow Ben Watson
Recent Posts
Jennifer Thomas’ New Masterpiece – “The Fire Within”
There are two things that this author always finds to be consistent about the music videos that piano virtuoso, Jennifer Thomas, releases and that is her videos always have an amazing story to tell, and that story is told through her music in a masterful way. This is...
Monica Scott’s New Arrangement Reminds Us That Children are Like Little Stars and Every Star is Different
Henry "Henny" Youngman, an English-born American comedian and violinist famous for his mastery of the "one-liner,” quipped, “What is a home without children? Quiet.” And, Austin O'Malley, M.D., an ophthalmologist and a professor of English literature at University of...
Jordan James and Friends Deliver Powerful Message about Suicide Prevention with the Song “U Matter”
Jordan James Pinkston (professionally known as Jordan James), an 18-year-old member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Mormon Church), is a rising music artist who is making a name for himself. This Acoustic,...
Music in the Key of Life – Mary Hiett Shares Her Song for Breast Cancer Awareness, “Journey of a Pink Heart”
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to www.breastcancer.org, approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. “Cancer,” a word that is all too familiar to many people, including this...
Music in the Key of Life – GENTRI Surprises Seriously Ill Girl at Home and Sings a Special Song
The word “minister,” when used as a verb, is defined as tending to, taking care of, looking after, or attending to the needs of another person. The scriptures teach us that we are to “lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (Hebrews 12:12). Scriptures...
Music in the Key of Life – “Notes from the Heart”
In this edition of Music in the Key of Life, Mary Hiett shares the backstory to her album, Notes from the Heart. This was a fun album for me to create. Notes from the Heart is an album that is comprised of beautiful, positive music. I could not have achieved the...