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
Yahosh Bonner and Calee Reed’s Powerful Music Video “In Our City”
On Sunday, 27 August 2017, Yahosh Bonner and Calee Reed released a dynamic cover of R. Kelly’s “Gotham City.” Their rendering of the song is called “In Our City” and delivers the powerful message that what is needed in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our country at...
Camille Nelson’s “Lead Me Home” Debuts No. 8 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Chart
Camille Nelson, a classically trained violinist and acoustic guitarist who specializes in acoustic-driven folk music, released her freshman full-length studio album Lead Me Home with Stone Angel Music on Friday, 18 August 2017. The album debuted no.8 on Billboard...
Dan Reynolds to Spearhead LoveLoud Festival in Orem Utah to Support LGBTQ+ Youth
On Saturday, 26 August 2017, at Utah Valley University’s Brent Brown Ballpark in Orem, Utah, a first-time music event aimed at supporting LGBTQ youth charities will take place. The event is called The LoveLoud Festival. Musicians participating in the event include...
13-Year-Old Evie Clair Receives Standing Ovation After Stunning Performance on America’s Got Talent
Amos Abplanalp, an LDS Bishop in Florence, Arizona, and a psychological professional counselor at one of the local prisons, is the proud father of an amazingly talented 13-year-old daughter who is a contestant on this season’s America’s Got Talent program. Each of...
Kenya Clark Records “Scars to Your Beautiful” Music Video in Paris, France
Words are extremely powerful tools and so we must learn to guard our words carefully. We use words to help uplift and edify people by paying them compliments and encouraging them, making them feel good about themselves. However, with just the slightest deviation in...
The Brett’s Beautiful Spanish Rendition of “Hallelujah”
"Hallelujah" is a song written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions (1984). Cohen wrote about 80 draft verses for “Hallelujah.” His original version of the song contains several biblical references, notably the stories...