Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals at the Fox

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Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals at the Fox

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, Fox Theatre (SOLD OUT)

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals rocked the sold-out Fox Theatre Friday night, with Donavon Frankenreiter opening the show. Harper's father, Leonard, was African-American with some Cherokee Indian ancestry, while his mother, Ellen Chase, is of Russian Jewish descent. His parents divorced when he was a child.

Benjamin Chase 'Ben'Harper was born on Oct. 28, 1969, in Pomona, Calif., and grew up listening to blues, folk, soul, R&B, and reggae. As a child, he started playing guitar, and began to perform regularly as a preteen.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals perform 'Please Me Like You Want To' Friday night at the Fox. Combining groove-laden funky soul and folksy, handcrafted acoustics, singer-songwriter Harper developed a cult following during the '90s. His influences include Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and jam bands like Blues Traveler, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Phish.

The Innocent Criminals are Oliver Charles (drums), Juan Nelson (bass), Leon Mobley (percussion), Michael Ward (guitar), and Jason Yates (keyboards).

Ben Harper's bassist, Cincinnati native Juan Nelson, entertains the sold-out Fox Theatre crowd Friday. The tour next plays San Antonio, Dallas, Tucson, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and Vancouver.

Ben Harper performs 'Say You Will.' He states, 'I just love music, you know what I'm saying? When you love music and you love what you do, you can only hope that people will get behind what you're doing. And music don't lie. Music is the truth. You can look into a man's eyes and know, because a man's heart is in his eyes, and music comes from the heart. You can look into a man's eyes and know if he's about music or he's just a pirate.'

On Dec. 23, 2005, Ben Harper married his girlfriend of five years, actress Laura Dern. They have two children together, son Ellery Walker and daughter Jaya.

Ben Harper won two Grammy awards in 2005, Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album. Though uncredited, he appears briefly in the 2006 David Lynch film 'Inland Empire,' alongside his wife Laura Dern.

Innocent Criminals' guitarist Michael Ward riffs at the Fox Friday night.

Aside from working on his own material, Harper has built a strong rapport with other artists, playing guest spots on records by Beth Orton, John Lee Hooker, and Gov't Mule. He played the 1997 and 1999 Tibetan Freedom Concerts, and has opened for R.E.M., Radiohead, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and the Fugees.

Some of the sold-out Fox Theatre crowd grooves to Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals.

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Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals rocked the sold-out Fox Theatre Friday night, with Donavon Frankenreiter opening the show. Harper's father, Leonard, was African-American with some Cherokee Indian ancestry, while his mother, Ellen Chase, is of Russian Jewish descent. His parents divorced when he was a child.

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