Ben Deignan (age 21) is an American up-coming singer, song writer and guitarist.

Biography

“When you have a guitar in your house, I guess you just start playing it.” Of course, not everyone rocks it. But that’s precisely what Ben Deignan did when he began noodling on the family six-string at eight years old. By junior high, the Georgia native had assembled various garage bands and by high school he got serious – building a basement “Music Room” and forsaking years of Saturdays in the pursuit of a music career. For Ben, music was never just a hobby. Although Ben says he didn’t know “the right way to sing,” he began composing and writing songs early. As he experimented and refined, the impressionable teen modeled his writing style after the singer/songwriters he most admired: John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, Bono, Baby Face and Marvin Gaye. Quite a mix. Then came the big solo gig: Dad’s company party. Ben never imagined a former A&R scout from a major recording label would be in the audience that night at the Tin Roof in Buckhead, Georgia. Taken by Ben’s performance, she approached him and introduced him to acclaimed Atlanta vocal producer, Jan Smith. Ben’s first six months with Jan “kicked [his] ass.” Between intense vocal training with Jan, plus music theory and guitar work with Peter Vogl, Ben made significant strides in the span of only a couple of years. Jan first saw Ben perform in her studio’s Intermediate Showcase. Always impressed with Ben’s songwriting, she needed only to see him on stage once before she offered to sign him a development & production deal. Jan then brought in her production partner, Huston Singletary, and enlisted Ben to begin performing locally — “slaving” at open mic nights at Georgia State, where he was a student. Over many long nights and warm beers, Ben worked to make his own musical thumbprint and define his “Orgasmic Acoustic” sound. In 2005, Ben recorded “Sorry’s Not Enough,” which Huston Singletary called the best song Ben had ever written. The song — like all of his songs — embraces a single overpowering emotion, and was written in 15 minutes. “I try not to deny any impulse. I come up with melodies and write around them. Sometimes I’ll walk around with a melody or line in my head for a couple of days and then ‘finish it.’ I’ve conditioned my brain to write anywhere – even on a shuttle bus on the way to take an exam.” Ben has recently recorded “Palm Of Your Hand” and “Fault Line” with Smith & Huston. His pop/rock soul infused music has been well received in the Atlanta area as his fan base steadily grows. Ben continues to work with Jan and Huston and anxiously looks forward to a day “when [he] doesn’t have to sing covers in the bar scene.”

Atlantan Article

Like a crisp fall apple, Georgia native Ben Deignan is picked for pop stardom. The singer/songwriter started playing the family’s six-string at 15, formed various garage bands in junior high and has now blossomed into a 21-year-old funkster with a sound that’s turning heads in clubs around Atlanta and beyond. “A female friend of mine described my music as ‘orgasmic’ and I thought it was clever,” Deignan says. “I never really took it seriously, but for some reason it has stuck.” Sticky is a good thing in a crowded musical universe where the latest flavor is one record flop from obscurity. It was only a few years ago, while playing his dad’s company party at the Tin Roof Cantina in Buckhead, that Deignan was plucked from his own obscurity by an A&R rep for a major record label. That exposure led him to renowned Atlanta-based musician, arranger and vocal producer Jan Smith (Usher, matchbox twenty), who signed Deignan to a development and production deal. Together with production partner Huston Singletary, Smith is helping the fresh-faced Deignan prep his pipes. “This industry is tough and in order to keep your head above water, you have to know the business,” Deignan says. Busy playing gigs and writing songs (“Most of the time it’s in places like the shower or on the highway at three in the morning”), Deignan has ablue-eyed soulful, skatty and softly cranky mood—he cites Bono, Stevie Wonder and The Police among his influences—that sounds like something you’d hear on the radio, only more interesting. Deignan’s routine of vocal exercises and playing covers in seedy college dives is quickly receding in the rearview: He recently recorded an eponymous four-song EP with Smith &Huston Productions, available on iTunes, and he’s gotten more than 30,000 hits on his MySpace player in addition to major label interest. Dealing with the inevitable comparisons, Deignan remains philosophical. “Guys like John Mayer were compared to other artists for along time, too,” he says. “It’s a comfort thing. I find it interesting because alot of people compare me to the sounds of Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz, but I don’t hear anyone compare either one of those artists to each other. Maybe I’m the link between them.”

Music

! Original Music
| Last Time
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| Palm of your Hand
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| He Don't Have to Know
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| Get You Alone

Youtube

With great original music and covers, ben deignan has managed to sing all his songs with perfection. You can watch Ben deignan on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bendeignan

Sources

http://www.youtube.com/user/bendeignan

http://bendeignan.com

http://myspace.com/bendeignan