Ben Buddy Slack
Songwriter & Community Musician
New Album
“You Will See The Light”
Out Now
Ben Buddy Slack is an award winning singer songwriter and community musician based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He has been writing and performing music for close to 20 years and delivering community music projects for over 10.
Ben has a deep belief in the power of songs to help us deal with life’s challenges. He has worked with hundreds of people in difficult situations to help them process and express their experiences through song. The majority of these through his extensive songwriting work in prisons, in mental health settings and with people facing end of life through The Swan Song Project.
In his own work Ben loves writing songs about complex characters in difficult situations doing the best they can. He has written songs in a wide range of styles, from the alternative blues rock sound of The Blind Dead McJones Band to delicate solo acoustic work with 2016s “Miserabelia” and the haunting duo album “Shallow Roots” with Siobhan Donnelly. Ben has a great love of performing and connecting with an audience and despite the heavy subject matter of his songs his warmth and humour on stage make his shows greatly uplifting experiences.
In 2017 Ben founded The Swan Song Project, a charity that helps people facing the end of their lives to write an original song. The lead to him taking a step back from his own writing and performing schedule but now he is back with an album of new songs and is looking forward to sharing them.
“You Will See The Light” is set to be released in late 2023 and showcases Bens development as a songwriter. The songs cover complex themes and cross musical genres all delivered with Bens deep and raw vocal style.
Hear a few live versions from the new album
“Until Next Time” Is a song that came together very quickly and simultaneously broke my heart and made me smile. It’s a song about friends through time and valuing the time you have with people.
“Standing at the station, you’ve got your big bags packed, Don’t know if you think you’re Bear Grylls or Kerouac” is one of my favourite lyrics from the album. It’s stupid but feels exactly like the kind of silly joke someone would make when they’re actually sad about someone leaving but don’t know how to express that.” BBS
Awards and Achievements
2019 Yorkshire Gig Guide “Outstanding Songwriting” Award Winner
2019 Yorkshire Gig Guide “Outstanding Individual Contribution” Award Winner
2012 British Blues Award “Best Original Song” Finalist
2020 National Lottery x Jay Blades Community Bench dedicated in Meanwood Park
2019 The Suns Who Cares Wins “Unsung Hero” Award finalist
2024 “Saved by a Song” Conference Presenter.
2024 Musicians Without Borders Music Leadership Training
2022 Third Sector Awards “Community Champion” Award finalist
2019 Red Bull Amaphiko Acadamy Graduate
NLP Master Practitioner