Uncle Ben Perry

Hailing originally from Blackstone, Virginia, Benjamin Harrison Perry began his musical journey early. He began learning the guitar at age 12, and soon after joined the Civilian Conservation Corps which helped him settle in Baltimore by 1940. He would spend the next decade in numerous non-musical jobs. These included being a forklift operator in Detroit and driving a taxi in Chicago, and he would eventually settle into a job as a merchant seamen. This would lead him throughout the world, until he would finally resettle in Baltimore in 1957.

This period would lead him to playing bass in two rock and roll bands, the Corvettes and the Rocking El’s until 1964. Eventually he would open up a body and fender shop, again being forced to abandon music. The next years were stagnant musically, only beginning again with his fourth marriage in 1979. This would bring him to Mississippi, and to financial ruin after a heavily litigious divorce. 

However, this ensuing case would lead him to the blues, and he would again pick up the guitar and head to Beale Street ahead of its announced reopening in 1983. Here he would play night and day in Handy Park. This would lead to vastly mixed audiences, ranging from the local homeless population to tourists looking for an authentic taste of the blues. However, these performances were highly unpopular with local business owners, who were trying to entice tourists and others to visit their establishments that held more sterile, polished acts.

Finally, Uncle Ben was known for allowing next to anyone to come play with him. These performers would be generally known as his “nephews.” They would accompany him on various instruments, ranging from guitarist Ken Welch to harmonica player Roosevelt Briggs. Each nephew would bring his own distinct personality to the performance. Uncle Ben was recorded in an unusual manner for High Water, performing live on Beale Street rather than in studio. These were the first recordings made on the street after its reopening.