Benji Webbe

Clive John "Benji" Webbe (born 11 March 1967) is a Welsh singer, songwriter and musician best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Skindred as well as the former lead singer of Dub War, Mass Mental and the singer for his own solo project.[1] He has also featured on albums by Bullet for My Valentine and Soulfly, and plays the synthesizer in Skindred.

Benji Webbe
Webbe performing with Skindred in 2017
Background information
Birth nameClive John Webbe
Also known as
  • CJ Webbe
  • Benji Webbe
  • The DirtyDred
Born (1967-03-11) 11 March 1967
Newport, Wales
Genres
Years active1993–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewww.skindred.net

Benji Webbe is a native of Newport, South Wales and a veteran of the rock explosion of the mid-1990s which led to Spin magazine dubbing Newport as 'The New Seattle'.[2]

Early life

Benji Webbe was born Clive John Webbe on 11 March, 1967 in Newport, Wales to Jamaican immigrant parents. Webbe's father was brought to the UK on the Windrush ship which brought one of the first groups of West Indian immigrants to the United Kingdom. Webbe's father arrived in Manchester where he struggled to find a job and moved to Wales instead.

He became an orphan at the age of 8 and was raised by his older brother in Powys.[2]

Career

Webbe first came to prominence with Dub War, releasing two studio albums, Pain and Wrongside of Beautiful. A third album was in the works before the band split in 1999. Benji left Earache after they refused to let him record a solo album, which was intended to move to a more hip-hop sound.[3] After a short lived project with Robert Trujillo, Mass Mental, which released one studio and one live album, Webbe formed Skindred with former members of Dub War. Due to a dispute with the record label, a new lineup moved to Bieler Bros. and has released six studio albums.

In 2006, Webbe performed with Korn at the 2006 Download Festival, while Korn's lead singer Jonathan Davis was seriously ill, he sang A.D.I.D.A.S. He has also appeared on Bullet For My Valentine's 2008 album Scream Aim Fire (on "Take It Out On Me"), as well as Soulfly's debut album (on "Quilombo" and "Prejudice").[4]

In 2015 Benji released his debut solo album, a purely reggae album entitled I Haven't Been Nicking In Ages, produced by Monsta Boy. He has also been performing intermittently with the reformed Mass Mental and in 2015, Dub War.[5]

Discography
Webbe during Rock am Ring 2017

Solo discography
Year Title
2015 I Haven't Been Nicking In Ages

Skindred discography
Main article: Skindred discography
Year Title
2002 Babylon
2004 Babylon (2004 re-issue)
2007 Roots Rock Riot
2009 Shark Bites and Dog Fights
2011 Union Black
2014 Kill The Power
2015 Volume
2018 Big Tings

Dub War discography
Year Title
1993 Words of Dubwarning
1995 Pain
1996 Wrong Side of Beautiful
1998 Step Ta Dis
2009 Demos 2010
2010 The Dub, The War And The Ugly

Mass Mental? discography
Year Title
1999 How To Write Love Songs
1999 Live in Tokyo

Collaborations
Year Band Album Song(s)
1998 Soulfly Soulfly "Quilombo"; "Prejudice"
2004 Bullet for My Valentine Jeff Killed John (EP) "Nation2Nation"
2008 Scream Aim Fire "Take It Out on Me"
2010 Forever Never I Can't Believe it's Not Metal "Boombastic"
2015 Farmikos Farmikos "Fragile"
2015 Silly Band! Water is the ruination of Everything "Save my Farm"
2015 Crossfaith XENO "Wildfire"
2015 Modestep London Road "Circles"
2017 Sumo Cyco Opus Mar "Move Mountains"
2017 As Sirens Fall "In My Mind"
2019 Phil Campbell Old Lions Still Roar "Dead Roses"

Family life

Webbe has a wife, four children and 12 grandchildren.[2]

gollark: We can see you fine, ovalo.
gollark: No.
gollark: Thus, chmod?!
gollark: Memetic or nonmemetic?
gollark: Interesting fact: one (1) Silent Planet track is in the OIR playqueue.

References
  1. Loftus, Johnny. "Biography: Skindred". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  2. Rawlins, Kirsten. "Music saved me: Benji Webbe of Skindred talks ahead of Bloodstock appearance". Shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  3. Digby (26 September 2009). "ASK EARACHE: Rob Trujillo & Benji Webbe = Mass Mental". Askearache.blogspot.com. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  4. "Skindred Frontman Benji Webbe on The MetalSucks Podcast #233 | MetalSucks". MetalSucks. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  5. "Benji Webbe reveals all about Skindred's new album Big Tings". Metal Hammer Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
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