I was born in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois many moons ago. I now hang my hat in Central America. I came from deep in the Ozark Mountains in a place called Fayetteville, Arkansas. It's really a far-out place with lots of cool people and many musicians as well as the University of Arkansas.
I have lived in such places as Seattle, India, and Iran in the past. I know this influenced my style of playing guitar and my songwriting. That, and the infamous Hogeye Bill of San Francisco, who turned me on to guitar in the first place.
I have been performing in various bands and as a solo act for about 20 years. I produced my 1st CD "Ben Orton & other Infamous Fugitives" in 1995 and in 1999 produced and played on a metal zappaesque porno biker album. The band is called GODLESS. I'm playing bass and backing vocals as well as engineering the recording.
My style of playing music is quite diverse...and THEN some. I did all the vocals and guitars on my first CD mainly for a musical resume' of sorts. The next CD will have a variety of singers and guitarists, and hopefully the legendary Hogeye Bill as well.
While waiting for my CD to go platinum, I jam at various beach clubs in Central America, record demos, give guitar lessons, and do various musical work for the Arkansas Heritage Department with Bill "the man" Gatewood. I completed my degree in Geography from the University of Arkansas in 1999 as well. I am currently writing a pamphlet entitled "Ben Orton's 3 Decade College Plan". I'm serious as hell.
But seriously, the CD is kind of trippy with Beatlesque/Pink Floydish overtones, my Marshall on 10 for some of the solos. I'm currently recording my next CD in Costa Rica. I am doing it in a Rock in English y Espanol flavor using Santana's "Supernatural" album as an inspiration and some Costa Rican musicians. Hasta Luego Y'all, BenJammin'Benjamin Rogers Orton (BRO)
