Ben Harper : "He's a slide guitarist who plays of all kinds of instruments : fiddle, banjo, mandolin... of all which has strings. He played Weissenborn before everybody else.

My parents he and his wife were friends before I was born - it goes back that far. Growing up, I was privileged - his daughter (Roseanne) and I are friends, and we grew up together very, very close, like a brother and sister, really. We used to travel around with him, go to shows and see him play and stuff like that.
At a very young age I would focus on his playing intensely, unconsciously and not knowing why. Being exposed to his music at a young age has played a large role in the music that I make.

He used to come in Folk Music Center all the time. We'd hang out and have laughs - he's just the funniest guy.

David Lindley and guys like Taj Mahal have huge influence on me, immeasurable. And the fact that these guys are still alive makes life much more exciting and livable for me. David knows Pete Seeger, he knows Bess Hawes, he knows Jean Ritchie, the dulcimer player. David knew Okie Adams, an old-school banjo maker. Flatt and Scruggs. He knew all those guys. Taj knew Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell, Lonnie Johnson, Brownie McGhee... So for me, they're a direct link to that school.

David used to play with this amazing percussionist, 'Baboo' (George Pierre), who had a profound effect on me. I really wonder what happened to him. He was the first percussionist in El Rayo-X and he just brought the show to life in an amazing way."

David Lindley played banjo, mandolin and fiddle on In The Lord's Arms (Burn To Shine, 1999).

Ben Harper : "I knew he had stopped doing session work, and I was like, damn, the only person that can really bring this song to life in the way that I hear it is David Lindley. I mean, I did have some David Lindley clout, if you want to call it that, so I figured OK, I'll give it a shot. I was nervous as hell and I left the message on his machine. A day or two went by and I got a call, "Hey, man. It's Lindley. I'd love to do it." I couldn't believe it-I was floored. When he came into the studio, he brought the most incredible selection of instruments-the most amazing Gibson mandolin, the most amazing fiddle-tuned every one of them by ear to A440, perfect pitch, like nothing I've ever seen, and we laid it down. And it was one of the best musical experiences of my life to date."

David Lindley also played tambura -an indian stringed instrument- on the song Better Way (Both Sides of the Gun, 2006).

David Lindley : "I've known Ben since he was five or six because I knew his mother and went to school with his father. His grandfather and grandmother, Charles and Dorothy Chase are two of the musical cornerstones of the Claremont folk music scene. I've known Charles and Dorothy forever, since I first started playing 5-string banjo which was in the sixties.

It was amazing to see how quickly Ben developed into a great slide player, basically on his own and just from watching other people play. As far as I know he never took any lessons although I'm sure he woodshedded and studied hard, learning the traditional Hawaiian music and blues that can be heard in what he does.
And one of the great things about his playing is that he studied the originals, the Hawaiian artists like Sol Hoopii and Gabby, going first to the source for technique and inspiration. Then he put his own twist on it. He did that first, which is the best way to do it, paying the dues then putting it to good use.
Even though I can see some of the sources of his music in his playing and singing he is a true original, the real deal. So he's not some sort of "corporate invention".

Ben's talent seemed to appear all at once, intact, and developed to a stage that was truly scary. One day I was sitting in the Folk Music Center playing a rather complex tune on the Hawaiian guitar and the next day I came back and he was playing in the same style but a variation that was better. This was after watching me play it once. It was amazing.

I actually had only a minor influence on him because he took his inspiration from many of
the same sources I took mine from, Mike McClellan being the first and foremost. Mike is the original multi-instrumentalist, a real scary player and singer who paved the way for most of the rest of us. He learned to speak Hawaiian in order to get closer to the music, which is quite a feat and the way it should be done.

Then there's Taj Mahal who you can also hear in Ben's music, also a real and genuine article, like Mike, someone who went first to the traditions themselves and learned as much as he could then put it to use.

So, I would say that Ben learned the learning method rather than "borrowing" bit's of someone else's music from here and there. There is quite a difference, learning the substance rather than the style. It's not easy and takes a lot of work, an aspect of anyone's playing that is easy to
see.

But then there is "factor x" which Ben has more of than any of his musical ancestors and who knows where that comes from, he was born with that.

You should also remember that most all musicians have anything and everything they've ever heard seen still there in their heads and it will come out at any time in any form, original or modified. Imagine every song you've ever heard filed away there in the subconscious ready to go at any time and without warning. It's all in the files... and it's out there."

Interview of David Lindley by Emmanuel Rivet / www.swer.net - 2001
Photos www.davidlindley.com