Photo by Jimmy Fontaine.
By KATLAN THOMERSON
Glasgow News 1
Ben Wells, guitarist for Black Stone Cherry, loves performing hometown shows in the place where he grew up.
“We love doing shows in our hometown because so many of our family and friends who might not be able to see us a lot get to come and celebrate our show,” Wells said. Black Stone Cherry will perform at the Plaza Theatre in downtown Glasgow tonight, Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 16. Both shows are at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7.
What started in 2001 at the “Practice House” of the Kentucky Headhunters quickly turned into an arena rock band known in the states and across the seas for their hard rock tracks with southern influence.
The original band members met through a mutual friend. After one day of practice, the members decided to create a band on lead singer Chris Robertson’s birthday.
“I was looking for someone to jam with in Glasgow when a mutual friend introduced me to John and Chris,” Wells said.
They performed their first concert at local state fair in Metcalfe County in July of 2001. Since then, Black Stone Cherry has headlined for several legendary bands of rock and roll. Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Nickleback, and Lynyrd Skynrd are a few of the bands with which Black Stone Cherry has jammed.
They released their first album “Black Stone Cherry” in July of 2006. It was produced by Roadrunners Records and included three singles: “Lonely Train”, “Hell and High Water”, and “Rain Wizard.” “Lonely Train” was featured in WWE’s Smackdown VS Raw video game in 2007. And was the theme song for WWE wrestler the Great American Bash in 2006.
In terms of musical impact, Wells claims Elvis Presley and AeroSmith as two of the band’s biggest influences.
“We’re a hard rock band at the heart of it, but we try not to put a barricade around ourselves because we like several different types of music. So, if something comes out a little more bluesy or a little more country, we roll with it. That’s the beauty of having several different influences,” Wells said. “There’s a certain energy with rock that you won’t find anywhere else. You can break the rules and that’s why we like it,”
Black Stone Cherry has released eight albums. Many of which include songs that have landed on the US Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart. Though the band is proud of their awards, they’re most thankful for the positive impact that they have on their fans.
“We’ve won awards, but at the end of the day when people come up to us with a tattoo of our song lyrics or they say that our songs have saved their lives, that’s the biggest rewards for us,” he said. “When you write songs that people can relate to or use during a funeral or a wedding or anniversary, that’s a very special moment in their lives. That means the world to us because that’s a memory that will live on forever.”
In 2024, Black Stone Cherry is scheduled to tour five countries and perform 76 concerts. When Wells isn’t jamming on stage, he’s usually sketching designs for his apparel brand Sunny and Stoked, playing with his two beagles, or exploring with his wife Jessica Estes Wells.
When asked if he has a message for aspiring artists, Wells emphasized the importance of making your passion the main focus in your life.
“The best advice would be to not treat your passion as a hobby. When we started out, we didn’t have a Plan B, we only had a Plan A. If you want to be involved in music, it has to become your life. I think that can be said for anything in life, if you have a passion you have to fully dedicate yourself to it and see how far it takes you,” Well said.
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