Ben Vaughn
| Ben Vaughn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Camden, New Jersey |
| Origin | Collingswood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, music critic |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Bar/None |
Ben Vaughn is an American musician, music producer and a longtime Rambler enthusiast.
Vaughn grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey, and his interest in music began at age 6 when his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record. His group, "The Ben Vaughn Combo," released two albums and toured the U.S. from 1983 to 1988. Vaughn then had a solo career, 1988–1994, recording four albums and touring Europe and the United States.
Vaughn is a longtime fan of Rambler automobiles, and in 1988 recorded a song called "El Rambler Dorado" on his album Blows Your Mind. As a musician, he is perhaps best known for his album Rambler '65, for which he decided to "cut out the middleman" and recorded the entire album in his 1965 Rambler American.[1] Vaughn turned his car into a makeshift studio by putting the recording equipment inside his car. Whether it was a gimmick or an act of showmanship, the music he created inside his car was, according to most reviews, "timeless" rock'n'roll.[2] The Rambler '65 24-minute music video for this album also includes vintage AMC TV advertising clips.
As a producer, Vaughn made albums for artists such as Charlie Feathers and Los Straitjackets. He also collaborated with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton and contributed a cover, "Paradise," to an Alex Chilton tribute album released by Munster Records based in Madrid, Spain.
In 1996, Vaughn produced Ween's cult classic, 12 Golden Country Greats, a ten track exploration of country music. Musically, 12 Golden Country Greats was, more or less, devoted to classic country sounds. Ween and Vaughn went so far as to enlist the services of veteran Nashville session musicians. However, while even the vocal performances were an exquisite mimic of country singing, the album's lyrics were decidedly twisted.
Vaughn also re-recorded "I Found Her Telephone Number Written on the Boys' Bathroom Wall" for the Mad Magazine-inspired song compilation Mad Grooves.
Now living in California, Vaughn works in film and television, and is noted for his work on That '70s Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Black Mask and Psycho Beach Party. 3rd Rock from the Sun also features a 1962 Rambler American convertible used by the show's main characters.[3][4]
Vaughn also is the producer and host of The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn, a weekly, hour-long radio show featuring varying genres of music each week, which is syndicated by NPR and airs on many public radio stations.
Vaughn was a longtime resident of Collingswood, NJ.[5] His son Andrew ran a punk rock clothing store in downtown Collingswood.
Discography
- The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn (1986) (Restless – US) (Making Waves – UK)
- Beautiful Thing (1987) (Restless – US) (EMI – UK, Europe)
- Ben Vaughn Blows Your Mind (1988) (Restless – US) (Virgin – UK, Europe) (DRO – Spain)
- Dressed in Black (1990) (Enigma – US) (Demon – UK, Europe)
- Mood Swings (1991) (Restless – US) (Demon – UK, Europe)
- Mono US (1992) (Bar None – US) (Club De Musique – Italy) (Sky Ranch – France)
- Instrumental Stylings (1995) (Bar None – US)
- Cubist Blues (1996), with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton (Discovery, 1997, reissued by Last Call in 2006 with an extra disc recorded live)
- Rambler '65 (1997) (Rhino – US) (Munster – Spain)
- The Prehistoric Ben Vaughn (1998) (Munster – Spain)
- A Date with Ben Vaughn (1999) (Shoeshine – UK)
- Glasgow Time (2002) (Shoeshine – UK)
- Designs in Music (2006) (Soundstage 15 – US)
- Five By Five (2015) (MM Records US)
References
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