Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV (born March 10, 1978) is an American musician and the founder and frontman of the rock band Breaking Benjamin. As the sole constant and namesake of the group, Burnley has served as its principal songwriter, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist since its inception in 1999.
Since signing with Hollywood Records in 2002, Burnley has composed six studio albums under the name Breaking Benjamin, three of which have reached platinum and two of which have reached gold in the United States.[1] Burnley has also collaborated with acts such as Adam Gontier[2] and Red.[3]
In 1998, Burnley and former lead guitarist Aaron Fink got together with Nick Hoover and Chris Lightcap and started the band Breaking Benjamin. Eventually, Burnley wanted to try something different and went out to California to try some new material. The other three members went on to form the band Strangers With Candy, later known as Lifer. They recruited old friend Mark Klepaski to play bass and he joined in, and shortly after, Hoover was asked to leave the band.
In 1999, Burnley moved back to Pennsylvania, and started a band called "Plan 9" with drummer Jeremy Hummel. The band initially was a three-piece. The lineups consisted of Burnley on vocals and electric guitar, Jeremy on drums, and Jason Davoli on bass. Plan 9 would occasionally open for Lifer at home shows. During one show, Burnley said "Thank you, we're Breaking Benjamin," reclaiming the name from 1998. Later on, Klepaski left Lifer, and began playing bass for Breaking Benjamin. Lifer continued going through struggles, and months later, Aaron Fink sat in for a set with Benjamin. Finally, Fink left Lifer, and was offered a spot in Ben Burnley's band, and they became a four-piece.[5]
Collaborations
Burnley has collaborated and performed with fellow alternative metal bands, including Three Days Grace, Evans Blue, and Disturbed. He made a guest spot on a special remix of The Drama Club's single "Brand New Day." He also co-wrote the Red hit song "Shadows" and Madam Adam song "Forgotten". Burnley has collaborated with former Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier on a song titled "The End of the Day" (yet to be released).[6]
Burnley's lyrical content frequently and most recently consists of cryptic, angst-ridden themes that "waffle between being plaintive and aggressive." Burnley has the range of a dramatic tenor and occasionally utilizes death growls and screams in his singing. IGN described him as having a "somewhat innocuous voice that is crystal clear... fluctuating between contemplative subjectivity and growling anger."[7] Burnley uses baritone guitars and drop tunings to get a heavier sound in his music.[8]
Personal life
Burnley has several phobias, a fact that inspired the title of Breaking Benjamin’s 2006 album Phobia. Phobia's cover, which depicts a winged man hovering above the ground, represents Burnley's fear of flying, which has prevented Breaking Benjamin from touring outside the United States and Canada in the past.[9] However in May 2016, he and his band members traveled by ferry ship to Europe and made their first musical tour outside of North America. Breaking Benjamin again toured Europe in 2017 successfully. Burnley also suffers from hypochondria and a fear of the dark.[10] He incorporates his phobias into his music on the album We Are Not Alone in the song "Break My Fall", in which a pilot is heard over the music saying, "Mayday, mayday. Request permission to land. I cannot control the plane. We are in danger of crashing."
Burnley is a recovering alcoholic, admitting in an interview that he wanted to "drink himself to death."[13] He says that he regrets ever drinking a drop of alcohol and suffers from Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome due to his past excessive drinking. Dear Agony was reported to be the first ever Breaking Benjamin record to be written by Burnley without the use of alcohol.[14]
^Roncace, Kelly. 'Breaking Benjamin is back and going home with show at Trump Taj Mahal", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 8, 2015. Accessed August 9, 2018. "'I was born in Atlantic City, at the hospital there, and raised in Ocean City until I was 12 years old.' Burnley explained his family moved to Pennsylvania when he was 12 due to an increase in taxes at the shore town."
