Ben McLaughlin

Ben McLaughlin is an Americana artist, producer and engineer from Omaha, NE.  A musical lovechild of Neil Young, the Grateful Dead and Blake Mills, McLaughlin serves tender melodies, poetic lyrics, heartfelt stories and tasteful guitar playing.  Currently based out of Knoxville, TN, he is over a decade into his cosmic sonic journey and recording his first full-length LP.

The devotion to music began when McLaughlin heard Elvis Presley’s “Burnin’ Love” at eight years old. With the acquisition of his first acoustic guitar, he began guitar lessons at age 10 and continued them on and off for six years with the additional help of modern homeschooling methods, YouTube and Spotify. He played guitar in several musical outfits throughout high school, including a classic rock cover band, blues band, choir and theatre productions. McLaughlin organized and directed the first live band to play at his high school’s prom in over 30 years, a tradition that continues to this day—clear evidence of Ben's permeating influence to the community around him. He continued this influence in a folk-rock band with his younger brother, Middle Folk, where the brothers recorded one album together and went on tour for the release.  

McLaughlin attended Loyola University New Orleans, where he honed his technical skills and became an audio engineer while earning a degree in Music Industry Studies. After graduating, he moved into a yurt in the ancient Appalachian woods with his partner for a year to practice songcraft and self-recording techniques. He currently lives in Knoxville, TN, and has begun recording his first full-length album at Red Moon Sound.