Playing the Guitar Is an Elevated Art for Ben Owens
Santee native Ben Owens, the award-winning fingerstyle guitarist, plays a
Christmas show at the Prospect Avenue Baptist Church.
By Cynthia Robertson
Christmas show at the Prospect Avenue Baptist Church.
By Cynthia Robertson
Christmas music is, well, just that—until you hear Ben Owens play it.
The [21]-year-old plays guitar at a higher level. Owens is part of a lively group of musicians called the Prospect Avenue Bluegrass Band. Last weekend, Owens and friends played at the Prospect Avenue Baptist Church.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silent Night," and "What Child is This?" never sounded sweeter nor livelier with Owens strumming along with half a dozen other members of the band.
It takes a family to raise a musician. Every member of Owens' family is a lover of music, if not a player. His parents raised him on guitar music. Though he himself has played the guitar for little more than eight years, Owens is on his way to making a name for himself in down-home style music. Still, he closes his eyes as he plays the guitar, as if in prayer.
"Playing the guitar was something that I'd always wanted to do," said Owens, who grew up admiring the music of Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel.
At the same time, his cousin and good friend, Ricky Ruis, had started learning to play after his parents had given him a guitar.
"We both really got into it," Owens said. "We got into fingerstyle about the same time and then it was off to the races. I think it's awesome that the best fingerstyle guitarists in the world are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet."
Owens can consider himself in the company of the professionals. In September, he won first place in the "Open Category" in an annual fingerstyle guitar event, called the International Home of the Legends Thumbpicking Contest. The event took place in Kentucky.
"It was actually pretty special just getting to play there," Owens said.
The competition was held in Muhlenberg County, KY, which is where fingerpicking originated. The "Open Category" in which Owens competed gave contestants the freedom to play whatever they wanted.
"I was honored. I was also featured in the big, closing Saturday night concert. It was a blast," he said.
At the concert at Prospect Avenue Baptist Church, Ruis and Owens did a rousing performance together, neck and neck with their guitars in a medley of Christmas carols.
Having just flown in back home from finals at [Bob] Jones University in Greenville, SC, Owens had a lot to sing about. But he is the first to recognize that any natural talent is what he calls a "gift from God."
"So, I think that's the real source," he said. "I don't know if I'd refer to myself as an exceptional player, though I have worked and do continue to work hard at it."
While majoring in humanities at college, Owens has his vision set on getting a degree in music. He already has an A.A. in music from Grossmont College.
"I'd like to combine humanities with music," said Owens, who wants to become a minister.
He has a good role model in that career as well, since his father is pastor at Prospect Avenue Baptist.
Owens calls himself blessed with parents who have always been supportive and willing to work hard to help grow him as a musician, a performer and a person.
"Music was always important in my family," he said. ""I have memories of all of us sitting around playing music as a way to enjoy each other."
As a result of loving the music, Owens has practiced quite a lot and he intends to always. He has also gotten personal advice from some of his favorite guitarists, including Tommy Emmanuel, Pete Huttlinger, John Knowles and Richard Smith.
"I think everyone recognizes that music—and art in general—has remarkable emotional power," Owens said. "I'd agree with G.K. Chesterton that art is the signature of man. The ability to create music and to be moved by it totally sets us apart from the animal world."
Owens believes that his abilities and the faculties to appreciate music could only come from a Divine Creator.
"For me, implicit in playing music is a recognition of God's existence and an expression of thanks for all He's done. But that's not original to me. J.S. Bach had a similar idea," he said.
Owens has a sense of disappointment in the general direction of music these days. He said that most of what is "force-fed" to young people in the mainstream media these days is not the best of what's out there.
"However, thanks to people like Tommy Emmanuel, there are a lot of young people who are getting a taste for good music. I've also met some pretty promising young songwriters and composers," he said.
