Ben Stillwater at Country Fan Days Nashville, TN. June 9-12, 2011

by Scott V. Palmer

Imagine for a moment, driving through the rugged Montana foothills and suddenly you pass a vintage tour bus. Now, imagine the driver of that bus is Hank Snow. As the bus winds its way through time and the lonesome highway, it stops every so often to pick up a passenger. These passengers are unique. The manifest includes Don Williams, Don Gibson, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly. The tour bus fills with the company of great country music of yesterday. Pulling into the depot, the doors open and only one man steps out and into today carrying the influences and skills of all those before him. You’re about to meet Ben Stillwater.

In a little over a year, Ben Stillwater has transitioned from true Montana logging man, truck driver and rodeo man to a Nashville recording artist, radio personality and producer. And did I mention he stands 6-foot-7 ? And that’s without his trademark, handmade western cowboy hats. Doing things big is something Ben is familiar with. A family man with four children, Ben is a tradionalist in every possible way. He holds his values, friendships and personal ethics in the highest regards. He is very much the embodiment of John Wayne or James Arness that are two of his personal heroes.

Ben has released a pair of albums already and is preparing for his third. His trademark, “The Sound of Country Rhythm” truly captures the path he is on. His first album, “Giddy Up Truck” jumps right off the CD with a diesel-soaked drive and a lonesome cry for home. The ride Ben takes us on is one of memories of his days on the open road and the heartfelt longing for everything left behind like the warmth of his family and his home. “Montana in the Spring” is Ben’s second offering to his ever growing fan-base of those longing for a traditional country sound with a contemporary edge. The album plays on the emotions of finding love…and keeping it with, “You and I” and “Symphony of Love.” The album also features a rumble-thumping “Log Truck” that leaves your adrenaline flowing.

After his first album, Ben made the decision to produce his second and subsequent albums on his own. And keeping with that vintage sound of country rhythm, Ben has assembled one of the finest analog music studios in the area. Looking around his studio you’re greeted by his pair of old-school Tascam 32 and 24 channel mixing consoles and Class-A pre-amps and acoustic and electric arch-top guitars. Of course, for that country rhythm, Ben straps on his Eastman arch-top and swaps out to his Washburn hollow-body, arch-top electric with dueling hum-buckers for that driving growl. Stillwater Studios seeks out that old, warm and deep analog sound that the industry finds lacking at times. Ben believes in bringing in the best product from the start before mixing down to master.

Ben Stillwater will be bringing his unique sound and skills to the up-coming Country Fan Days from June 9-12 downtown Nashville. Ben will be sharing the festival’s schedule with such musical talents as, David Frizzell, T. Graham Brown and Michael Twitty, among others.

So, if you’re missing the sounds of the rugged west and the style of original country music, don’t hesitate to come and hear Ben and all of the others at Country Fan Days.

www.benstillwater.com