Reviving The Heart Of The Blues

Ben Killen’s debut single “Singing River Blues” highlights the enduring power of the blues in a song that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.

With a gravelly vocal delivery and raw steel guitar lines, Killen captures the genre’s blues soul while exploring his own story of love, loss, and connection.

Written shortly after his father’s passing, the song stems from Killen’s helplessness at being hundreds of miles away when his mother needed him most. For Killen, writing the song was as much about healing as it was about reaching out.

"Operator, call me, Mother's on the phone. Got to get my message out to her, that she's not alone."

It’s a line that cuts straight to the heart, drawing the listener into a moment heavy with emotion.

Musically “Singing River Blues” feels like it was born in the same river valleys that shaped the genre itself.

With Killen’s steel guitar playing the track evokes the expressive shades of W.C. Handy’s influence while carving out its own modern edge. His voice - a mix of grit and warmth - channeling the timeless ache of the blues. But there’s a tenderness in his delivery that gives the track a contemporary, almost confessional feel.

Killen’s journey to this debut is just as compelling as the song itself.

Raised in a musical household, he found his first instrument, the banjo, under the Christmas tree at age 10, inspired by watching Roy Clark on Hee Haw.

Later, under the mentorship of R. “Scooter” Muse, Killen honed his musicianship. From early performances in church choirs to stages like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Killen has spent his life blending tradition with his own voice.

With "Singing River Blues", Killen re-defines what it means to sing the blues in the modern era.

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