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Local figure

Ben Folds

Ben Folds, a pianist and songwriter from Winston-Salem, formed the trio Ben Folds Five in Chapel Hill around 1993 with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee. In September and October 1996 the band recorded its album Whatever and Ever Amen in the living room of his Chapel Hill home.

Source: Encyclopedia.com: Ben Folds Five (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)

1966– · Dates from the Library of Congress · Library of Congress authority record ↗

1 work about Ben Folds is indexed here, as is one work by Folds. 1 held at OCPL →

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Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineThe Cat’s Cradle and the “Chapel Hill sound” of the 1990s1969–2020 · 35 events · The Cat’s Cradle opened in 1969, Merge Records was founded in 1989, and by 1992 Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf and the clubs of Franklin Street had national magazines asking whether Chapel Hill was the next Seattle. The Cradle moved to Carrboro in 1993, Ben Folds Five and the Squirrel Nut Zippers followed, and Merge’s anniversary festivals and the Cradle’s 50th year in 2019 marked a scene that outlived the label hunt.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 4 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Ben Folds Five forms in Chapel Hill Ben Folds and bassist Robert Sledge, who had met at UNC Greensboro, moved to Chapel Hill and formed the piano trio Ben Folds Five with drummer Darren Jessee. Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Robert Sledge, Darren JesseeSearch the index · NC Arts Council: Shaped by Sound Season 2: The North Carolinian's Guide to Ben Folds (Max Brzezinski, April 24, 2026)
  2. Ben Folds Five release their debut album The piano trio, formed in Chapel Hill around 1993, issued its self-titled first album on the independent Caroline label, then signed with Sony's 550 Music, which released Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997. People: Ben Folds Place: Chapel HillEncyclopedia.com: Ben Folds Five (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)
  3. Ben Folds Five record Whatever and Ever Amen at Folds's Chapel Hill home After a summer on the Lollapalooza tour, the band recorded its second album in the small living room of Folds's Chapel Hill house with producer Caleb Southern. The album went on to sell more than a million copies. Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Caleb SouthernSearch the index · Encyclopedia.com: Ben Folds Five (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)
  4. Ben Folds Five reunite for a concert in UNC's Memorial Hall In their first show in eight years, the band played its last album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, in full at Memorial Hall for MySpace Music's Front to Back series. NC Arts Council describes it as a benefit for Operation Smile. Place: Memorial Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · INDY Week: Live: Ben Folds Five (Grayson Haver Currin, September 19, 2008)

Indexed works

Works about or by Ben Folds. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it. Background reading appears below.

By Ben Folds

A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons

Folds, Ben · 2019

Singer and songwriter Ben Folds (born 1966), whose band Ben Folds Five came together in Chapel Hill, looks back on his life in music. Chapters cover his music teachers and 'cheap lessons', a stretch in Nashville, the band's first albums and the music business, 'Rockin' the suburbs', going solo, and the years after a low point, told through anecdotes and working advice. Published in a first edition of 2019, 311 pages with illustrations.

✓ Held at OCPL · BIO FOLDS FOL Duke NC Cardinal Durham Chapel Hill PL

Places in this person’s story

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows them all.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

  • Cat’s Cradle Businesses, mills and venues · Chapel Hill · 1 event here
  • Memorial Hall University buildings and grounds · Chapel Hill · 1 event here

All places and the county map →

Research sources

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Background

Collections and databases

  • NC LIVE: prepared search for Ben Folds Library card Search NC LIVE for this subject and Orange County. You can change the search terms. Sign in through your North Carolina library to access the materials.
  • Ancestry Library Edition In the libraryOrange County Public Library Census, birth, death and marriage records, and more, free on the public computers at OCPL libraries

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Books about Ben Folds

Books by Ben Folds

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Historical records and collections

Catalog searches use the Library of Congress name heading: Folds, Ben, 1966-. Historical-record searches use the person’s name and may include namesakes. Links open in a new tab.

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