He grew up in a folk music haven. As he celebrates his latest album, Wide Open Light, Ben Harper shares sights and memories of his childhood home.
BY JIMMY LESLIE
“AT FIRST, I thought every kid had a music store in their family,” Ben Harper recalls. “But I realized when I was young that this place was called the Folk Music Center because it was the center of something special. Not every grandmother can play the entire Pete Seeger catalog on autoharp, dulcimer and guitar.”
Yale Avenue in the heart of Claremont, California, has a timeless college town quality, with shops that have been there for decades. Founded by Harper’s grandparents, Charles and Dorothy Chase, the Folk Music Center is in its 66th year of operation very near to its original location. Entering the storefront is like stepping into a time machine and landing in the late ’60s to early ’70s. The walls bear posters for the Claremont Folk Music Festival they presented, as well as the Golden Ring, the venue they ran from 1965 to 1970, which hosted icons like Doc Watson, John Fahey, Reverend Gary Davis, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Acoustic instruments from around the world adorn every corner, and some truly historic examples sit behind glass in the museum area established in 1976.
But the Folk Music Center isn’t all about the past. It also offers plenty of new instruments on its racks, alongside the vintage models. None of it is very pricey. Kids come in for gear, lessons and repairs, and there’s a stage where the staff hosts open mic nights and other performances every week. The Folk Music Center has always catered to real players, social activists and passionate performers.
“My grandmother could sing as beautifully as any sound you’ve ever heard in your life,” Harper says. “She was the musical spark in the family. She knew the Seegers and the Guthries. My mom inherited that perfect folk voice. She hung out with Hendrix and was getting attention for her chops and songs. But my grandparents needed her here, because she intimately understands this business.”
Ellen Harper is still the one at the front counter when you walk in, asking nicely if she can help you find anything. You can hear her singing voice on the album she did with Ben in 2013, Childhood Home, and read all about the family history in her fascinating 2021 book, Always a Song: Singers, Songwriters
