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| Ben Harper: Successful album and intensive touring 'Both Sides Of The Gun, ' the new Virgin album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, has made a Top 10 sales debut at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. It is the highest entry in Harper's 12-year recording career, and with 59, 000 units sold, it also marks his highest first-week sales total. The album also made repeated chart splashes on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific. Among 12 international chart debuts, 'Both Sides of the Gun' entered album charts at No.1 in Australia, New Zealand and Italy; No. 2 in France; No. 3 in Portugal; No. 4 in Switzerland and No. 5 Canada. It also entered at No. 10 in the Japanese international artists chart and Top 15 in Belgium. It is the second consecutive global hit for Harper, whose reverent and iconic blend of gospel and blues with the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama, 'There Will Be a Light, ' was also an instant top 10 entry in international territories. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals' hotly-anticipated headline summer tour will welcome the recent Grammy winner Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley in the opening spot. The two-month trek kicks off on August 10th at Phoenix, Arizona's Dodge Theatre and winds up on September 14th at Worlds Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. In between, the tour will hit Chicago, Illinois on August 27th, and two New York City Central Park shows at Rumsey Playfield, September 5th and 6th. Harper is also appearing at Hawaii's Kokua Music Festival, which kicks off on April 19th. In this perfect pairing, both artists have earned untouchable stage reps with their genre-mashing live shows, fusing reggae, funk, rap and rock into unforgettable concert 'events, ' celebrating the joy of music and making pointedly conscious statements about the world at large, at the same time. Damian Marley, known as 'Jr. Gong, ' has been touring almost non-stop since the release of his double-Grammy winning 2005 album, 'Welcome To Jamrock' (Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance). After ramming dancehall and hip-hop dance floors for months with the classic title track, the effusive Damian has shaken up stages all over the world with his band, The Empire -- landing the coveted opening slot on U2's record-breaking jaunt. Damian will also be displaying his live mettle at this year's Coachella two-day music festival, and at the four-day Bonnaroo Music Festival. Harper's previous album, 'There Will Be a Light, ' was also an international phenomenon since the day of its release in September 2004. Not only did it enter the Billboard gospel album chart immediately at No.1, it was an instant worldwide hit, debuting as a national Number One album in France and Italy, and entering at No.3 in Switzerland, No.6 in Australia and No.7 in Portugal. It earned Harper his first three Grammy nominations, and two awards: an individual Grammy for Best Instrumental Pop Performance for "11th Commandment, " and a shared award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, with album collaborators The Blind Boys of Alabama. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |