Ben Shepherd

Hunter Benedict "Ben" Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician best known for playing bass in the rock band Soundgarden since 1990.

Early life

Shepherd was born on an American military base in Okinawa, Japan. His family moved to Texas, then settled in Kingston, Washington, where Shepherd grew up. Shepherd became interested in music after listening to Johnny Cash on television, sitting as close to the speakers as possible. When Shepherd asked his father for a guitar, his father complied only after insisting he must learn every chord in a large book with nothing but a guitar neck. Shepherd did such with help from his cousin Ralph "Tony" McMullen and his father bought him his first guitar. Shepherd played in numerous punk-rock bands with friends as a teenager like March of Crimes, Mind Circus and 600 School. After graduating from high school, he worked as a carpenter and a laborer and worked as a roadie for Nirvana while playing in Tic Dolly Row with Chad Channing. Shepherd eventually toured with Nirvana as the second guitar player leading up to the release of Nevermind. Nirvana decided not to continue with a second guitar player after Nevermind was released and Shepherd was asked to join Soundgarden shortly after.