Ben Waters is headlining a charity concert along with his son Tom, Cousin Leonard from Melbourne and Michael Stodart at the MTG on Saturday, January 28.
Lifting the Blues 2023 - Ben Waters and Friends will raise funds for the garden project Strive, which provides rehabilitation for people in Hawke’sBay with brain injuries, enabling attendees to acquire life skills and grow produce they can use.
Ben Waters says he loves New Zealand and the people here. He will be accompanied by his sax-playing son, Tom, his great friend and drummer Ady Milward and talented newcomer Simon Rushbrook on bass guitar.
Ben, described by Jools Holland as one of his favourite piano players ever, is now a part of rock and roll legend, having grown up inspired by family friend Ian Stewart, founder of the Rolling Stones, all of whom he has played and recorded with – especially his friends Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood.
Wood and Ben, both having worked with Chuck Berry, performed sell-out concerts in a tribute to him, and Wood produced the album Mad Lad, which both Tom and Ben featured on.
Tom Waters always wanted to play saxophone, even before he was big enough to hold one. In his final year at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he has already made his name as a top musician in his own right, recording and performing with both Wood and Davies as well as becoming well-known in many London clubs and occasionally modelling for designer fashion companies.
Milward has been by Ben’s side for nearly three decades. He is the driving force of the Ben Waters Band.
Rushbrook is an established, award-winning bass player who joins Milward in providing the essence of rock and roll in the band.
