Ben Killen and the Soul of "Singing River Blues"

There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when music isn’t just played, but lived. When a song becomes more than a melody and turns into a vessel for memory, loss, and transformation.

For Ben Killen, "Singing River Blues" is exactly that. It’s more of a reckoning and a tribute, almost like a love letter to the blues that shaped him.

Listen to the song here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1vK9kyC8wyxPf6ph1YdJOX

For years, Killen has been a quiet force in the music world, a behind the scenes player with a deep reverence for history and an unshakable love for blues music.

But now, with Singing River Blues he steps fully into his own as an artist. His voice raw with emotion, his guitar work steeped in the echoes of the past, and his storytelling as evocative as the greats who came before him.

The song itself was born in the wake of profound personal loss. In 2012, a year he calls “the dirty dozen,” took both his father and grandmother and left behind a silence that only music could begin to fill.

Sitting under a skylight in his East Harlem apartment, he penned the song’s most gut-wrenching line: “Operator call me, Mother’s on the phone. Got to get my message out to her that she’s not alone.”

That is the kind of lyric that sticks with you, the kind that carries the weight of real experience. And it’s that authenticity, that lived-in pain and grief that gives Singing River Blues its undeniable soul.

Musically, the song blends the blues with Americana faultlessly, grounded in fingerpicked steel-string guitar and layered with a ghostly almost cinematic presence.

Killen's vocals are delicate and unyielding as they carry the weight of grief while never drowning in it. And then, there is the subtle nod to W.C. Handy - the "Father of the Blues" - woven into the song's DNA like a whispered blessing.

This moment is fleeting, but for those who catch it it is a stroke of genius, a bridge between generations of storytellers.

But Singing River Blues is also a song of purpose. From the beginning, Killen knew he wanted to use the track for something bigger than himself. All proceeds from its first year are being donated to charity and the song has become something of a rallying cry for fair wages for musicians, highlighting the ongoing fight for artist rights in an industry that often undervalues them.

And then, there’s the music video - an ambitious, deeply personal labor of love. Shot and edited by Killen himself, this video merges stunning stock footage with live performance and carefully crafted symbolism into a visual representation of everything Singing River Blues stands for.

In it, Killen sings straight to the camera. His presence is unguarded, his connection with the viewer immediate.

Between the beautifully shot landscapes and the classic imagery of steamboats - a powerful symbol of music’s journey through time - the video feels like a dreamscape, almost an echo of something both timeless and deeply personal.

“It was a lot of work,” Killen admits with a laugh. “I think I did literally everything. But I learned so much, and now I know what’s possible.” And that sentiment captures the very essence of what makes Singing River Blues so special as a song. It’s the work of an artist who isn’t just making music but discovering himself in the process.

Killen shares:

"Before this song, I had written one little song before. But it was only a sad moapy heart break song. Not that impressive. So I didn’t really have a lot of confidence in my own abilities as a songwriter before this song. Even though I had spent years co-writing songs as a member of two different bands."

With this release, Ben Killen isn’t just adding another song to the blues canon. He is carving he’s out a place for himself within it. And one thing is clear - this is just the beginning!

Keep up to date with Ben Killen on his Website.