Benjamin Ball

Benjamin Ball who is from Durban, traveled to Johannesburg to pursue his music career back in 1980. Johannesburg was tougher than he expected as he found himself homeless on the streets for a couple of months, sleeping under bridges and in the parks. He recalls one day while walking the streets of downtown Jozi, hearing one of the bands rehearsing and was immediately drawn to the sound. Things began to change for him when he became the lead vocalist for the group called Notty Dread which released some singles: Crack, Is it Love, Give the People what they want.  Benjamin Ball decided to pursue a solo career,  Flash A Flashlight was his first release. He recalls one of the shows where Papa and Blondie were the headliners, he was just a supporting act was forced to perform the hit song five times due to the massive encore he received from the crowd. They just could not get enough of his energy, crazy dance moves, the voice, along with the heavy baseline riding the beat and the reggae influence you'll hear when listening to the flashlight song. No surprise The Flash a flashlight song went gold within a few weeks of its release. This forced him to immediately get into the studio and work on an album.  The Paulina Album was released which included the hit songs Flash a Flashlight, Soweto Tonite, I just keep on dancing and Paulina received massive radio playback in the '80s in South Africa. Some singles were released after Paulina Album included Come to me, Lolita, and Reggae Dancing,  also released was the smash single, I need it, which he recalls writing while waiting at the airport on his way to one of the shows.  The album Kabadzeene followed and with In The Jungle, a reggae album followed with all songs written by Benjamin Ball under his publishing company Elsie Joseph and engineered by Fab Grosso. The album Take A Chance (1991) co-produced by Cyril Mnculwane and Benjamin Ball was engineered by Humphrey Mabote. It included a flash mix of Flash A Flashlight at the Alexandra House. Benjamin Ball releases an album under the alias Bhingi B, which includes the tracks Call me doctor, Can't get over you, Enemies, African Herb Man, Bhingi Roots. He's currently back in Durban and doing some remixes with the Urban Legendz which will be released soon. Benjamin Ball - I need it, is also featured on the Narcos TV Series as well as I keep on dancing which is on Masters of None.