Ben R. Atkinson is a writer, academic, broadcaster and musician. For over fifteen years Ben has been making, consuming or writing about music; whether through his independent radio show, Ben’s Country Music Show, his academic research, and his own releases as a songwriter and performer. In addition, Ben is the author of two novels, and numerous radio dramas and documentaries. Ben is currently undertaking his PhD at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, researching the experiences of women in the Nashville country music scene 1993-2024.
Learning his craft at the Lincoln School of Film and Media, Ben graduated with a first class BA(Hons) in media production (2013), a master’s degree in digital media (2015) and the school’s award for outstanding contribution. He then went on to train as part of the prestigious BBC Production Talent Pool at both MediaCityUK, Salford and the World Service, London.
Ben has a lifelong passion for the culture and history of America and in particular the musical traditions of country, bluegrass, roots, and Americana. He has been presenting his weekly independent radio programme, Ben’s Country Music Show, since 2008. The programme is broadcast on stations around the world and Ben has been lauded for his knowledge, attention to detail and passion for the music that he loves.
In addition to his country music programme, Ben is an experienced broadcaster and public speaker. In his career to date, he has presented a diverse range of programming on radio in the UK, including drivetime, breakfast and specialist programmes on culture, arts and politics.
Ben is the author of two novels, The Kraken’s Curse (2008) a YA fantasy novel and Walking on Cinders (2010), a dystopian yarn set in a near-future alternate reality. For Walking on Cinders, Ben became one of the first authors to utilise social media for his ‘1000 books to sell’ project in 2010/11 which received national and international press coverage. He is currently working on several new writing projects, including a novel and a non-fiction title.
For the past four years, Ben has been engaged in a new passion, working towards the completion of a PhD in music, at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium. His thesis examines the experiences of women in the country music community of Nashville, Tennessee, during the period 1993-2024 and considers the impact of cultural change, new technology and campaign movements on the success and opportunities for women in the genre. The study is ethnographic, and to that end, Ben has undertaken 12 weeks of fieldwork in Nashville over the course of his four-year study, conducting over 50 interviews, writing fieldnotes and completing observational photography to support his work.
In addition to his PhD, Ben works as a Learning Technology Consultant at the University of Nottingham, UK, supporting academics with their delivery of teaching and learning and pedagogic practice. He has been the Digital Communications Manager for the British Association for American Studies (BAAS) since 2021.
Ben released his debut album, Cold Hard Shoulder, in 2020. Recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nationwide lockdown provided the opportunity to revisit songs from the past decade alongside new material. The internet became integral to this project, with collaborators sending in recorded parts from their own studies around the world, including a harmonica player from Argentina, a French horn player, and a Ukrainian accordionist. In 2021 Ben released a live EP, 3-0 Live, to celebrate his 30th birthday. His second album, Country Folk, will be released in the October 2024.
Ben lives in the Lincolnshire countryside, with his young son and two grumpy Lionhead rabbits.