Clive John "Benji" Webbe (born 11 March 1967) is a Welsh singer, best known as the lead vocalist for the reggae metal band Skindred. Aside from his main project, he is also active in Diamond Spider, Dub War, Mass Mental and his own solo project.[1] He has featured on albums by Bullet for My Valentine, Soulfly, The Alarm, and Punk Rock Factory.
Benji Webbe
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Webbe performing with Skindred in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clive John Webbe |
| Also known as |
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| Born | (1967-03-11) 11 March 1967 (age 57) Newport, Wales |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Website | skindred |
Webbe is a native of Newport, South Wales, and a veteran of the rock explosion of the mid-1990s which led to Spin magazine dubbing Newport as 'The New Seattle'.[2]
Clive John Webbe was born on 11 March 1967 in Newport to Caribbean parents. His father was brought to the UK on the Windrush ship which brought one of the first groups of West Indian immigrants to the United Kingdom. His father arrived in Manchester where he struggled to find a job and moved to Wales instead.
Webbe became an orphan at the age of 13 and was raised by his older brother in Newport.[2] He was also involved in drug dealing, but turned his life around with music.
Webbe first came to prominence with Dub War, releasing two studio albums, Pain and Wrongside of Beautiful. A third album was in the works before the band split in 1999. Benji left Earache after they refused to let him record a solo album, which was intended to move to a more hip-hop sound.[3] After a short lived project with Robert Trujillo, Mass Mental, which released one studio and one live album, Webbe formed Skindred with former members of Dub War. Due to a dispute with the record label, a new lineup moved to Bieler Bros. and has released six studio albums.
In 2006, Webbe performed with Korn at the 2006 Download Festival, while Korn's lead singer Jonathan Davis was seriously ill, he sang "A.D.I.D.A.S." He has also appeared on Bullet for My Valentine's 2008 album Scream Aim Fire (on "Take It Out on Me"), as well as Soulfly's debut album (on "Quilombo" and "Prejudice").[4]
In 2012, Webbe collaborated with the rap metal band Dirty Wormz on their album Outbreak, appearing on the song "Blood & Fire".
In 2015, Webbe released his debut solo album, a purely reggae album entitled I Haven't Been Nicking in Ages, produced by Monsta Boy. He has also been performing intermittently with the reformed Mass Mental and in 2015, Dub War.[5]
In 2018, commemorating Black History Month in the United Kingdom, Webbe was included on a list of 100 "Brilliant, Black and Welsh" people.[6]
In 2020, Webbe unveiled a new studio project with Dub War bassist Richie Glover, entitled Diamond Spider. The "voodoo blues" project released its debut single in October that year, with a self-titled album due in 2021 along with Dub War's fourth studio album.
Webbe has four children with his ex-wife and 17 grandchildren.[2] In September 2022, he married his wife Julie Christian in a private wedding ceremony.
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2015 | I Haven't Been Nicking in Ages |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Babylon |
| 2007 | Roots Rock Riot |
| 2009 | Shark Bites and Dog Fights |
| 2011 | Union Black |
| 2014 | Kill the Power |
| 2015 | Volume |
| 2018 | Big Tings |
| 2023 | Smile |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Words of Dubwarning |
| 1995 | Pain |
| 1996 | Wrong Side of Beautiful |
| 1998 | Step Ta Dis |
| 2009 | Demos 2010 |
| 2010 | The Dub, the War and the Ugly |
| 2021 | Declaration of Dub War |
| 2022 | Westgate Under Fire |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Diamond Spider |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1999 | How to Write Love Songs |
| 1999 | Live in Tokyo |
| Year | Band | Album | Song(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Soulfly | Soulfly | "Quilombo"; "Prejudice" |
| 2003 | Bong Ra | Bikini Bandits, Kill! Kill! Kill! | "Blood & Fire" |
| 2004 | Bullet for My Valentine | Jeff Killed John (EP) | "Nation2Nation" |
| 2008 | Scream Aim Fire | "Take It Out on Me" | |
| 2010 | Forever Never | I Can't Believe It's Not Metal | "Boombastic" |
| 2012 | diRTy WoRMz | Outbreak | "Blood & Fire" |
| 2015 | Farmikos | Farmikos | "Fragile" |
| 2015 | Silly Band! | Water Is the Ruination of Everything | "Save My Farm" |
| 2015 | Crossfaith | Xeno | "Wildfire" |
| 2015 | Modestep | London Road | "Circles" |
| 2016 | Dubioza Kolektiv | Happy Machine | "Riot Fire" |
| 2017 | Sumo Cyco | Opus Mar | "Move Mountains" |
| 2017 | As Sirens Fall | "In My Mind" | |
| 2018 | Florence Black | The Final EP | "Gunshot" |
| 2019 | Phil Campbell | Old Lions Still Roar | "Dead Roses" |
| 2021 | Dirty Shirt | "Pretty Faces" | |
| 2022 | Punk Rock Factory | A Whole New Wurst 2 | "Shiny" |
| 2022 | The Alarm | Omega | "Safe from Harm" |
| 2022 | Undead Corporation Doujin Works | J.O.I.N.T | "Get It" |
| 2022 | Massive Wagons | Triggered! | "Generation Prime" |
| 2023 | Russkaja | Turbo Polka Party | "Vozdukh" |
Media related to Benji Webbe at Wikimedia Commons