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Benjamin Tod

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Benjamin Tod
Background information
Birth nameBenjamin Tod Flippo
GenresCountry, folk
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals
Years active2008–present
LabelsAnti-Corp
Websitewww.benjamintodmusic.com

Benjamin Tod Flippo[1] is an American singer-songwriter. He is lead singer and guitarist for the Lost Dog Street Band with his wife Ashley Mae (vocals, fiddle) and Jeff Loops (bass).[2] The band has released several albums through crowdfunding platforms, with their album Weight of a Trigger reaching number five on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart in 2019.

Biography

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Early life

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Tod grew up in Cottontown, Tennessee. He received his first guitar from his mother at the age of seven, but did not learn how to play until he was given a Fullerton Parlour guitar by a friend's father, at fourteen.[3] The same year, he was expelled from school.[4] Tod began hopping freight trains as a way to see the country.[5]

Lost Dog Street Band

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After being part of a music group called Barefoot Surrender, Tod and bandmate Ashley Mae formed the Lost Dog Street Band in 2010, named after their yellow Labrador, Daisy. Tod would do guitar and vocals while Mae would play the fiddle.[6]

Tod and Mae met Nicholas and Shannon Jae Ridout. The two couples formed the street-quartet, Spitshine, and began touring together. In 2013 Nicholas Ridout committed suicide and Tod and Mae rekindled Lost Dog Street Band.[1][6] The band has crowdfunded multiple albums through Indiegogo and Kickstarter, as well as self-publishing their music videos on the YouTube channel GemsOnVHS.[4][7] Lost Dog Street Band toured and released their fifth studio album Weight of a Trigger in 2019, and in April of that year, the album reached number five on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart.[8]

Solo career

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In 2017, Tod released the solo album I Will Rise which was recorded with "two mics and no overdubbing." In early 2019, Tod announced his second solo album, A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find, which was released November 22, 2019.[9] In June 2022, Tod announced his third solo album, Songs I Swore I'd Never Sing, which was released September 23, 2022.[10]

Personal life

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Tod met his wife Ashley Mae when they were teenagers. While she was in college he busked and hopped trains to earn money. The couple has a homestead in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.[4]

Discography

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as Black Heart Rebellion

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  • I’ll Write To You In Better Days (2009)

as Never Say Surrender

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  • You Can’t Win (2011)

as Spit Shine

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  • S/T (2011)
  • A Bottle & A Gun & A Troubled Mind (2013)

as Lost Dog Street Band

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  • Sick Pup (2011)
  • Life's a Dog-gone Shame (2013)
  • Homeward Bound (2015)
  • Rage and Tragedy (2016)
  • Weight of a Trigger (2019)
  • The Magnolia Sessions (2021)
  • Glory (2022)
  • Survived (2024)

with Barefoot Surrender

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  • Barefoot Surrender (2013)

as The Teardrop Trio

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  • The Teardrop Trio (2014)

Solo albums

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  • I Will Rise (2017)
  • A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find (2019)
  • Songs I Swore I'd Never Sing (2022)
  • Shooting Star (2024)

References

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  1. ^ a b Berlatsky, Noah (April 20, 2018). "Nashville's Lost Dog Street Band makes ragged-but-right folk music". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "Lost Dog Street Band". Retrieved September 9, 2019 – via Facebook.
  3. ^ "Lost Dog Street Band Biography". Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Siegel, Jacob (August 8, 2018). "GemsOnVHS: Meet the YouTuber Who's Spearheading a New Wave of DIY Americana". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Viriyapah, Matthew (August 13, 2019). "Lost Dog Street Band: Modern Outlaws". KOSU. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Lost Dog Street Band". do303.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Nowels, David (August 17, 2019). "Show Review: Lost Dog Street Band, Matt Heckler, and the Tillers". Americana Highways. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "Bluegrass Music: Top Bluegrass Albums Chart". Billboard. April 13, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  9. ^ "Benjamin Tod: Lost Dog Street Band Frontman Confirms November Release Of New Solo LP, A Heart Of Gold Is Hard To Find, Via Anti-Corporate Music; Video Posted". Earsplit Compound. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Lost Dog Street Band Frontman Benjamin Tod Announces Reflective New Album "Songs I Swore I'd Never Sing," Out September 23". All Eyes Media. June 14, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
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