Ben & Jason

{{Short description|English singer-songwriter duo}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Ben & Jason | image = BenandJason.jpg | origin = London, England | genre = Folk-pop, soft rock | years_active = 1998–2003  | label = Go! Beat, Universal, Setanta | website = [http://www.myspace.com/benandjason Myspace] | past_members = Ben Parker<br />Jason Hazeley }}

'''Ben & Jason''' were a singer-songwriter duo from London, England consisting of Ben Parker and Jason Hazeley. Formed in 1998, they released three albums on the Go! Beat/Universal labels: ''Hello'', ''Emoticons'' and ''Ten Songs About You''. When they were dropped from their major label deal, the band released their final album, ''Goodbye'', on the independent label Setanta.

As songwriters-for-hire, they collaborated with Mundy and Martine McCutcheon.

Their single "Air Guitar", from the album ''Emoticons'', reached No. 79 in the UK Singles Chart. AllMusic described ''Emoticons'' as an "impressive collection of elegantly crafted folk pop."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ben-jason-mn0000917232/biography|title=Ben & Jason - Biography & History|website=AllMusic}}</ref> Better known is their collaboration with Kinobe, "Slip into Something..." (from the album ''Soundphiles''), which reached No. 78 in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/9389/kinobe-ft-ben-and-jason/|title=KINOBE FT BEN & JASON - Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref> The pair went their separate ways in December 2003 after disappointing results but excellent reviews from the penultimate album ''Ten Songs About You'', and in particular the single "The Wild Things".

Ben Parker went on to form the band Lux Luther in 2004 with bass player Ollie Russian, drummer Ben Carpenter (now of the Creepy Morons) and guitarist Gavin Slater (now of Ghosts). After varying success on the London gig circuit, the band split in May 2006 when Parker decided to go solo. Parker appeared on the 2004 CD ''Scissors in My Pocket'' by Polly Paulusma in 2004, toured the UK with David Berkeley in 2007 and has also collaborated with Sophie Solomon on her second solo studio album. More recently, Parker has composed the music for BBC Three sitcom ''How Not to Live Your Life'' and worked on the John Lennon biopic ''Nowhere Boy'' as music tutor, arranger and producer. He now has a new band, The Chain (formerly Braxton Hix), formed in 2009 with singer Kate Aumonier and produces and writes for new artists such as Pearl & the Puppets and Dutch singer Waylon.

Jason Hazeley now writes comedy, and is one of the authors of ''The Framley Examiner'', ''Bollocks to Alton Towers'', ''Far from the Sodding Crowd'' and ''Viz''. He is also co-creator with comedy writer Joel Morris of the Ladybird Books For Adults series.

==Discography== ===Albums=== * ''Hello'' (1999) * ''Emoticons'' (1999) * ''Ten Songs About You'' (2001) * ''Goodbye'' (2003)

===Singles=== * "Emoticons" (1999) - UK No. 88<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/7429/ben-and-jason/|title=BEN & JASON - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref> * "Air Guitar" (1999) - UK No. 79 * "Romeo and Juliet Are Drowning" (2000) * "The Wild Things" (2001) - UK No. 81 * "How the Hell Do I Explain?" (2001)

===Collaborations=== * ''Slip into Something...'' (Kinobe featuring Ben & Jason, from the album ''Soundphiles'', 2000) - UK No. 78 * ''Unfair Weather'' (Kinobe featuring Ben & Jason, from the album ''VerseBridgeChorus'', 2001)

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben and Jason}} Category:English pop music duos Category:English soft rock music groups Category:Soft rock duos Category:English rock music duos Category:English male musical duos Category:Musical groups established in 1998 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Category:Go! Beat artists Category:Universal Music Group artists