1. Ben Coulter’s road to the
Opry!
Posted on July 6 by karilhuskey
April 2, 2013
Emerging from the small town of Montrose, in the SE Arkansas Delta, Ben
Coulter has been eyeing the country music spotlight on his quest to the Grand Ole
Opry for some time now. At 19 he was amazed by the fact that his Deer Camp was
always being filled with music. And great music it was! Ben shared his camp with
musical greats such as Bruce Smith, a respected country guitar player from Hot
Springs and Noel Wilson and Mike Gavin, who are well known for their time spent
playing with the great Johnny Cash. At night you could hear the acoustic songs of
Merle, Waylon, Johnny and Hank Sr. by the firelight. It is only natural that Ben would
count these greats in his list of influences.
Although Ben came from a musical family, with his uncle being a gospel singer, he
actually didn’t pick up a guitar of his own until getting one for Christmas in 1999.
Since then he has played in numerous churches that he has pastored including

2. Fellowship Baptist in Snyder, AR and Journey Church in Monticello, AR. Ben feels
as though he is taking the “same path” as Son House, a Blues crooner and guitarist
that rose to popularity in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He also started out with a love for
God and then started to showcase his talents for music.
After competing in a few talent contests and building up some confidence, Ben moved
to Branson in 2004 with nothing more than $300, his guitar and a bag of clothes. With
the help of his new friends Gerry and Karen Moore, he was able to find work at
Shorty Smalls as the evening entertainment. Ben smiles as he recalls the panic he felt
that first night……”I was supposed to play for 3-4 hours and I only knew maybe 10
songs! I just walked around and played to different people and somehow made it
work!” Ben spent the next couple of years splitting his time between Branson in the
summer and Fayetteville during the winters. By 2006 he was established in Branson
so well that he was able to spend the entire year working there by playing such venues
as The Pasta House and Branson Landing. One night Ben was playing as a street
entertainer for Branson Landing when he heard a familiar voice join in on the song
and looked up to see Glen Campbell singing with him!
In 2007 Ben packed up and moved to Nashville where he was lucky enough to land a
gig playing with legendary blues man and Grammy Award Winner from NOLA,
Anders Osborne, at the Crescent Café and Oyster Bar. As much as he enjoyed
Nashville, he felt as though he could make the same living playing away from
Nashville, and that decision turned out to be the right one for him! After moving to
Hamburg, AR he met his girlfriend and love of his life Sheffield Duke…..”She has
been my #1 supporter and the Voice of Reason when I need to hear it!” (Sorry ladies,
he’s taken) Ben now makes a monthly trip to perform in Nashville. He also travels to
Mississippi where he has been playing Harlow’s Casino on Friday and Saturday
nights quite a bit over the last few months.
When you don’t find Ben busy with music, you will find him cheering on his favorite

3. teams the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arkansas Razorbacks. He is also an avid reader
and loves anything that has to do with history, especially the Civil War. Ben has also
joined with Holt International. They are a non-profit that helps kids that are in the
worst situations all over the world while they are waiting to be adopted. Ben has also
been helping to raise awareness through participating in a fundraiser for Hope Ranch.
Hope Ranch Inc. is a non-profit Assisted Riding Center for at risk youth in Southeast
Arkansas, located in Lake Village, Arkansas.
Ben’s biggest wish is to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and he lights up as he says
that his friends, family…..his entire hometown have been behind him 200%. Since
that first night in Branson, Ben has added hundreds of songs to his repertoire as well
as produced and distributed enough original material to warrant 9 albums! His next
album, a solo acoustic contemplation is set to release around March 1st. With all this
talent…Ben is sure to recognize his dream in the near future. You can find more
information about Ben Coulterand his “Road to the Opry” on his Facebook page as
well as his websitewww.bencoulteronline.com and you can actually follow his
journey atwww.roadtotheopry.com. You will also find several dates at local venues
around central Arkansas.