Ben Z Walker (Benjamin Ward) was born in Roehampton, south-west London, but grew up in the hamlet of Kersey Uplands in the county of Suffolk, UK. He did his first gig in a pub in nearby Hadleigh in 1985, before studying classical piano at Colchester Institute, jazz piano at Leeds College of Music and jazz singing and mandolin (the latter with multi-instrumentalist Stuart Hall), at Middlesex University and William Paterson College, New Jersey, USA, and gaining a first class degree in Performance Arts from Middlesex University in 1994.

After recording a number of cassettes, whose material would resurface many times in subsequent years, Walker moved from Suffolk to West Yorkshire in 1998. This period resulted in the recording and release of two albums, Bahaudin (2001) and Kill or Cure (2008). There were also recorded collaborations with Canadian writer Stuart Ross, college friend Mike PG and an EP, If You Want Love, in 2004.

Since moving to Toronto, Canada, in 2010, Ben Z Walker has released a further six albums, and continues to perform. In recent times he has been playing mandolin in space rock band The Starfires and keyboards with Zombie Karaoke Santa (Toronto) and eclectic funk band The Pangs (Suffolk).

‘Something for everyone.’ – Rock ‘n’ Reel Magazine, Jul/Aug 2021