Ben Broussard

Every athlete wants to be a rock-star, and every rock-star wants to be an athlete…Ben Broussard has had an amazing journey becoming both. “Music was my outlet in baseball,” says Broussard, “It’s how I kept my sanity in the roller coaster life I was living. On the road, I always found a private place where I could play. I’d sing during games to relax and before at bats. One game, I got the melody for a song during a pitching change right before a rain delay. During the delay I ran to the dugout and wrote it down on some scrap of paper. That night, the song ‘See the Rain’ was born.”

Sports dominated Broussard's younger years, but his passion for the guitar began around the age of 14. When his youth group needed a singer and guitar player, Ben filled that role and continued to perform throughout his high school years. His unique talent for beat boxing began in the third grade. “I was the only white kid in my third grad class,” says Broussard, “at recess, kids would pile up in the corner of the bathroom/shower for the best acoustics. There they would freestyle against each other 8 mile style. I decided one day, to be bold and step into their circle. They were like ‘what do you want?’ and I boldly said ‘I gotta beat.’ I threw it on the line and they liked it. From then on, I was the one of the kids that carried the beat.”

When Ben signed with McNeese State University with an academic scholarship, music took a backseat to classes and college baseball. However, Ben and a few college buddies soon formed a band, with Ben playing guitar and adding in some vocals. Following weekend baseball games, he would rush to meet his band members to perform gigs. Ben loved entertaining friends, teammates and the locals, and the fifty bucks he earned each gig was an added bonus for the typical poor college student.
After sitting the bench his first two years in college, McNeese brought in a different coach with a new opportunity. He set school records in many offensive categories and was honored with the “Athlete of the Year” along with having his jersey retired. In June of 1999 the Reds selected him in the second round of the draft and the next leg of his journey began.

After the draft, Ben's music performances came to a halt except for occasional entertainment of friends and teammates. The quiet time in hotel rooms while on the road allowed Ben to pursue another element of music - songwriting. “My guitar went everywhere with me. I always had one in the clubhouse and on every flight,” recalls Broussard. “It was my constant; my love of playing wasn’t influenced by my performance or teams. I definitely felt more relaxed and focused when I was playing guitar and writing regularly. All my songs came from my experiences traveling the countryside playing baseball. I can remember sitting on a park bench in Chicago one summer- that day I wrote a song about this odd man sitting close by who resembled Einstein. In Seattle the equipment room where most of my songs on the last album ‘Renovated’ were written. My teammates were my audience; I had the unique opportunity to get feedback on how my tunes affected them.”

Ben’s debut album “Ben Broussard,” was released in 2005. The CD release party turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of his career for both music and baseball. On a Friday night in Cleveland, with his team in the playoff hunt, Ben was put in to play defense in the 8th with a two run lead. “We were on pace to a quick victory with plenty of time for me to get to the House of Blues for my CD release party,” Broussard recalls, “As fate would have it, the other team comes back and ties it up in the ninth. I remember telling my teammates jokingly in the 11th that, I was gonna end this one cause I had a concert to play.” Three pitches later he hit the game winning homerun. “My teammates mauled me at home plate, I rushed in for a quick shower, then did my interviews with my newborn daughter on my shoulder still sweating from the game.” Ben walked in the House of Blues just in time and received a huge ovation. “I remember looking at these people packed in there with the line out the door and down the street, all die-hard fans wanting to hear some tunes. It’s rare to experience both highs of that magnitude on the same night,” says Broussard.

The second album, “Renovated,” was released in 2009. Ben had gained the respect of top musicians to help create this new project. Featured on the project were: Tony Levin on bass (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Pink Floyd), Pat Mastelotto on drums (King Crimson, The Rembrandts), and David Grissom on guitar (Dixie Chicks, John Mellencamp). The CD again was composed with all original music and gained the attention of some of Hollywood’s top TV shows including: Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), Bones (FOX), Cold Cases (CBS), Real World (MTV) and The Black Donnelly’s (NBC).

Ben’s songs give us a unique insight to the life of a athlete gone music.