Ben Masterson originally hails from northern Wisconsin, where he grew up on his great-grandparents' remote farmstead surrounded by music and aural history. Around age 12, he was gifted a guitar and his first music lessons from an uncle who has since inspired his exploration of traditional music.
Masterson continued his musical development in school under the mentorship of wonderful teachers, where he was involved in choir, regional honors band, solo/ensemble competitions and musical theater. He eventually moved to Portland, Oregon, where he worked as a manager of the local folk staple, Artichoke Music: a school, theater and stringed instrument store. There, he began playing old-time banjo and fiddle in earnest at the many local jams and dances.
Masterson and his wife, Hilary, now live in Elkin, North Carolina, restoring their historic farmhouse. Masterson received the North Carolina Folklife Apprenticeship grant to learn violin, building violins with Elkin’s own renowned luthier Joe Thrift. He also teaches guitar, fiddle and banjo in the Elkin JAM chapter and at the Reeves Downtown School of Music.