Benjamin Levi Madden (né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the rock band Good Charlotte—for which he has received various awards—as well as pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers. He formed both of these acts with his identical twin brother, Joel Madden, with whom he was a coach on The Voice Australia from 2015 to 2016.
Benji Madden | |
|---|---|
 Madden performing in 2017 | |
| Born | Benjamin Levi Combs March 11, 1979 Waldorf, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | La Plata, Maryland, U.S |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Member of | |
Early life
editMadden was born Benjamin Levi Combs on March 11, 1979, in Waldorf, Maryland, to Robin Madden and Roger Combs (d. 2019).[1][2] He has an identical twin, Joel Madden, with whom he formed the band Good Charlotte.[1] He has an older brother named Josh and a younger sister named Sarah. All attended La Plata High School in La Plata, Maryland.[2]
Career
editIn 1996 Madden started a band with his twin brother Joel named Good Charlotte.
While still playing in Good Charlotte, both Madden brothers wrote and produced for other artists. Madden was a co-writer and co-producer of some of the songs on Hilary Duff's Most Wanted (2005) compilation album. He later helped write the songs "Amnesia" for pop rockers 5 Seconds of Summer and "No Ordinary Girl" for pop artist Kalin and Myles. He has appeared as a back-up vocalist for artists such as MxPx, Kill Hannah, Apoptygma Berzerk, Mest, The 69 Eyes, Sean Kingston, Three 6 Mafia, Chamillionaire, and Matisyahu.[3]
Madden started the fashion line called Made Clothing in 2001, along with his brothers Joel and Josh. In early 2006, it became DCMA Collective. A DCMA Collective store opened in Los Angeles on March 15, 2008, but later closed.[citation needed]
On April 3, 2010, Madden took part in a boxing match against MTV and VH1 host Riki Rachtman at Ellismania 5: Get These Brawls. The event was hosted by Jason Ellis at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Madden beat Rachtman by knockout at 1 minute and 42 seconds into the first round.[4]
On November 11, 2011, Madden and his brother Joel Madden released a free mix-tape, "The Madden Brothers: Before Volume 1". It contains new artists the brothers were personally interested in. Their brother Josh Madden helped to produce the mix-tape. Then unknown rappers, Machine Gun Kelly, Rockie Fresh, Kreayshawn, Cassie Veggies, HXLT, and Wiz Khalifa all appeared on the mix-tape.
In 2012, Benji appeared on the TV show The Voice Australia, alongside Joel as joint mentor-judges.
In early 2013, Benji helped write Tonight Alive's song "Breakdown". He sang back-up vocals at the end of the song and made an appearance in the video.
In 2014, electronic dance music artist TJR released his track "Come Back Down", which features Benji on the track's vocals. The Madden Brothers recording "Greetings from California" was released on September 16, 2014.
In mid-2014, both of the Madden brothers appeared as coaches on The Voice Kids Australia in a double chair, after the example of the Dutch The Voice of Holland and The Voice Kids Holland edition in which the singer's duo Nick & Simon appeared as a judging duo between 2010 and 2015. In early 2015, Benji joined Joel as a coach on the main edition of The Voice, bringing the number of coaches up to five.
In 2015 Madden and his two brothers formally started their company MDDN, of which Benji is CEO, offering artist management, artist development and creative services. The company gained success quickly with the brothers taking management of Jessie J, Chase Atlantic, Architects, Bad Omens, Waterparks, Eyedress, Poppy and More.[5]
Madden and his brother Joel co-founded the streaming platform Veeps in 2017, and are co-CEOs. Live Nation Entertainment acquired a majority stake in the platform in January 2021.[6]
Discography
editWith Good Charlotte
editWith The Madden Brothers
edit- Before – Volume One (2011)
- Greetings from California (2014)[7]
Vocal appearances
edit| Year | Song | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Let's Go" | X-Ecutioners | |
| 2002 | "January" | Goldfinger | Open Your Eyes |
| 2003 | "Jaded (These Years)" | Mest | Mest |
| "It's Alright" | MxPx | Before Everything & After | |
| "On the Outs" | |||
| 2004 | "Are You Ready?" | Hazen Street | Hazen Street |
| "All That" | |||
| "Last Train Home" | Lostprophets | Start Something | |
| "Jump" | N.E.R.D | Fly or Die | |
| 2007 | "Tightly Wound" | MxPx | Secret Weapon |
| "Sex Without Love" | Ben Lee | Ripe | |
| 2008 | "My Own Way" | Three 6 Mafia | Last 2 Walk |
| 2009 | "Apollo (Live on Your TV)" | Apoptygma Berzerk | Rocket Science |
| "Darkness into Light" | Matisyahu | Light | |
| "Dead N' Gone" | The 69 Eyes | Back in Blood | |
| "Shoulda Let U Go" | Sean Kingston | Tomorrow | |
| "Snowblinded" | Kill Hannah | Wake Up the Sleepers | |
| 2013 | "Breakdown" | Tonight Alive | The Other Side |
| 2014 | "Come Back Down" | TJR[8] | |
| 2019 | "Never Enough" | Sleeping with Sirens | How It Feels to Be Lost |
| 2020 | "Second Chances" | Hollywood Undead | New Empire, Vol. 1 |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Not Another Teen Movie | Prom band member | |
| 2006 | Live Freaky Die Freaky | Interrogator #1 | Voice only |
| Material Girls | Mistaken valet #2 | ||
| Fast Future Generation | Himself | ||
| 2007 | Punk's Not Dead | ||
| 2008 | Paris, Not France | ||
| 2009 | 6 Beers of Separation | ||
| 2016 | I'll Sleep When I'm Dead |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Punk'd | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Australian Idol | Himself (guest judge) | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | The Electric Company | Himself | |
| 2014 | The Voice Kids | Himself (coach) | All episodes |
| 2015–2016 | The Voice Australia | ||
| 2022 | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Himself (contestant) | 1 episode |
Music videos
edit- Rancid – "Fall Back Down"
- The White Tie Affair – "Candle (Sick and Tired)"
- Junior Sanchez – "Elevator"
- Young Dre The Truth – "Cheah Bah"
- Mest – "Jaded (These Years)"
- The 69 Eyes – "Dead N' Gone"
- Fenix Tx – "Threesome"
- Rad Omen – "Rad Anthem"
- Brand New – "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad"
- Escape the Fate – "10 Miles Wide"
- The Madden Brothers – "Oh My God"
- The Fray – "Love Don't Die"
- The Madden Brothers – "We Are Done"
Awards and nominations
editFor his work as a guitarist for the alternative rock band Good Charlotte, he has received various accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award, and an NRJ Music Award.
Personal life
editIn February 2008, Madden broke up with his long-time fiancée, Sophie Monk.[9]
Madden began dating actress Cameron Diaz in May 2014. The two were unofficially engaged before Christmas Day in 2014[10] and were married on January 5, 2015,[11] in a Jewish-inspired ceremony, at their Beverly Hills home.[12] On December 30, 2019, they had a daughter via surrogate pregnancy.[13] On March 22, 2024 Benji announced that wife Cameron Diaz and he welcomed their new-born son.[citation needed]
Madden has many tattoos, including a tattoo of Benjamin Franklin, which covers his entire back.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b Leahey, Andrew. "Artist Biography [Benji Madden]". Allmusic.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ a b "Joel Madden". People.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Madden, Benjamin (September 18, 2009). "Twitter status- Benji Madden as a back-up vocalist". Twitter. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ^ Ellismania 5 – Benji Madden VS Riki Rachtman – The Fight. YouTube. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ^ https://mddn.co [bare URL]
- ^ "Live Nation Buys Majority Stake in Madden Brothers' Streaming Company Veeps". Billboard.
- ^ "Bio". themaddenbrothers.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ "TJR feat. Benji Madden – Come Back Down (RELEASE)". turnupthebass.net. January 27, 2014. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ "Sophie Monk and Benji Madden split up". News.com.au. January 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008.
- ^ Cascerceri, Dorothy (January 9, 2015). "What does Cameron Diaz see in Benji Madden?". Fox News.
- ^ Chiu, Melody (December 23, 2014). "Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden Are Engaged". Time.
- ^ Friedman, Gabe (January 7, 2015). "Cameron Diaz has a Jewish wedding – through neither she nor beau are Jewish". Haaretz.
- ^ "Cameron Diaz Feels Daughter Raddix Is 'Truly a Miracle' After Using Surrogate". January 8, 2020.
- ^ "Benji Madden shows off his tattoo of Ben Franklin". The Courier-Mail. News.com.au. June 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
External links
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