This page is for soul artist Britten, not classical artist Benjamin Britten. He has his own page. (http://www.last.fm/music/Benjamin+Britten)

In one word, Britten is “soulful”. He can’t help it. Since birth, thanks to his father, his down-home country surroundings have been filled with the sounds of Motown legends like Steve Wonder and the Jackson Five and Memphis icons like Al Green.

As a matter of fact, it was while riding in the car and listening to Al that Britten realized his fate. “Hearing Love and Happiness was one of the first times that I knew I wanted to be an artist. His music strikes me to the core.”

Being that Britten comes from a long line of musicians who have never had their vision fully actualized, it was fortunate that his parents did not shy away from his purpose. At 7, he received his first “amateur” guitar. At 13, his grandmother made the investment to upgrade it. At 14, he wrote a song that continues to be the soundtrack of his life.

“Not So Ordinary was the first song I seriously wrote. I didn’t know much, but I knew I was tired of hearing people say the same ole’ stuff in the same ole’ way,” he shares. “There are different ways to write a love song. More importantly, there are other things to talk about.”

Since, his life has been an interesting journey.

At 16, Britten had his first live performance at a local venue (“Let’s just say it taught me the art of improvisation.”).

At 17, Britten packed up his life and moved to Boston to attend Berklee (“Let’s just say I got my butt handed to me because I didn’t know as much about---well, anything as I thought.”)

And, at 20, with a solid foundational curriculum in tow, Britten returned to Music City to fully and passionately pursue music. “It was a hard decision to make and one that I didn’t take lightly but I don’t regret it a day in my life. Berklee helped me come to myself as an artist and the people there made me raise the standard that I initially set for myself.”

In 2007, Britten entered into a production deal with Grammy Award winning producers/songwriters Drew & Shannon (India.Arie, Heather Headley, Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph) whom he had met when he was 19. Drew & Shannon walked Britten through the process of honing his skills as a writer, performer, as well as finding a unique sound. Also during this period, Britten got his first big song placement with "Good Morning", a song co-written with Drew & Shannon and John Legend, whom Drew & Shannon were working with at the time.

The outcome of this highly productive period is the December 2009 EP Six Strings and a Drum Machine, which pretty much sums up the sound that the guys came up with, incorporating Britten's love of Prince and Michael Jackson music of the 80's with the guitar and songwriting influences of James Taylor and John Mayer. Released on Drew & Shannon's own CuttyStang Records, Six Strings and a Drum Machine is already garnishing rave reviews as Britten has begun touring the South and East Coast in support of the project.

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