Ben Hoffman

For other people with the same name, see Ben Hoffman (disambiguation).

Ben Hoffman
Born
Benjamin Isaac Hoffman

(1974-12-13) December 13, 1974 (age 49)[1]
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Other namesWheeler Walker, Jr.
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • writer
  • producer
  • musician
Years active2005–present
Musical career
OriginNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels
Websitewheelerwalkerjr.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2015–present
Subscribers745K[2]
Last updated: Monday July 15, 2024

Benjamin Isaac Hoffman (born December 13, 1974) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and musician.[3] Hoffman is well known by his country musician alter ego Wheeler Walker Jr., as whom he has released five studio albums.

His first album as Wheeler Walker Jr., Redneck Shit, debuted in 2016 at number nine on the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart and number one on the Billboard Top Comedy Albums chart, making it the first album in over a decade to debut in the top ten on both those charts simultaneously.[4] Despite no FM radio play, Hoffman found success with streaming and social media.

Reception to Hoffman's music has been mixed, largely due to the raunchiness of his lyrics and themes.[5] Some have called the Wheeler Walker Jr. character an "experiment in free speech" and "a platform to speak out against censorship and bias in the music industry".[6] Hoffman has been vocal about his use of the character as a means to express his displeasure with the modern state of the country music industry, particularly the rise of the bro-country subgenre.[7]

  1. ^ Ben Hoffman on Twitter: "Thanks for all the birthday wishes. That I'm hopefully gonna get. After this tweet." Twitter.com
  2. ^ "About Wheeler Walker, Jr". YouTube.
  3. ^ "Episode 680 - Ben Hoffman". WTF with Marc Maron Podcast. February 11, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Music". wheelerwalkerjr.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  5. ^ Moore, Bobby (April 14, 2022). "Wheeler Walker Jr. to Fan Flames of Authenticity Debate From the Ryman Stage". wideopencountry.com. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Funkhouser, Brett (November 30, 2018). "Wheeler Walker Jr. Displays Incredible Musicianship Behind Lyrical Raunchiness". americanahighways.org. Americana Highways. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  7. ^ Perlut, Aaron (April 3, 2022). "Wheeler Walker, Jr. Still Has An Axe To Grind With The Music Industry". brobible.com. BroBible. Retrieved April 21, 2022.