A longtime staple of the Canadian music scene, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Ben Mink later enjoyed considerable success through his affiliation with singer
k.d. lang. Born in Toronto in 1951, he joined the folk group Stringband as a fiddler in 1973, later playing on their hit "Dief Will Be the Chief." In 1978,
Mink joined the progressive rock band FM, appearing on their Direct to Disk album and remaining with the group until 1984; he also guested on
Rush's
Signals album. While touring Japan in 1985 with the Quebec-based group Cano,
Mink first met
lang, discovering a mutual affection for the classic country music of artists including
Patsy Cline and
Buck Owens. Some months later, he sent her a demo of his song "Turn Me Round," which became a staple of
lang's stage act; when she dismissed producer
Dave Edmunds from sessions for her 1987 debut
Angel with a Lariat,
Mink was brought in to assume production chores, in the process also becoming
lang's songwriting partner. They reunited for 1989's
Absolute Torch and Twang, scoring a Grammy nomination for the song "Luck in My Eyes"; however,
lang's true commercial breakthrough was 1992's
Ingenue, which launched the crossover hit "Constant Craving." From there,
Mink again teamed with
lang on the soundtrack to 1993's
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues before moving on to produce
Barenaked Ladies' Maybe You Should Drive.
lang's
All You Can Eat followed in 1995. ~ Jason Ankeny