1993–2000

Ben Folds Five was formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill by Ben Folds. They were a trio in spite of their name, and the primary motivation behind the name, apart from the band's well-known use of humor, was simple preference, according to Ben: "I think it sounds better than Ben Folds Three."^[1] Folds once described their music as "punk rock for sissies," a reaction to the angst prevalent in '90s rock.^[2]

Their first radio single was "Underground" from their self-titled debut album, released in 1995 on Caroline Records. The band's biggest success was the single "Brick" from their second album, Whatever and Ever Amen, released in 1997. It was followed by the more somber and jazz-based 1999 album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. The group contributed an outtake from the Reinhold Messner sessions, titled "Leather Jacket", to the 1999 benefit album, No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees.

The band's final released recording was a cover of Steely Dan's "Barrytown" for the Me, Myself & Irene soundtrack. The band had begun work on a fourth studio album, but following the worldwide tour in support of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, the band "amicably" broke up in October 2000. Tracks from the sessions later emerged in solo projects.^[3]

After the break-up (2001–2011)

Folds went on to pursue a successful solo career, releasing his debut album Rockin' the Suburbs in 2001, followed Songs for Silverman in 2005, Way to Normal in 2008, and Lonely Avenue in collaboration with novelist Nick Hornby in 2010. He produced and arranged actor William Shatner's second album Has Been, co-writing the majority of the songs with Shatner. Folds also contributed songs to the soundtracks for the animated movies Hoodwinked! and Over the Hedge, as well as forming the one-off side project The Bens (with Ben Lee and Ben Kweller) in 2003.

Jessee formed the indie band Hotel Lights in 2004, with his songs featured in television and film. Jessee released three studio albums for Bar/None Records in this time – including Hotel Lights in 2006, Firecracker People in 2008, and Girl Graffiti in 2011.

Sledge played with International Orange until the group disbanded in 2005. He later became the bass player in the three-piece Chapel Hill band Surrender Human, with Matt McMichaels from the Mayflies USA.

Reunions (2008, 2011–2013, 2023)

Ben Folds Five made a one-off concert appearance in September 2008 at the UNC Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill as part of the MySpace "Front to Back" series, in which artists play an entire album live. The band played its then-final album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, and were briefly joined on stage by Ben's father, Dean Folds, who read a transcript of his voice mail message that is used in the album song "Your Most Valuable Possession", encoring with some of the songs from their first two albums.^[4]

In 2011, Ben Folds Five reunited to record three tracks for Ben Folds' The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective. They made their first live appearance in four years as one of the headliners of the 2012 Mountain Jam festival.^[5] They made further appearances at that year's 2012 Bonnaroo and Summerfest festivals.

The band's fourth studio album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind was released in September 2012, supported by the single Do It Anyway, with a video featuring Anna Kendrick, Rob Corddry, and the cast of Fraggle Rock.^[6] and a tour of the US, the UK, Australia and Ireland.

In June 2013, the trio released their first live album, titled Live.^[7] During that year Ben Folds Five toured with the Barenaked Ladies and Guster,^[8] before entering a hiatus that ultimately became permanent. Folds resumed his solo career, releasing the yMusic collaboration So There in 2015^[9] and continuing to tour extensively. Jessee, meanwhile, released a new album with Hotel Lights in 2016, entitled Get Your Hand in My Hand,^[10] before releasing two solo albums: 2018's The Jane, Room 217^[11] and 2020's Remover.^[12]

Caleb Southern – the producer of the band's first three albums and considered the "fourth member" of the band by Folds – died on July 6, 2023.^[13] The band reunited for a concert in tribute to Southern on August 28, 2023, at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill.

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

DVDs

• Ben Folds Five – The Complete Sessions at West 54th (1999) – Epic Music Video

Other appearances

• Mr. Wrong soundtrack (1996) – Contributed "Song for the Dumped"
• The Truth About Cats & Dogs soundtrack (1996) – Contributed "Bad Idea"
• KCRW Rare On Air, Volume 3 (1997) – Contributed "Alice Childress"
• Lounge-A-Palooza (1997) – Contributed cover of "She Don't Use Jelly" by The Flaming Lips
• MegaHits Dance Party, Volume 2 (1998) – Contributed "Brick (3AM Dance Remix)"
• Triple J Hottest 100, Volume 5 (1998) – Contributed "One Angry Dwarf & 200 Solemn Faces"
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch – The Album soundtrack (1998) – Contributed "Kate"
• Godzilla soundtrack (1998) – Contributed "Air"
• Burt Bacharach: One Amazing Night (1998) – Contributed "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"
• Teleconned, Volume 1: We Want The Airwaves (1998) – Contributed "Theme From Dr. Pyser"
• No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees benefit album (1999) – Contributed "Leather Jacket"
• Me, Myself & Irene soundtrack (2000) – Contributed a cover of "Barrytown" by Steely Dan from their third studio album Pretzel Logic
• Songs for Summer benefit album (2000) – Contributed "Where's Summer B.?"
• Non Stop '90s Rock (2001) – Contributed "Brick"
• Songbook (2002) – Contributed "Smoke"