Benjamin Levi Madden (né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the 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 2015–2016.
Benji Madden | |
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Born | Benjamin Levi Combs (1979-03-11) March 11, 1979 (age 43) Waldorf, Maryland, U.S. |
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Years active | 1995–present |
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Children | 1 |
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Awards | Full list |
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Origin | La Plata, Maryland, U.S |
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Madden was born Benjamin Levi Combs on March 11, 1979, in Waldorf, Maryland, to Robin Madden and Roger Combs.[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]
In 1996 Madden started a band with his twin brother Joel named Good Charlotte.[citation needed]
While still playing in Good Charlotte, Madden and Joel 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] As of September 2009 Madden has guest played in the band Taintstick, led by radio talk show host, professional MMA fighter, and pro skateboarder, Jason Ellis.
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, Sleeping with Sirens, Hollywood Undead, Waterparks, ANTI-FLAG,[5] Chase Atlantic, K Camp, Architects and more.
Year | Song | Artist(s) | Album |
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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[7] | |
2019 | "Never Enough" | Sleeping with Sirens | How It Feels to Be Lost |
2020 | "Second Chances" | Hollywood Undead | New Empire, Vol. 1 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 |
For 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.
In February 2008, Madden broke up with his long-time fiancée, Sophie Monk.[8]
Madden began dating actress Cameron Diaz in May 2014. The two were unofficially engaged before Christmas Day in 2014[9] and were married on January 5, 2015,[10] in a Jewish-inspired ceremony, at their Beverly Hills home.[11] On December 30, 2019, they had a daughter via surrogate pregnancy.[12]
Madden has many tattoos, including a tattoo of Benjamin Franklin, which covers his entire back.[13]
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