Ben poses at the Opry with mentor Peter Jeffrey (left) and bluegrass songstress Rhonda Vincent.

At the time, Ben was a freshman in his first semester at Western Kentucky University. “I didn’t have anything going on there that was cool at all,” says Ben, noting Western’s music program was more inclined to classical music – and Ben’s homespun abilities were anything but classically trained.

He grew up surrounded by music. His mom, Tammie Alexander, played bass in a gospel group as a child, traveling with the group when she was just ten years old. Dad Bart Helson is also a guitarist. The third child in the family with older brother and sister Chris and Wendy and younger brother Alex, Ben had other plans for his own future.

“I was always into sports—basketball. That’s what I wanted and what my parents wanted for me, too. But then that cancer thing came creeping along so I took up playing guitar.”

As providence would have it, then eight-year-old Ben fell asleep on the couch one evening. When his mom picked him up to carry him to bed, she felt a “knot” on his side. Tests soon confirmed Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a cancer of the immune system) characterized by enlarged lymph nodes, fever, and weight loss.

It explained the fatigue Ben had been experiencing on the basketball court, and sidelined him for a year during which he lost all his hair as chemotherapy battled the disease. He later joined a travel team, playing basketball during half-time shows at universities such as Auburn and Florida State, but yearly tests to ensure he remained in remission was a reminder of his previous ordeal.

Ben was 13 when he asked his dad to show him some chords on the guitar. “He showed me three chords and I stayed up that night practicing,” Ben says. The next morning, his father was astounded when Ben played the old bluegrass song “Home Sweet Home” flawlessly.

He found a tutor at Kentucky Music in Bowling Green, where he was schooled in old rock-n-roll songs. His focus remained on classic rock and blues: “It was just not a cool thing to do to play bluegrass,” he explains. “I remember being so embarrassed the first time I played a show with Dad and some kids from school were there.”

Ben’s friends gather at the Opry to enjoy his performance. Left to right are Mark Shreve, Roger Morris, Danielle Holly, Adam Catt, Jake Gathright, Blaine Sumler, Dustin Doyle, and Jarrod Meredith.

By that time he was a student at Edmonson County High School in Brownsville. His plans after graduation were simple: to complete his general education requirements at Western before transferring to study at Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Recording Industry.

“It’s definitely unlike me to move away from my family,” says Ben, who admits the planned years at Western were orchestrated to keep him close to home. Yet the opportunity offered by Bethel’s Renaissance scholarship was too good to turn down.

Ben traveled to Bethel to audition for Renaissance and says, “I was nervous that I wouldn’t make it in.” But make it he did, and he joined Renaissance in the second semester of its existence. There he found a solid core of friends and imported a couple more. Fellow guitarists Adam Catt and Dustin Doyle, both from Brownsville, joined the group in short succession.

“Renaissance has been a great experience,” says Ben. “Any success that I have will probably be owed to that and my dad, as far as encouragement. He’s always been really supportive.”

Being thrown into the eclectic styles of music performed by the nationally-renowned choir and instrumental ensemble challenged Ben’s skills, a test that surpassed even his own expectations. Jazz, he says, is what pushed him hardest, along with music theory. And then there is Peter.

“It’s amazing just being able to play with him,” says Ben. “He’s really indescribable, he’s such a good musician.”

Renaissance Director Peter Jeffrey is an accomplished pianist and songwriter, his successful career including a Dove award in 1996 for the song "Without You I Haven't Got a Prayer", performed by Midsouth. Also a minister, he considers Renaissance the answer to his ministerial calling. Ben corroborates the value Peter’s ministry adds to the busy troupe that spends many weekends in travel and several weeks each summer on tour, saying, “He’s the person I always go to for advice.”

Being a member of Renaissance has already provided Ben with other professional opportunities. It was during a spring break tour to Silver Dollar City that Ben first saw the Larry Stephenson Band perform. Later, through Peter and Darrin, he learned the band was looking for a guitar player. Ben auditioned and won the role, performing with the group in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the Carolinas, Kentucky and Ohio.

“It’s been great,” he says. “I’ve met a lot of cool people; it’s been a good chance to start networking and go to school at the same time.”

Regarding the future, Ben says, “That’s a tough one.” While he didn’t get the job with Rhonda, he remains grateful for the experience. No matter what direction his opportunities take him, however, he says, “I just feel like I can do anything as long as I have a guitar in my hand.”