Brendan Benson (born November 14, 1970) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released eight solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs.

Benson was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His debut album, One Mississippi, was released in 1996 on Virgin Records. The album, which features several contributions from Jason Falkner, failed to sell in sufficient numbers and Benson was subsequently dropped by Virgin.

In 2002, the follow-up to One Mississippi was released, Lapalco. Again, the critical plaudits poured in, but this time the record enjoyed a certain degree of commercial success, selling more than three times as many copies as One Mississippi. ^{[citation needed]}

The song "Good To Me" from this album appeared on the British show Teachers during series three and was included on the series soundtrack; it was also covered by The White Stripes for the B-side of the single Seven Nation Army. The song "Tiny Spark" featured on an episode from the fourth series of Teachers, as well as in the feature films Along Came Polly, and World's Greatest Dad. ^{[citation needed]}

While touring this record, Benson played the Reading and Leeds Festivals and finished his Leeds set with a performance of the track "Jet Lag" featuring guest appearances from Meg White of The White Stripes along with members of The Datsuns and Soledad Brothers. In 2003 Benson re-released his debut album along with bonus tracks including the unreleased six-track extended play Wellfed Boy EP.

In 2003, Benson also released Metarie, with his then band The Well Fed Boys, and which featured a cover of Paul McCartney's Let Me Roll It, which featured back-up vocals by Jack White. This was the first song written completely by another artist to be featured on a Benson release. Another cover, this time "Strong Boy", from Gram Parsons International Submarine Band 1968 album, Safe at Home, was released as a B-side in 2005.

In 2005, Benson released his third album, The Alternative to Love, and toured extensively in the US, UK, and Europe with his new touring band, The Stiff Tissues. "Spit It Out" was the first single and reached the UK Top 75 for the first time (peaking at No. 75 in April), and also generated some buzz for Benson. Two further singles were released from the album. "Cold Hands Warm Heart" appeared in many commercials and TV shows and "What I'm Looking For" was used in multiple national advertising campaigns. This album charted at No. 70 in the UK Albums Chart.

Benson is a member of The Raconteurs, a collaboration with Jack White, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler. Benson and White co-write the songs. The group's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, was released in the US on May 16, 2006, with "Steady, As She Goes" as the first single. Benson worked as a producer for The Greenhornes, The Nice Device, The Mood Elevator (a permutation of The Well Fed Boys), Whirlwind Heat, and the Stiff Tissues member Dean Fertita's former band, The Waxwings. The Raconteurs released their second album, Consolers of the Lonely in March 2008. ^{[citation needed]}