Ben Fong-Torres
Ben Fong-Torres is a prominent American journalist and author, known for his influential work in music journalism. Born in 1945 in Alameda, California, to Chinese immigrant parents, he faced unique challenges growing up, which he recounts in his memoir, *The Rice Room*. After graduating from San Francisco State University in 1966, he became immersed in the vibrant rock music scene of the 1960s, covering legendary concerts and artists, including the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, primarily during his tenure at *Rolling Stone* magazine starting in 1969.
Fong-Torres's writing is characterized by detailed profiles and an upbeat style reminiscent of *The New Yorker*, allowing him to capture the essence of the rock-and-roll era. Over the years, he has contributed to various national publications and hosted radio shows in the San Francisco area. His notable works include biographies and books covering iconic music acts, and he has continued to be an influential figure in the music industry. In 2021, his life and career were showcased in the documentary *Like a Rolling Stone*, which highlights his contributions to music journalism and his personal journey.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Ben Fong-Torres
Author Profile
Ben Fong-Torres’ beginnings, as depicted in his 1994 memoir The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese American from Number Two Son to Rock ’n’ Roll, had to do with his family’s struggles to survive. Born in 1945 in Alameda, California, as the second son of Chinese immigrants, he had to do something special in order to succeed; luckily, he graduated in 1966 from San Francisco State University, where he had studied radio, television, and journalism, and was living by Golden Gate Park when rock music had its historic flowering. He covered the concerts of the Grateful Dead at a time when many concerts were held in Golden Gate Park.
After working at KFOG radio station as an announcer and at Pacific Telephone’s employee magazine as an editor, he joined the staff of Rolling Stone magazine in 1969. Somebody handed him two issues of the New Yorker magazine and said: “Here, make your articles upbeat like these.” In his profiles—of everyone from Bob Dylan to Marvin Gaye to Steve Martin—Fong-Torres employed the kind of detail and reporting for which the New Yorker was famous. Much as F. Scott Fitzgerald had captured the Jazz Age, Fong-Torres captured the rock-and-roll essence of the 1960s.
He freelanced for many top-circulation magazines and a wide range of other national publications. His writings covered the entertainment industry, including profiles of Ray Charles, Sean Connery, and Robin Williams. He has also hosted a number of San Francisco–area music and talk radio shows. Much of Fong-Torres’s writing and broadcasting helped to create the American image of rock and roll.
He joined the San Francisco Chronicle in 1983 as a feature writer, but stopped working for the paper full time in order to write his books. In 1990, he published The Motown Album: The Sound of Young America. He next wrote a biography, Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons (1991). After completing his memoir, The Rice Room, Fong-Torres joined Gavin, a San Francisco–based trade magazine covering the radio and music industries. While serving as managing editor of this weekly magazine, he also resumed broadcasting, hosting Fog City Radio, a weekly live arts program. In the 2000s, he published a number of books on historic rock acts, including The Doors (2006), Grateful Dead Scrapbook (2009), Eagles: Taking It to the Limit (2011), and Willin': The Story of Little Feat (2013).
In 2021, the journalist starred in Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres, a documentary directed by Suzanne Joe Kai following Lee's music journalism journey, as well as his personal life. The documentary was licensed by Netflix in 2022 and made available on the streaming platform.
Suggested Readings
Anasi, Robert. "Behind the Doors." Publishers Weekly, 2 Oct. 2006.
Ben Fong-Torres, benfongtorres.com/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
Chiu, Monica. Review of The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese-American from Number Two Son to Rock ’n’ Roll, by Ben Fong-Torres. MELUS, vol. 20, Spring 1995, pp. 115-17.
Garner, Dwight. "Stray Questions for: Ben Fong-Torres." New York Times, 4 Oct. 2024.
Hiatt, Brian. “He Told George Harrison His Tour Sucked-and Five Other Things We Learned from Ben Fong-Torres.” Rolling Stone, 1 Jun. 2022, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ben-fong-torres-documentary-netflix-rolling-stone-interview-podcast-1360633/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
Lis, Anthony. Review of Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons, by Ben Fong-Torres. Notes, 1 Mar. 1993, pp. 1078-79.
Nicholson, David. Review of The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese-American from Number Two Son to Rock ’n’ Roll, by Ben Fong-Torres. Washington Post, 26 Apr. 1994.