Josh Ritter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josh Ritter
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Ritter performing in February 2016.
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| Birth name | Joshua B. Ritter |
| Born | October 21, 1976 Moscow, Idaho, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He also writes books! Josh is famous for his unique "Americana" music style, which blends folk, country, and rock. His songs often tell interesting stories. In 2006, Paste magazine called him one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters." He performs and records music with his band, the Royal City Band.
Contents
Early Life and Music Start
Josh Ritter was born on October 21, 1976, in Moscow, Idaho. He loved music from a young age. When he heard songs by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, he was inspired. He bought his first guitar at a local K-Mart store.
After finishing high school in 1995, Josh went to Oberlin College in Ohio. His parents were both scientists, so he first studied neuroscience. But he soon changed his focus to music and history. He even created his own major called "American History Through Narrative Folk Music." When he was 21, Josh recorded his first album, Josh Ritter, right on his college campus.
After college, Josh moved to Scotland for six months. Then he moved to Providence, Rhode Island. He worked different jobs and played music at open mic nights in Boston. At one of these nights, he met Irish musician Glen Hansard. Glen invited Josh to Ireland to open shows for his band, The Frames. This helped Josh become known in Ireland.
Music Career Highlights
Early Albums and Growing Fame
After his first album, Josh recorded his second, Golden Age of Radio, for only $1000. He released it himself. Later, he met Jim Olsen, who ran a record label called Signature Sounds. Jim liked Josh's music and helped re-release the album. One of his songs, "Me & Jiggs," became popular in Ireland.
Josh's third album, Hello Starling, was produced by Dave Odlum. It became very popular in Ireland, reaching number 2 on the music charts. Josh was surprised by his success there. He once heard a local band covering his songs, which showed him how well-known he was becoming.
Touring and Acclaim
In 2005, Josh signed with a British record label, V2 Records. This led to Hello Starling being re-released to a wider audience. He also started performing with classical violinist Hilary Hahn.
In 2006, Josh released his fourth album, The Animal Years. That same year, he released his first live album and DVD, In the Dark – Live at Vicar Street. His fifth album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, came out in 2007. Both The Animal Years and Historical Conquests received great reviews. Famous author Stephen King even called The Animal Years the best album of 2006! Josh appeared on popular TV shows like Late Show with David Letterman to promote his music.
In 2009, Josh re-released his second and third albums as special deluxe editions. These included acoustic versions of songs, bonus tracks, and photos. He also toured with the Love Canon String Band, giving his songs a new sound with instruments like banjo and mandolin.
Recent Music and Releases
Josh's sixth album, So Runs the World Away, was released in 2010. A song from this album, "Change of Time," was featured in the TV show Parenthood. To support the album, Josh toured with his band, now called the Royal City Band. They played many shows in Ireland and the United States.
In 2011, Josh released an EP (a shorter album) called To the Yet Unknowing World. It featured songs from the So Runs the World Away recording sessions that hadn't been released before. He also released a third live album, Live at The Iveagh Gardens, recorded during a concert in Dublin.
His seventh studio album, The Beast in Its Tracks, came out in 2013. This album included songs like "Joy To You Baby" and "Hopeful."
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In 2015, Josh announced his eighth album, Sermon on the Rocks. He said he wanted to "play messianic oracular honky-tonk." The album was released in October 2015. One of its songs, "Homecoming," was featured in the TV show Billions.
His ninth album, Gathering, was announced in 2017. Josh described it as "a record of joy and sadness and laughter and lightning." He toured internationally with the Royal City Band to support this album.
On August 28, 2020, Josh released See Here, I Have Built You a Mansion. This was an EP with eight rare and unreleased songs. Some of these songs were meant for Gathering but didn't quite fit. The EP also included a live song and a cover of "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits.
Josh Ritter as an Author
Besides music, Josh Ritter loves to write books. He has mentioned authors like Flannery O'Connor and Philip Roth as inspirations. The title of his sixth album, So Runs the World Away, comes from a line in Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Josh's first novel, Bright's Passage, was published in 2011. He said the book is about "a kind of sweet normal guy from West Virginia." This character goes to World War I and comes back with an angel. The story follows them as they escape a wildfire. Josh's second novel, The Great Glorious ... of It All, was published in September 2021.
Personal Life
Josh Ritter married musician Dawn Landes in 2009, but they later separated. Josh now lives in Woodstock, New York, with his partner, author Haley Tanner. They welcomed their daughter, Beatrix Wendylove Ritter, on November 11, 2012.
In May 2018, Josh shared that he and his wife adopted another daughter named Moxie in January of that year. He even canceled part of his Gathering tour to spend time with his new family member.
Josh also cares about his community. In 2009, he played a benefit concert at his old junior high school in Moscow, Idaho. The concert raised money for one of his former teachers who was ill.
The Royal City Band
In 2010, Josh's band members, who had been playing with him for years, were officially named "The Royal City Band." This name is a reference to a song called "Thin Blue Flame" from his album The Animal Years.
Band Members:
- Josh Ritter – Lead singer, guitar
- Zack Hickman – Bass, guitar, tuba, strings, vocals
- John Lundahl - Guitar, Vocals
- Sam Kassirer – Piano, keyboards, organ, accordion
- Josh Kaufman– Guitar, lap steel, vocals
- Ray Rizzo – Drums, percussion, vocals
Discography
- Josh Ritter (1999)
- Golden Age of Radio (2002)
- Hello Starling (2003)
- The Animal Years (2006)
- The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (2007)
- So Runs the World Away (2010)
- The Beast in Its Tracks (2013)
- Sermon on the Rocks (2015)
- Gathering (2017)
- Fever Breaks (2019)
- Spectral Lines (2023)
- Heaven, Or Someplace as Nice (2024)
- I Believe in You, My Honeydew (2025)
See also
In Spanish: Josh Ritter para niños
