Don Ross (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Donald James Ross commonly known as Don Ross, is a Canadian
fingerstyle guitar
ist noted for the emotion and intensity of his playing as well as his use of extended technique.
Ross's music borrows from blues, jazz
, folk
and classical music
creating a style that he describes as "heavy wood". Ross is the only person to twice win the U.S. National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship
(1988 and 1996). His album Huron Street reached the top ten on the Billboard
new age chart. In the liner notes to Ross' 2003 album Robot Monster, Bruce Cockburn
writes, "Nobody does what Don Ross does with an acoustic guitar. He takes the corners so fast you think he's going to roll, but he never loses control."
in Toronto
with David Mott, James Tenney
and Phil Werren. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music
in 1983, he studied philosophy at St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts
while living at San Damiano Friary in Holyoke, Massachusetts and then started his novitiate for the Canadian custody of the Conventual Franciscans
of Immaculate Conception Province at St. Francis Friary in Staten Island, NY. He decided to leave that pursuit and become a musician.
In 1986 Ross produced and published his first album, Kehewin, on cassette, and became a full-time musician. He performed as a duo with his wife, singer Kelly McGowan, in 1986 and 1987, and then in a trio called Harbord Trio with her and violinist Oliver Schroer
. At the same time he was member of a New Age
jazz quartet
called Eye Music. He composed music for several theatre productions in Toronto dealing with First Nations
life in Canada, such as The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (York University, 1989), Dreaming Beauty (Inner Stage Theatre, 1990) and Big Buck City (Cahoots Theatre, 1991). He has also composed music for the CBC
radio serial Dead Dog Café. In 1987 some of his compositions were played by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
His first place win, after two previous attempts, in the 1988 American Walnut Valley Festival
earned him a contract with Duke Street Records
, Toronto, where he published his next two albums, 1989's Bearing Straight and 1990's Don Ross. Since then he has released several mostly instrumental CDs, though some of them feature him as a singer. He published three instructional videos, several single transcriptions and a book with nine of his pieces, and worked with the magazine Canadian Musician. At the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals he won a prize with his wife Kelly, and in 1996 he won his second first prize at the Walnut Valley Festival. Since 1997 he guides the Don Ross Cannington Guitar Weekend, a guitar workshop
.
In 2001 his wife Kelly died and Ross was left with his kids. In 2005 he married Brooke Miller, a singer-songwriter
from Prince Edward Island
.
Don Ross was the first artist to sign with indie record label, Candyrat Records
, in 2005. The label's roster includes Andy McKee
, Nicholas Barron
, Antoine Dufour
, The Reign of Kindo
, and his own wife Brooke Miller.
Ross has done three tours with the Men of Steel guitar group, the last of which was mounted in 2006. The band is a mix of international members including bluegrass
maestro Dan Crary
, acoustic guitarist Beppe Gambetta
, and Celtic
folk
guitarist Tony McManus
.
Ross performs most of his concerts solo, but has also regularly performed with Andy McKee, Brooke Miller, and bassist Jordan O'Connor
.
In 2010 Ross is now a Dalhousie University
professor teaching history of guitar and techniques, while still travelling extensively for music.
, John Renbourn
, Pierre Bensusan
, Keith Jarrett
, Egberto Gismonti
and Pat Metheny
as his main sources of inspiration. One of his songs, "Michael, Michael, Michael", is dedicated to Michael Hedges
, and Ross has performed straight covers of his compositions. Ross's advanced technique and his sure feeling for rhythm combine with uncommon ideas to make his style instantly recognizable. He often uses percussive techniques and plays intricate down- and upstroke patterns with his thumb. His use of acrylic nails gives him a sharp and very defined tone.
Don Ross played a Lowden
S-10 in the beginning of his career, but since 1997 has played a Lowden O-10. Today he plays custom-made guitars by Marc Beneteau, a Canadian luthier
from St. Thomas, Ontario
. The Beneteaus are equipped with a combination of microphone and K&K pickups. Occasionally he plays a baritone guitar
by Marc Beneteau, or uses a custom 7-string by Oskar Graf, a luthier from Clarendon, Ontario.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
ist noted for the emotion and intensity of his playing as well as his use of extended technique.
Ross's music borrows from blues, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
creating a style that he describes as "heavy wood". Ross is the only person to twice win the U.S. National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship
Walnut Valley Festival
The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
(1988 and 1996). His album Huron Street reached the top ten on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
new age chart. In the liner notes to Ross' 2003 album Robot Monster, Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
writes, "Nobody does what Don Ross does with an acoustic guitar. He takes the corners so fast you think he's going to roll, but he never loses control."
Biography
Ross studied composition at the music department of York UniversityYork University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
with David Mott, James Tenney
James Tenney
James Tenney was an American composer and influential music theorist.-Biography:Tenney was born in Silver City, New Mexico, and grew up in Arizona and Colorado. He attended the University of Denver, the Juilliard School of Music, Bennington College and the University of Illinois...
and Phil Werren. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1983, he studied philosophy at St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
while living at San Damiano Friary in Holyoke, Massachusetts and then started his novitiate for the Canadian custody of the Conventual Franciscans
Conventual Franciscans
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual , commonly known as the Conventual Franciscans, is a branch of the order of Catholic Friars founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209.-History:...
of Immaculate Conception Province at St. Francis Friary in Staten Island, NY. He decided to leave that pursuit and become a musician.
In 1986 Ross produced and published his first album, Kehewin, on cassette, and became a full-time musician. He performed as a duo with his wife, singer Kelly McGowan, in 1986 and 1987, and then in a trio called Harbord Trio with her and violinist Oliver Schroer
Oliver Schroer
Oliver Schroer was a Canadian fiddler, composer, and music producer.-Early life:Oliver Schroer grew up in Vandeleur, Ontario, a small crossroads near Markdale in rural Grey County. He attended Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton, where he played French horn in the school band. He also...
. At the same time he was member of a New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
jazz quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
called Eye Music. He composed music for several theatre productions in Toronto dealing with First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
life in Canada, such as The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (York University, 1989), Dreaming Beauty (Inner Stage Theatre, 1990) and Big Buck City (Cahoots Theatre, 1991). He has also composed music for the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
radio serial Dead Dog Café. In 1987 some of his compositions were played by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
His first place win, after two previous attempts, in the 1988 American Walnut Valley Festival
Walnut Valley Festival
The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
earned him a contract with Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records was a Canadian independent record label. The label was established in 1984 by Andrew Hermant and ceased operations in 1994. The Universal Music Group took over the label when it disappeared....
, Toronto, where he published his next two albums, 1989's Bearing Straight and 1990's Don Ross. Since then he has released several mostly instrumental CDs, though some of them feature him as a singer. He published three instructional videos, several single transcriptions and a book with nine of his pieces, and worked with the magazine Canadian Musician. At the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals he won a prize with his wife Kelly, and in 1996 he won his second first prize at the Walnut Valley Festival. Since 1997 he guides the Don Ross Cannington Guitar Weekend, a guitar workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
.
In 2001 his wife Kelly died and Ross was left with his kids. In 2005 he married Brooke Miller, a singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
.
Don Ross was the first artist to sign with indie record label, Candyrat Records
CandyRat Records
CandyRat Records is an independent American record label and online music store located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.-Artists:Artists signed to CandyRat include:*Andrew White*Andy McKee*Antoine Dufour*Brendan Power*Brooke Miller*Craig D'Andrea...
, in 2005. The label's roster includes Andy McKee
Andy McKee
Andy McKee is an American fingerstyle guitarist, currently signed to the American record label .His style of playing and his compositions have earned him a considerable international fanbase...
, Nicholas Barron
Nicholas Barron
Nicholas Barron is an American folk music and blues guitarist based in Chicago, Illinois. Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Barron soon moved to New Jersey and spent his childhood growing up in Morristown, New Jersey. His mother was a children's librarian, while his father is a painter...
, Antoine Dufour
Antoine Dufour
Antoine Dufour is a French-Canadian acoustic guitarist currently signed to CandyRat Records.-Biography:Dufour started playing guitar at the age of fifteen. He went on to study at the CEGEP in Joliette, where he listened to the music of Leo Kottke, Don Ross, and Michael Hedges at the behest of his...
, The Reign of Kindo
The Reign of Kindo
The Reign of Kindo is a band from Buffalo, New York, currently signed to Candyrat Records.- History :The band formed in late 2006 from the remaining members of This Day & Age, adding a new member, Jeffrey Jarvis....
, and his own wife Brooke Miller.
Ross has done three tours with the Men of Steel guitar group, the last of which was mounted in 2006. The band is a mix of international members including bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
maestro Dan Crary
Dan Crary
Dan Crary is an American bluegrass guitarist.He helped re-establish flatpicked guitar as a prominent soloing bluegrass instrument. Crary is an innovator of the flatpicking style of guitar playing. He is also a Speech communications Professor at California State University, Fullerton...
, acoustic guitarist Beppe Gambetta
Beppe Gambetta
Beppe Gambetta is an Italian musician born in Genoa in 1955. An acoustic guitar flatpicker and singer, Beppe has been called a "virtual United Nations of influences: Italian, Ukrainian, Appalachian, Sardinisn, Celtic"...
, and Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
guitarist Tony McManus
Tony McManus
Tony McManus is a Scottish Steel-string guitarist of Irish descent born in Paisley, Scotland. English guitarist John Renbourn described him as "the best Celtic guitarist in the world". His first self-titled album was released in 1996 on Greentrax Recordings...
.
Ross performs most of his concerts solo, but has also regularly performed with Andy McKee, Brooke Miller, and bassist Jordan O'Connor
Jordan O'Connor
Jordan O'Connor is a Canadian musician , composer and audio engineer. Jordan is currently signed to Candyrat Records and also works through is own production company The Breath.-Biography:...
.
In 2010 Ross is now a Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
professor teaching history of guitar and techniques, while still travelling extensively for music.
Influences and technique
Ross names Bruce CockburnBruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
, John Renbourn
John Renbourn
John Renbourn is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence .While most commonly labelled a...
, Pierre Bensusan
Pierre Bensusan
Pierre Bensusan is a French-Algerian guitarist. As a sephardic Jew, his family came from Spain, Spanish Morocco and French Algeria. The genre of his acoustic guitar music is often characterized as Celtic, Folk, World music, New Age, or Chamber jazz. He has also published three books of music and...
, Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
, Egberto Gismonti
Egberto Gismonti
Egberto Gismonti Amin is a Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist.Gismonti began his formal music studies at the age of six on piano. After studying classical music for 15 years, he went to Paris to study orchestration and analysis with Nadia Boulanger and the composer Jean Barraqué, a disciple...
and Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
as his main sources of inspiration. One of his songs, "Michael, Michael, Michael", is dedicated to Michael Hedges
Michael Hedges
Michael Alden Hedges was an American composer, Acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Background:...
, and Ross has performed straight covers of his compositions. Ross's advanced technique and his sure feeling for rhythm combine with uncommon ideas to make his style instantly recognizable. He often uses percussive techniques and plays intricate down- and upstroke patterns with his thumb. His use of acrylic nails gives him a sharp and very defined tone.
Don Ross played a Lowden
George Lowden
George Lowden is a guitar maker, luthier, based in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. He constructs acoustic guitars, steel and nylon strung.-Company:...
S-10 in the beginning of his career, but since 1997 has played a Lowden O-10. Today he plays custom-made guitars by Marc Beneteau, a Canadian luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
from St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
. The Beneteaus are equipped with a combination of microphone and K&K pickups. Occasionally he plays a baritone guitar
Baritone guitar
The baritone guitar is a variation on the standard guitar, with a longer scale length that allows it to be tuned to a lower range. It first appeared in the classical music realm...
by Marc Beneteau, or uses a custom 7-string by Oskar Graf, a luthier from Clarendon, Ontario.
Solo & Duo
- 1989: Bearing StraightBearing Straight (Don Ross album)Bearing Straight is the title of the debut album of Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 1989.-Track listing:# "The First Ride"# "Catherine"# "Midnight March"# "Silversmith"# "That'll Be the Phone"# "Patmos"# "The Is-Ought Controversy"...
, Duke Street Records - 1990: Don RossDon Ross (album)Don Ross is the title of a recording by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 1990.-Track listing:# "Groovy Sunflowers"# "Zarzuela"# "Thin Air"# "Bluefinger"# "Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady, Michael and Juliana"# "Lucy Watusi"...
, Duke Street Records - 1992: Three HandsThree HandsThree Hands is the title of a recording by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 1992. It is his last for Duke Street Records after being signed to a contract with Columbia/Sony Canada.-Track listing:# "Spirit Wars"# "Hoover the Musical Dog"...
, Duke Street Records - 1995: This Dragon Won’t SleepThis Dragon Won’t SleepThis Dragon Won't Sleep is the title of a recording by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 1995. It is his first for Columbia/Sony Canada...
, Sony Canada - 1996: WintertideWintertide (Don Ross album)Wintertide is the title of a recording by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 1996.-Track listing:All songs by Don Ross except as noted.# "In the Bleak Midwinter"# "The First Nowell"# "What Child Is This"# "Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella"...
, Sony Canada - 1997: Loaded, Leather, MoonroofLoaded, Leather, MoonroofLoaded, Leather, Moonroof is the title of a recording by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 1997. Ross plays 6 and 7-string guitar and dobro on this release.-Track listing:All songs by Don Ross except as noted.# "Loaded, Leather, Moonroof"...
, Sony Canada - 1999: Passion SessionPassion SessionPassion Session is the seventh album by Canadian guitarist Don Ross and his first on the Narada/Virgin label. It was recorded in Berlin, Germany in the confines of the Passionskirche in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood....
, Narada Masters of Acoustic Guitar - 2001: Huron StreetHuron Street (Don Ross album)Huron Street is the eighth album by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 2001. The twelve compositions in this collection were all released previously, some on collections that were only available in Canada...
, Narada ProductionsNarada ProductionsNarada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label and distributed by MCA Records. Now a fully owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar... - 2003: Robot MonsterRobot Monster (Don Ross album)Robot Monster is the ninth album by Canadian guitarist Don Ross, released in 2003. It is his third and final recording on the Narada/Virgin label...
, Narada Productions - 2005: Music for VacuumingMusic for VacuumingMusic for Vacuuming is the title of an album by Canadian guitarist Don Ross. It is his first for the Candyrat Records label.-Track listing:# "How to Eat an Avalanche" # "Rockbarra"# "Dracula II"# "Brooke's Waltz"# "Tochigi"...
, CandyRat - 2006: Live in Your Head, Goby Fish
- 2008: The Thing That Came From Somewhere, CandyRat, (Don Ross & Andy Mckee)
- 2009: Any Colour, Goby Fish
- 2010: Breakfast For Dogs, CandyRat
Group
- 1990: Harbord Trio (Don Ross/Kelly McGowan/Oliver Schroer), Circle of Stone, Familiar Music
- 2003: Men of Steel (Don Ross/Beppe Gambetta/Dan Crary/Tony McManus), Live: The Art of the Steel-String Guitar, Thunderation Music
- 2006: Men of Steel (Don Ross/Beppe Gambetta/Dan Crary/Tony McManus), Four Way Mirror, Goby Fish
DVDs
- 2004: Don Ross: Live, Candyrat
- 2006: Don Ross/Andy McKee/Michael Manring: Live in Toronto, Candyrat
External links
- Don Ross official website
- Candyrat Records label website
- FingerstyleGuitarists.com Don Ross Interview