Opening For The Devin Cuddy Band on Saturday, April 26, 2025
When our Producer, Alison Bowie, told me that this guy, Josh Ritchie, is going to be famous, I was super curious and couldn’t wait to talk to this dynamic young man. I say dynamic because this guy just can’t be put in a box, into an art, into a genre, he is that unique and yet he reminds me of someone. All Along The Watchtower someone, his afro even makes him look similar to the legend, Jimi Hendrix. I wondered if his guitar playing and lyrics would follow suit and I wasn’t disappointed. Ali said it best when she left a review at Folk Canada in 2024 about Josh Richie “ I was absolutely blown away. Josh needs to be added to your artists to watch list”. You must come early because he is going to knock the roof off the building. I have nicknamed him “son of Jimi”.
Coming from a long line of musicians, Ritchie’s dad, plays the keyboard with him and his grandmother, Betty was an operatic soprano singer and the music teacher for the local schools in Wiarton, Ontario, where this eclectic soul grew up. Yes, that Wiarton, where Wiarton Willie the infamous groundhog calls home, is near to Tombermory and Manitoulin Island, a gorgeous area of Ontario.
He was one of a few BIPOC kids, in his Catholic high school and although he was insulated from racism for the most part because his life was completely immersed in music, he felt the ignorance of a certain teacher who continually mixed his report card up with the Nepalese girl or the indigenous guy. His parents, Rob and Ande Ritchie, didn’t allow their sons to play video games like all of the rest of the kids, no, they could play instruments instead and wow what a great idea that was!
In his song Walk, off of his 2nd album, Love At The End of the World, he writes:
Walk
I went for a walk
With my fatherless sisters and brothers
With our fists in the air
Against a blood red sky
I went for a walk
When my bones were aching with anger
And each step a gun
Aimed at my heart
I went for a walk
When my heart was bloodied and bruised
And it was beating and beating
Like war drums
I went for a walk
For my unknown brothers and sisters
Who gave up their lives
With their fists in the air
Oh you can fight us
God knows you’ll fight us
And you can kill us
Oh how you’ve killed us
But I’m gonna walk
Oh I’m gonna walk
Yeah I’m gonna walk
Yeah I’m gonna walk
It’s about George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the walk to protest police brutality against black men and in this case, the murder of a black man named George Floyd that Josh helped to organize in his community. They shut down a major highway and the turn out was amazing. George Flloyd’s death sparked a movement, and a song and so many of us are gonna walk right alongside of him. www.joshrichiemusic.com
His third album is slated to be launched in the Fall, 2025 entitled So Much More Than A Dream and centers around the theme of housing and the economic situation young people like Josh are facing. He will be celebrating his champagne birthday on the day he plays at our festival so bring your good wishes and you can be sure that we will bring the cake.
You don’t want to miss Josh Ritche and his dad, Rob, who will be playing keyboards along with his extremely talented son. They have a funny banter between them so you will be thoroughly entertained and don’t forget to wish the Son of Jimi, a very happy birthday! See you there! Tickets are on sale NOW www.ottawagrassrootsfestival.com
Laurie Bowen is a freelance music journalist who volunteers for the festival and can be reached at [email protected]
