Don Ross
Don Ross (born November 19, 1960 in Montreal , Québec ) is a Canadian composer and guitarist . Don Ross is the only one to win the first prize twice at the renowned American Walnut Valley Festival with the title of the US National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship (1988 and 1996).
biography
Using and
Don Ross is the son of a Scot and an Indian from the Mi'kmaq people . He taught himself to play the guitar at the age of eight, and later studied composition at the Music Faculty at York University in Toronto with David Mott, James Tenney and Phil Werren. In 1983 he graduated as a "Bachelor of Fine Arts Music Major" . He then spent two years studying philosophy at the Franciscan - Convention in Massachusetts and New York . In 1986 he produced and released his first album, Kehewin , on cassette and from then on devoted himself entirely to music. First he formed a duo with his wife Kelly McGowan, a singer, in 1986 and 1987, then a trio called Harbord Trio with her and the violinist Oliver Schroer. At that time he was also a member of a New Age / Jazz quartet called Eye Music . He composed music for various theater productions in Toronto, which dealt with the life of the Indians in Canada. Examples are The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (York University, 1989), Dreaming Beauty (Inner Stage Theater, 1990) and Big Buck City (Cahoots Theater, 1991). He also composed music for the radio series Dead Dog Café . In 1987 some of his compositions were performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
His victory at the American Walnut Valley Festival in 1988 after two earlier attempts resulted in a recording contract with the Toronto-based Duke Street Records label, where he released the next two albums in 1989 and 1990, Bearing Straight and Don Ross . Since then he has released a few more albums, mostly instrumental albums, but occasionally with lyrics in English and French. His album Huron Street reached the top ten of the American Billboard magazine in the category "New Age". In addition to publishing instructional videos, he has worked on Canadian Musician magazine . With his wife Kelly McGowan he won a prize at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals and in 1996 the first prize at the Walnut Valley Festival for the second time. Since 1997 he has organized the Don Ross Cannington Guitar Weekend , a guitar workshop .
Over the years he has published three instructional videos and published a book with 13 pieces of his own and 12 individual transcriptions .
Don Ross tours with the guitar group “Men of Steel”, an international guitarist group with Dan Crary ( Bluegrass ), Beppe Gambetta (a flatpicker ) and Tony McManus (Celtic Folk). He also gives workshops and is on the road alone and with various other artists such as Michael Manring , Andy McKee and Claus Boesser-Ferrari .
In 2001 his wife Kelly McGowan died, Don Ross had to raise his children from this marriage alone. Ross has been married to Brooke Miller, a singer and composer from Prince Edward Island , Canada, for the second time since 2003 .
In 2005 Don Ross founded the now successful label Candyrat Records , which sells the music of a number of successful artists, not just fingerstyle guitarists. Andy McKee , Nicholas Barron and Antoine Dufour , among others, are represented .
His music is influenced by various sources: rock , jazz , folk and classical music contribute to his characteristic style, which he describes as "Heavy Wood". Ross names Bruce Cockburn , Leo Kottke , John Renbourn , Pierre Bensusan , Keith Jarrett , Egberto Gismonti and Pat Metheny as his main sources of inspiration. The excellent technique and his sure sense of rhythm work together with unusual ideas and make Don Ross unmistakable.
Don Ross initially played a Lowden S-10, from 1997 a Lowden O-10. Today he plays custom-made guitars by Marc Beneteau, a Canadian luthier from St. Thomas , Ontario , which are amplified by a combination of microphone and pickup from K&K. Occasionally he picks up a Marc Beneteau baritone guitar or a custom-made 7-string guitar from Oskar Graf, a luthier from Clarendon , Ontario.
In addition to English, Don Ross also speaks German, which he has learned during his Germany tours.
Discography
Audio
- 1986 Kehewin (Don Ross)
- 1989 Bearing Straight (Duke Street Records)
- 1990 Don Ross (Duke Street Records)
- 1992 Three Hands (Duke Street Records)
- 1995 This Dragon Won't Sleep (Sony Canada)
- 1996 Wintertide (Sony Canada)
- 1997 Loaded.Leather.Moonroof. (Sony Canada)
- 1999 Passion Session (Narada Masters of Acoustic Guitar)
- 2001 Huron Street (Narada / Virgin)
- 2003 Robot Monster (Narada / Virgin)
- 2005 Music for Vacuuming (CandyRat)
- 2006 Live in Your Head (Goby Fish)
- 2008 The Thing That Came From Somewhere (CandyRat), with Andy McKee
- 2009: Any Color , (Goby Fish)
- 2010: Breakfast for Dogs , (CandyRat)
- 2012: Upright and Locked Position , (CandyRat)
- 2013: 12:34 , with Calum Graham (CandyRat)
- 2014: PS15 , (CandyRat)
- 2014: Flake , (CandyRat)
- 2017: A Million Brazilian Civilians , (CandyRat)
DVD, video
- Don Ross: Fingerstyle Guitar, Volume 1
- Don Ross: The Answer Video
- 1995 Don Ross: Fingerstyle Magic
- 2004 Don Ross: Live (DVD, Vezco)
Compilations, collaborations
compiled by as well
- 1987 In from the Cold , with the Harbord Trio
- 1987 Shorelines , with Eye Music
- 1990 Harbord Trio: Circle of Stone , with the Harbord Trio (Acoustic Music)
- 1994 Children of the World (Group Concept Music)
- 1996 Guitar Fingerstyle - A Narada Collection, Volume 1 (Narada)
- 1997 Masters Of Acoustic Guitar (Narada)
- 2001 Guitar Fingerstyle - A Narada Collection, Volume 2 (Narada)
- 2004 Live: Men of Steel. The Art of Steel-String Guitar (Thunderation Music)
- 2005 Beppe Gambetta and Friends: Live in Genova (Mel Bay Publications)
- 2006 Men of Steel: Four Way Mirror (Goby Fish)
Books, sheet music
- The Answer Book: Nine Original Transcriptions for Solo Guitar. Don Ross (1993). New Media Video Concepts
- Mel Bay's Master Anthology of Fingerstyle Guitar Solos: Featuring Solos by the World's Finest Fingerstyle Guitarists! Vol. 1. Stephen Rekas (2000). ISBN 978-0-786-65290-7 , Mel Bay Publications
- Fingerstyle Guitar: Lessons in Technique and Creativity. Brian Gore (2005). ISBN 978-0-879-30812-4 , Backbeat Books
Sources cited
- ^ A b Don Ross ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
- ↑ Don Ross biography on his website (en.). Url: ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ↑ Don Ross: The Answer Book: Nine Original Transcriptions for Solo Guitar Goby Fish Music, 1993. p. 8
- ↑ a b c Native Guitarist Wins International Award , article in Saskatchewan Indian magazine , December 1988. URL: ( Memento of the original from December 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 10, 2007
- ^ Andrew White - Live available on Candy Rat Records . Url: ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 11, 2007
- ↑ The artists represented at Candyrat on the website of Candyrat Records (en.). URL: http://www.candyrat.com/artists/ . Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ↑ a b In Tune Guitar with Don Ross. Url: ( Memento of the original from June 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ↑ Fansite about fingerstyle guitarists (en.). URL: http://acoustic.myweb.hinet.net/chenshiun/guitarist/donross.htm . Retrieved November 10, 2007
Web links
- Official website of Don Ross
- Don Ross at MySpace.com
- Works by and about Don Ross in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ross, Don |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian composer and guitarist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 19, 1960 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montreal , Quebec , Canada |