Joshua B. Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author from the United States who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is well-known for his particular Americana flair and story-telling songs. Paste magazine named him one of the “100 Greatest Living Songwriters” in 2006.
A year and a half after recording Josh Ritter, Ritter recorded and self-released his second album, Golden Age of Radio, for $1000. Soundgun in Philadelphia, Electric Cave in New Hampshire, and a friend’s basement studio were used to record the album. While touring to promote Golden Age of Radio, he met Jim Olsen, the head of independent record label Signature Sounds, who offered to remaster and re-release the album after hearing Ritter play. “Me & Jiggs” was later published as a single in Ireland, where Ritter was swiftly becoming a word-of-mouth sensation, first opening for the Frames and then headlining his own performances. Hey Starling, Ritter’s third album, was produced by former Frames guitarist David Odlum and debuted at No. 2 on the Irish charts. Ritter claims he was unaware of the success of the Irish performances until he stopped for a drink between cities and heard the local band do a set covering his songs, which he was told was common.
On August 28, 2020, Ritter released See Here, I Have Built You a Mansion, an eight-track EP of rare and unreleased songs, some of which were supposed to appear on Gathering but “didn’t quite fit the shape of that record,” as well as a live version of “Lawrence, Kansas” and a cover of Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms.” The first single from that album, “Time is Wasting,” debuted on August 19, 2020.