Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing the “Little House on the Prairie” books when she was in her 60s. Robert Mondavi was in his 50s when he began the path that led him to international acclaim as a winemaker. So perhaps it’s not that surprising that Ed Romanoff, age 52, is celebrating the release of his self-titled debut album this week.
Or perhaps it is, considering that Romanoff is already way ahead of the curve having nabbed a host of Folk and Americana awards for his music. At a recent show in Washington, D.C., Romanoff played and sang to an adoring crowd as if he was born to the art, while sharing personal stories along the way.
“I had a girlfriend who really liked that I was a guitar player,” he told the crowd as he explained the basis of his award winning song ‘Breakfast for One on the 5th of July.’ “But she found a better guitar player she liked more.”
Romanoff’s candid story telling – along the same lines as his mentors and friends including Mary Gauthier, Josh Ritter and Tift Merritt – is what makes his concerts truly sparkle. There is no holding back in either the song lyrics or the passion with which he plays, on this particular night accompanied by a full band.
“For me, this is all gravy,” said Romanoff of the awards and kudos he has received since Gauthier took him under her musical wing. “Now the record’s [released], all these awards are out – it’s all so stunning.”
Romanoff was a self-described “behind the scenes” guy in music when he first met Gauthier about 20 years ago. He had always nursed the idea of learning to play guitar and write songs but
he didn’t really put his dream into action until several years ago when he reconnected with the much-honored Gauthier.
The 11 tracks on Romanoff’s album move from a revelation about his own parentage – while on a trek with Gauthier he discovered that his birth father was not the man who he grew up calling dad – to difficult relationships to his little rescue dog “Freckles,” whose image he displayed during the concert.
“I think I heard [former E Street Band member] Clarence Clemons say the stage is a healing floor,” said Romanoff when asked about sharing such intimate details of his life. “I believe that is true. Exploring the part of my life has brought a lot of personal healing. It has been both the most painful thing in my life and the most amazing thing in my life.”
Find out more about Romanoff, his music, and his journey on his website. Nancy Dunham
{auto displayheight="275" height="450" width="400" plthumbs="true" shuffle="false" repeat="list" pbgcolor="#000000" pfgcolor="#cccccc", phicolor="#0099ff" showstop="true" showeq="false"}EdRomanoff.xml{/auto}
.jpg)
