Ron Sexsmith | |
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 Sexsmith in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (1964-01-08)January 8, 1964 (age 62) St. Catharines, Canada |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. |
| Website | ronsexsmith |
Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter fromSt. Catharines, Ontario.[1] He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005Juno Awards.[2] He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21 and has since recorded eighteen albums. He was the subject of a 2010 documentary calledLove Shines.[3][4]
Sexsmith grew up inSt. Catharines and started his own band when he was 14 years old.[1]
Sexsmith was seventeen when he started playing at a bar, the Lion's Tavern, in his hometown. He gained a reputation as "The One-Man Jukebox" for his aptitude in playing requests. However, he gradually began to include original songs and more obscure music, which his audience did not favour.[5] He decided to start writing songs after the birth of his first child[6] in 1985. That same year, still living in St. Catharines, he collaborated on recording and releasing a cassette,Out of the Duff, with a singer-songwriter friend named Claudio. Side one of the cassette contained five songs written and performed by Sexsmith; side two featured Claudio.[7]
A year later, Sexsmith and his family moved toToronto, living in an apartment inthe Beaches neighbourhood. Sexsmith recorded and released the full-length cassetteThere's a Way, which was produced byKurt Swinghammer.[8][5]
After the albumGrand Opera Lane was rejected by several Canadian labels, the pair released it independently in 1991.Grand Opera Lane was credited to "Ron Sexsmith and the Uncool"; the backing band including Don Kerr and Steve Charles, and also featured Sarah McElcheran (horn arrangements) and Kim Ratcliffe on electric guitar. Attention garnered by the song "Speaking with the Angel", Sexsmith earned a contract that led to his self-titled album in 1995. The record was praised byElvis Costello, for whom Sexsmith later opened.[9]
Between 1997 and 2001, Sexsmith released three more albums, and thenCobblestone Runway in 2002.[8]Retriever, his next album, is a more pop-oriented album and is dedicated toElliott Smith andJohnny Cash. Sexsmith performed in the Toronto area in support of these albums.[10]
On June 16, 2011, Sexsmith and his band performedThe Kinks' song "Misfits" with Ray Davies at theMeltdown Festival in London, England. The same year, he won a songwriter of the yearJuno Award for "Whatever It Takes"[11] and a Canadian Indy Award.[12] The albumLong Player Late Bloomer was shortlisted for thePolaris Music Prize. Sexsmith's 14th full-length album,Carousel One, was released in March 2015.
In 2017, Sexsmith published his debut novel,Deer Life, throughDundurn Press. It was well received andPublishers Weekly wrote that the "novel has much the same effect as his music, conveying uncertainty with fearlessness and heart."[13]
In February 2024, Sexsmith staged a retrospective concert at Toronto'sMassey Hall,[14] his fifth performance at the venue.[15]
Sexsmith has collaborated with many artists throughout his career. In 2002, he sang a duet withColdplay'sChris Martin in the song "Gold in Them Hills", which appeared as a bonus track on the albumCobblestone Runway. He also sang on "An Elephant Insect", which appears on the 2003Shonen Knife album,Heavy Songs. In 2005, he released a collection of songs recorded with drummerDon Kerr during the production ofRetriever, calledDestination Unknown. Also in 2005, Sexsmith sang on the track "Song No. 6" by Norwegian singer-songwriterAne Brun, which appeared on her albumA Temporary Dive and again on herDuets album later the same year. In 2006, he performed a duet of "So Long Marianne" withLeonard Cohen inYorkville, Toronto.[citation needed] In 2014, he wrote and sang a duet together with Dutch singer-songwriterMarike Jager, titled "Don't you", featured on her albumThe Silent Song.
Sexsmith's songs have been performed and recorded by a number of well-known musicians, including Elvis Costello,Feist,Rod Stewart,Emmylou Harris, andNick Lowe.[16] Sexsmith co-wrote "Brandy Alexander" with Feist—versions appear on hisExit Strategy of the Soul and on Feist's albumThe Reminder. A version of Sexsmith's "Whatever It Takes" appeared onMichael Bublé's 2009 album,Crazy Love.
In 2004, fellow Canadian singer-songwriterk.d. lang covered Sexsmith's song "Fallen" on her albumHymns of the 49th Parallel.
In 2010, Sexsmith appeared on "Liberace", a track off the albumVaudeville by Canadian rapperD-Sisive. In 2012, his song "Gold in them Hills" was included onKatie Melua's albumSecret Symphony, and "Right About Now" was covered byMari Wilson on the albumCover Stories.
In 2012, Sexsmith appeared onLowe Country: The Songs of Nick Lowe, a Nick Lowe tribute album, where he covered Lowe's 1994 song "Where's My Everything?"[17]
Sexsmith sang the lead vocals on a song from Ryan Granville-Martin's 2013 album,Mouthparts and Wings, which features a different vocalist on each track.[18]
Sexsmith was featured on vocals on theMel Parsons song "Don't Wait", from her 2015 album,Drylands.[19]
In 2023, Sexsmith appeared on the track "Granddad's Song" by Swedish singer-songwriterPeter Morén's (Peter Bjorn and John) project SunYears, featured on the debut album,Come Fetch My Soul![20][21]
Sexsmith published a book on September 16, 2017, calledDeer Life. It has been described as a "grown up fairy tale" by Sexsmith himself. It is the artist's first effort as an author.[22]
Sexsmith has two children with his former common-law partner.[23] Their fifteen-year relationship ended in 2001.[24]
Sexsmith's wife, Colleen Hixenbaugh, is also a musician, formerly ofBy Divine Right.[25][26]
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