Ed Romanoff
| Ed Romanoff | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Manhattan, New York[1] |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer-Songwriter Entrepreneur |
| Associated acts | Rachael Yamagata, Josh Ritter, Tift Merritt |
| Website | http://edromanoff.com/ |
Ed Romanoff is an American singer-songwriter, corporate story-teller and entrepreneur. His first album, Ed Romanoff, was a Roots Radio Top 100 Album for 2012.[2][3] He is also the founder of PineRock, a global brand communications company based in New York City.[4] He has co-written numerous soft-rock songs[5] and toured with artists such as Rachael Yamagata.[6]
Early life
Romanoff was raised in Connecticut and played sports at PineRock Park, the inspiration for the name of the company he founded in 1996.[7] He was 17 years old when he purchased his first guitar and began playing the music of John Prine,[6] whom he credits as an inspiration for him becoming a musician.[8]
Romanoff graduated from the University of Virginia where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications.[4] He dabbled in various professions before going into communications, including carpentry, special education teaching, and cattle branding.[6] Between 1988 and 1992 he worked as an account manager, director of sales, and assistant to the general manager at Jack Morton Co..[4] He then moved on to become the general manager of Ray Block Productions, Inc. where he stayed until 1996.[4] That year, Romanoff founded PineRock, a global brand communications company that specializes in events, digital and video production as well as communication strategy for corporations internationally.[4]
Music career
Romanoff began writing music in 2008. He studied at The Song School in Lyons, Colorado, where he studied with artists Darrell Scott and Beth Nielsen Chapman.[6]
He released his first album, self-titled,[9] in June 2012 at the age of 53.[6] The album contains ten original songs (11 total), with guest vocals by Josh Ritter and Mary Gauthier, and guest accompaniment by Duke Levine, Jaroslav Rodriguez, Tom West, Kimon Kirk, and Eugene Friesen on different tracks.[9][10] The album peaked at number 12 on the European Americana Charts[11] and was a Roots Radio Top 100 Album for 2012.[2] Romanoff also announced that he was working on a second album.[12]
Awards and recognition
Romanoff won first place at the 2011 International Songwriting Competition for the lyrics to his single "St. Vincent de Paul".[6] The song was inspired by his search for his biological father. He also received top honors for his songs "Two Yellow Roses" and "Breakfast for One on the Fifth of July" in the Great American Song Contest.[6][3] Romanoff was also the winner of the 2013 New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival, an award previously won by singer-songwriters like Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett.[13]
Personal
Romanoff grew up believing he was of Russian descent. In 2008, he accompanied a friend taking a DNA test[5] and took the test too as an act of solidarity and to learn more about his heritage.[5] The results revealed that he was actually of Irish descent. The man he believed to be his father was, in fact, not his biological father, and Romanoff had been adopted.[14][6] The opening song of his Ed Romanoff album, "St. Vincent de Paul", discusses his search to find his real father.[15]
References
- ↑ Doherty, Megan E. (16 August 2013). "The troubadour CEO: An ‘ignorance is bliss’ tale from PineRock’s Ed Romanoff". Upstart Business Journal. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- 1 2 "Top 100 Roots Rock Albums of 2012". Roots Music Report. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- 1 2 Jeff Giles and Matt Wardlaw (11 June 2013). "The Matt ‘N’ Jeff Radio Hour, Episode 21: Ed Romanoff". Pop Dose. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Schafer, Sarah (31 August 1998). "Making A Big Production Out Of A Corporate Meeting". The Washington Post (HighBeam). Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- 1 2 3 Powers, Calvin (27 August 2012). "Ed Romanoff Interview and Podcast". American Music Show. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Francis, Naila (6 December 2012). "Ed Romanoff Is A Lucky Latecomer To Music". Philly Burbs. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ↑ "Vision". PineRock. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ↑ Martin, Shantell (17 June 2012). "Ed Romanoff Artist Interview". Subculture. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- 1 2 Chilton, Martin (16 August 2012). "Ed Romanoff: Ed Romanoff CD Review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ↑ Breen, Joe (15 February 2013). "Ed Romanoff Self-Released". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ↑ "Euro Americana Chart 2012". Dutch Roots Radio. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ↑ "News from a bench in Woodstock.". Ed Romanoff. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ↑ "Announcing The 2013 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners!". Kerrville Folk Festival. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ↑ Dinerman, Annie (27 August 2012). "Ed Romanoff:Ed Romanoff". americansongwriter.com. ForASong Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ↑ Chilton, Martin (2 April 2016). "Ed Romanoff: Ed Romanoff, CD, review". telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 15 September 2015.