Waterdown native Josh Ross ON THE COUNTRY MUSIC FAST-TRACK
Ross nominated for five CMAOntario Awards to be presented Sunday at Theatre Aquarius
There’s a tattoo on the inside of Josh Ross’ left arm that reads “700 mi.” It stands for “700 miles” — as in “700 miles away, moving on, and I’m sitting here missing you” — which is a key lyric in Josh’s breakthrough country hit “First Taste of Gone.”
Seven hundred miles is also the approximate distance between Nashville, Tenn., where Josh now lives, and his hometown of Waterdown, Ont.
Ross was born in Waterdown and raised in nearby Burlington, attending Nelson High School before moving to London, Ont., to study kinesiology at Western University and play football as a defensive back for the Mustangs.
Seven hundred miles will also be the distance between Josh and the Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) Awards gala, which take place Sunday at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton.
Josh leads the nominations at the annual awards with five, including single of the year for “First Taste of Gone” and songwriter of the year for his follow-up single “On a Different Night.” He’s also nominated for male artist of the year, the rising star award and fans’ choice.
“It’s very close to home but, unfortunately, I will not be attending,” Josh said in an interview from Nashville. “I had already booked some performances in Nashville the same day. It’s stuff I committed to a long time ago. I believe my mum and dad will be attending, though.”
Despite Josh’s absence, there will be plenty of talent at the awards’ night, including performances and presentations by Hamilton’s Karli June (nominated for three awards), Uxbridge’s Robyn Ottolini (four nominations), Waterloo’s Nate Haller (three nominations) and Niagara’s Ryan Langdon (one nomination). The show will be hosted by Jason McCoy and Shannon Ella.
The fact that Josh can’t make it to the CMAOntario awards is testimony to the fast track he is on in Nashville. Earlier this year, he signed a deal with Universal Music Group Nashville (UMG Nashville), which will see his music released internationally on one of the industry’s biggest country labels.
His latest single “Trouble” will be released to U.S. radio in June, coinciding with a two-month North American tour, that will see Josh open for Nickelback on 35 dates this summer.
And, in a way, it all started with that “700 miles away” song “First Taste of Gone.”
Josh and his regular writing partner Mason Thornley came up with the song while sharing some drinks in a Nashville saloon. Things weren’t going so well for Josh at the time. He was finding it hard making ends meet in his new home and a girl back home in Canada had just pulled the plug on their relationship.
“We were sitting in a bar here in town after we had broken up, and Mason slid me over a drink and he said, ‘Here’s to your first taste of gone.’ I said, ‘that’s a cool title for a song.’ ”
Josh released “First Taste of Gone” himself without big label backing. Universal Music Canada noticed when the single broke into the Canadian Top 40. The big Toronto-based label signed him and pushed “First Taste of Gone” into the Top 5. The signing also helped Josh land a spot in the Grey Cup half-time show last November with Jordan Davis and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line.
Josh’s rapid success is all the more surprising since he grew up wanting to be a football star. He didn’t seriously consider a career in music until his final year at Western when a series of injuries killed his dream of playing in the CFL. (Despite living in Nashville, he remains a TigerCats fan, streaming games on his laptop).
“Music was always part of my life. I sang a lot growing up, but always for fun,” Josh, 27, says. “Sports was the priority and for a long time I thought that was going to be my path. After three injuries and a bunch of other things, I just started picking up music, playing guitar.”
After graduating from Western, Josh worked for almost a year in construction, while making regular trips to Nashville to hone his writing and singing skills. He made the move permanent in 2019.
His career is now firmly anchored in the United States — he hopes to release his first album late this year or early next — but he still finds time to return home to Canada.
“I flew home to surprise my mom for Mother’s Day,” Josh says. “They live in the Dundas area now. I brought her some flowers. It was a short visit but a good one.”
The CMAOntario festival will bring music to Hamilton throughout the weekend, starting Friday, June 2, 9:30 p.m., at Mills Hardware, 95 King St. E., with “Songs & Stories: Songwriters in the Round,” featuring Jim Witter, Dave “Dwave” Thomson, Reney Ray and Roslyn Witter.
The festival continues Saturday and Sunday at Pier 4 Park (64 Leander Dr.), including Kidzone activities, craft vendors and free concerts.
On Saturday, the Kidzone runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a free “Bonfire Concert,” featuring Robyn Ottolini, Owen Riegling, Dayna Reid, Graham Scott Fleming, Elyse Saunders and David Boyd James. On Sunday, 12:30 to 3 p.m., the festival features a free preawards’ show “Tailgate Party,” featuring Buck Twenty, Nicole Rayy, Kristine St-Pierre and The Redhill Valleys. The awards’ show at Theatre Aquarius starts at 7 p.m. Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit cmaontario.ca.