Ed Romanoff's song "St Vincents" has won First Place in the Lyrics Only category in the 2011 International Songwriting Competition!

There were over 16,000 entries from 112 countries, and the competition was judged by Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Lucinda Williams, Ozzy Osbourne, My Morning Jacket, Tori Amos, Robert Smith of The Cure and many other famous artists as well as members of the industry,

Ed's songs "I Must Have Done Something Right", "Dreamin", and "Two Yellow Roses", all won honorable mentions in the same category.  His debut, self-titled CD, featuring vocals from Josh Ritter, Tift Merritt, Meg Hutchinson, and Mary Gauthier and produced by Crit Harmon, (Martin Sexton, Lori McKenna, and Mary Gautheir) has everyone listening.  

Award-Winning Songwriter

Ed Romanoff Announces Debut Album and

Joint Tour with Fellow Americana Artist Mary Gauthier

  * Self-Titled Debut to be released June 26 with Extensive National Tour
Which Began in New York City on April 12 *  

Award-winning Americana artist Ed Romanoff will release his much anticipated self-titled debut on June 26 and will continue on a large US Tour in support of the album with Mary Gauthier beginning April 12. The accomplished and evocative album, already receiving much praise from press and industry insiders, was produced by Crit Harmon, esteemed for his work with Martin Sexton, Lori McKenna, and Mary Gauthier, and features vocals from Josh Ritter, Tift Merritt, Meg Hutchinson, and Mary Gauthier.  The new record is being hailed as a gritty masterwork of atmospheric Americana.  

It was Ed Romanoff's timely friendship with fellow artist Mary Gauthier that helped lead him on an important journey of personal discovery about himself, and his family, while writing this expressive debut. "There is something compelling about why I'm doing this now," Ed says thoughtfully. "There is truth in a good song, and when you pursue it, you find out something real and true about yourself. I certainly did.  And the more you do it, the more it helps you heal, and it heals others in a similar way, too. It's a crazy circle but it works."

Healing himself and others is exactly why Romanoff decided to embark on this extensive US tour to support the release of the new album. The eleven-track debut cuts a wide emotional swath, from the good-natured sorry-I-messed-up sentimentality of "I Must Have Done Something Right" to the brave vulnerability of "St. Vincent De Paul."   Ed wrote the latter after a personal pilgrimage with Gauthier to the orphanage where she had been left on the day she was born.  The two became close friends, connecting over the clouds of their pasts.   

Mary soon asked Ed to join her on the road as sideman, writing partner, and later in taking a DNA test, as she wanted to learn more about her family history.  Ed took the test two years ago in support of his collaborator and discovered that the father he had grown up with was not his biological father.  "Sometimes you write a song and sometimes it writes you back," he says of learning about his past through music. He continues on his personal journey of discovery, recently encountering a family he had never known, while helping others like him who search for answers.

This skillful debut has a moony ambience with elegiac lap steel, saloon violins, and a gentle hum of Wurlitzer organs.  Its smoky haze and rustic production are delicately grounded by the grit and earthiness of Ed's voice - gentle yet haunting - while his guitar playing is economic and steeped in all stripes of Americana, from boozy blues to brothel jazz.   

9 songs from this debut record have already been recognized in international songwriting competitions prior to its June release, including "Breakfast for One on the Fifth of July," written with critically acclaimed Mary Gauthier and Crit Harmon, which won for best lyrics at the 2011 International Songwriting Competition and the 2011 USA Songwriting Competition and "Two Yellow Roses," written with Harmon, which won first place in the 2011 Great American Song Contest, in the American/Folk category.  "It took two generations and two years to write the record," Ed says. It was worth the wait.

You can hear Ed and Mary Gauthier's duet of, "I Fall To Pieces," a unique cover of the Harlan Howard/Hank Cochran song that Patsy Cline made famous by visiting www.edromanoff.com for the free download. 

Upcoming Tour Dates (More to Come)

May 5 - Rosendale, NY - Rosendale Cafe - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 6 - Hudson, NY - Club Helsinki - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 8 - Cambridge, MA - Club Passim - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 9 - Northhampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 10 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 11 - New York, NY - Joe's Pub - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 12 - Piermont, NY - Turning Point - w/ Mary Gauthier

May 15 - Washington, DC - The Hamilton - w/ Mary Gauthier & others

June 14 - Nashville, TN - Bluebird Cafe - w/ Mary Gauthier

Listen to Ed's new CD at: 
http://edromanoff.com/thepresshouse/
 
and you can listen to Mary's music at: 
www.marygauthier.com.

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An experienced actress, narrator, and product spokesperson, Jean was seen as program host on QVC and The Fashion Channel, as well as on Global Shopping Network.  She continues a variety of activities in business, civic and community projects, volunteer efforts, and the world of the performing arts. 
This book is a labor of love— one intended to both heal and inspire.