Jenny Ritter's songs are aimed straight at the heart. Her childhood was spent steeped in music and dance. with a ballerina mother. and opera singer father. They lived deep in the woods of Vancouver Island. and when not ranging through the forest with big dogs, Jenny usually had her nose in a book. After high school. she hit the road with bands on tour across Canada and the US. and basically never came back. First playing accordion for the band Nicely, and then as guitarist and one of the main songwrit-ers for the critically acclaimed roots country band The Gruff. In ten years, the Gruff made four albums. went on dozens of tours and played at bakers' dozens of festivals. They easily .won
devotees wherever they went. but eventually the quartet parted ways.