Born in Marville, France in 1962 to a Canadian Air Force family, Johnny R's journey to music was anything but straightforward. Raised in Bramalea, Ontario, he lost his mother at age eight — a wound that shaped a troubled, restless youth spent searching for something to hold onto.

His father played guitar in a band called The Reflections, performing to crowds of thousands across the Greater Toronto area. They practiced in the basement — the same basement where young Johnny slept. Music was in his walls before it was in his hands.

After years on the road, raising a family on a First Nations reserve in Alberta, surviving a near-fatal work accident, and walking back from the edge of despair, Johnny found his way to Alice — his best friend and wife of 21 years. "I am who I am because of her."

He grew up in rock and metal, pivoted to country, toured and managed acts across Alberta and BC for 15 years under the name Johnny Ringo. A fall from a ladder broke his left humerus and ended his guitar playing. His wife found a $125 piano at a garage sale. Most of his 18 songs were written on it.

Three years ago, a grand piano arrived. Four of his eight musicians are Edmonton Symphony Orchestra players. The music changed. The dream, long dormant, woke up.

— Hope to see you on the road. Johnny R