Tanglefoot (band)

Tanglefoot
Tanglefoot's 2006 lineup
Background information
Origin	Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Folk
Years active	1979–2009, 2026-Present
Labels	Borealis Records
Members	Steve Ritchie Al Parrish Rob Ritchie Sandra Swannell Young Josh Ritchie
Past members	Terry Young (d. 2022) Joe Grant Bob Wagar Tim Rowat Frank Skrzeszewski Terry Snider Bryan Weirmier Robert Graham Erin Donovan
Website	www.tanglefootmusic.ca

Tanglefoot was a Canadian folk band from Owen Sound, Ontario. Formed in Peterborough in the early 1980s by Joe Grant, Bob Wagar, and Tim Rowat to play traditional music, they became a five-piece band playing largely original music. They regularly toured Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Overview

Tanglefoot is a Canadian folk band best known for original songs that blend history, storytelling, and strong vocal harmony. Formed in 1980, the group emerged from Ontario’s folk scene and went on to tour extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Over nearly three decades, Tanglefoot developed a reputation for high-energy live performances and a distinctive ability to transform historical events and everyday working lives into engaging, accessible songs.

Drawing on traditional folk instrumentation while maintaining a contemporary songwriting voice, the band’s music explores themes of place, memory, and shared experience. Their catalogue includes numerous albums that remain well regarded within the Canadian folk community, and their live shows became known for their warmth, musicianship, and connection with audiences.

After concluding regular touring in 2009, the band members pursued individual projects while their music continued to reach new listeners.

In 2026, Tanglefoot entered a new chapter of live performance, carrying forward the spirit of storytelling, camaraderie, and musical vitality that has always defined their work. Steve Ritchie, Al Parrish, Sandra Swannell Young and Rob Ritchie were joined by Rob's son, singer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Ritchie who stepped into the place once held by the late Terry Young - a tribute to both family and legacy.

Members

Discography

• Dance Like Flames – Released by Borealis Records in 2006; BCD-179CD
• Way More Live – Released on DVD by Borealis Records in 2004; BDVD001
• Captured Alive – Released by Borealis Records in 2003; BCD-157CD
• Agnes on the Cowcatcher – Released by Borealis Records in 2002; BCD-143CD
• Full Throated Abandon – Released by Borealis Records in 1999; BCD-115CD
• The Music in the Wood – Released by Tanglefoot Media in 1996; TML14-0896CD
• Voyageurs et Vagabonds: Songs of the Voyageurs – Released by Ooze River Music 1995; ORM8-989
• Saturday Night in Hardwood Lake – Released by Tanglefoot Media in 1994; TML12-1194CD
• Grain of Salt – Released by Ooze River Music 1992; ORM11-1192CD
• Voyageurs & Vagabonds (cassette) – Released by Ooze River Music^[1] 1987; ORM5-287
• Songs of the River (cassette) – Released by Ooze River Music 1984; ORM-002
• Igg's Pig: Songs and Stories for Young Canadians – Released by Waterloo Music^[2] 1984; WR-8030

Awards and achievements

Extensive national and international touring history spanning 1996-2009

Canadian Folk Music Awards:

• 2007 Best Vocal Group (Dance Like Flames)

Crossroads Magazine Music Awards:

• 1999 Gold Star Award for Best Album (Full Throated Abandon)

Bound for Glory Award:

• 2000-2001 Best of Bound for Glory Award (Live Performance)

Pathway of Fame:

• 2012 Founding members of Tanglefoot (Joe Grant, Tim Rowat and Bob Wagar) inducted into the Pathway of Fame in Peterborough, Ontario

References

1. [1] ^{[dead link]}
2. "Traditional Children's Songs". Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 29 May 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Original web site at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 February 2013)
• AllMusic's article on Tanglefoot