Jon-Rae Fletcher

Jon-Rae Fletcher
Background information
Origin	Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Rock, soul, Gospel, alt-country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Labels	Deerandbird Records, Weewerk

Jon-Rae Fletcher is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded both as a solo artist and with a back-up band, The River.

Background

Fletcher grew up in Kelowna, British Columbia, where as the son of a minister, he sang in his church's choir. Eventual musical developments included his discovery of Kurt Cobain and the formation of his own garage band. ^[1] Jon-Rae later moved and founded the original River band with a collective of Vancouver friends, but disbanded the group when he moved east.

The River was reformed with like-minded Toronto musicians in 2003, and they grew into a popular cult band with an ever-expanding audience. Combining country, gospel, rock, and soul, Jon-Rae & The River created a unique blend of music, sometimes complemented by an on-stage choir. ^[2] In 2006, Exclaim! labelled Fletcher "one of Toronto’s most captivating front-men, thanks to his impassioned performances and his glorious alt-gospel songs. Fuelled by alcohol and a fervent belief in the songs they're playing." ^[3] Their critically acclaimed album Knows What You Need was released in 2006, but the band broke up soon afterward.^{[ citation needed ]}

Fletcher moved back out west, settling in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia. ^[4] He released his most recent album, the full length Oh, Maria, in 2009 via the label weewerk and toured to promote the album with a new band line-up. ^[4] Oh Maria is his only album available to stream, on Spotify, Youtube and Amazon Music.

Several of his former backing musicians in The River later re-emerged with the alternative country band One Hundred Dollars. ^[5]

Discography

• Now Then (2000), Deerandbird Records
• Then Again (2001), Deerandbird Records
• The Road (2003), Hive-Fi Recordings
• Just A Closer Walk (2004), Blocks Recording Club
• Jon-Rae Fletcher & The River, Live Series (2005), Deerandbird Records
• Old Songs for the New Town (2005), Permafrost Records
• Knows What You Need (2006), We Are Busy Bodies
• Oh, Maria (2009), Weewerk

References

1. Stuart Berman, "Cover Story: Jon-Rae and the River". Eye Weekly , 27 October 2005.
2. Love, Noah (6 May 2005). "Jon-Rae And The River Preach The Gospel". Chart . Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
3. "Smells Like Holy Spirit" Archived 15 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine . Exclaim! , October 2006.
4. Kate Carraway, "Jon-Rae Fletcher" ^{[ permanent dead link ]}. Eye Weekly , 11 March 2009.
5. Rayner, Ben, "One Hundred Dollars: Show us the money". Toronto Star , 11 December 2008.