The Strumbellas

Formed in 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, the band's original lineup consisted of songwriter Simon Ward on vocals and guitar, David Ritter on vocals and keys, Jon Hembrey on lead guitar, Isabel Ritchie on violin, Darryl James on bass guitar, and Jeremy Drury on drums. Hembrey, James, Drury, and Ward are all originally from Lindsay, Ontario, while Ritter and Ritchie joined after Ward posted a call for additional musicians to Craigslist.^[4]

The band's self-titled EP was released in 2009, garnering numerous positive reviews^[5] and coverage in many different media outlets; stating them as a band to watch. Their Southern Souls video by Mitch Fillion received attention from many bloggers^[6] and awarded them an ongoing Monday night residency at Toronto's Cameron House.

In 2010, the band was invited to play landmark venues including Yonge-Dundas Square (now Sankofa Square), the Horseshoe Tavern and the Peterborough Folk Festival.^{[citation needed]} Their full-length debut album, My Father and the Hunter, was released independently in 2012, and recorded at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario.^[7] It was nominated for a 2013 Juno Award in the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group category.^[8]

The band later signed with Six Shooter Records, releasing their second album, We Still Move on Dance Floors, in 2013.^[9] The album was produced by Ryan Hadlock. We Still Move on Dance Floors won a 2014 Juno Award in the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group category. After winning the Juno award, frontman Simon Ward expressed his distress after realizing that the live feed of the band's acceptance speech was cut off due to technical difficulties.^[10]

The band's third studio album, Hope, was released on April 22, 2016. The first single from that album, "Spirits", topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart the last two weeks of May 2016^[11][12] and also enjoyed significant mainstream radio play in Canada and a number of European countries.^[13][14] On April 21, 2016, the band were featured performers on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, closing out the episode with a live performance of "Spirits".^[15] They also performed at the NHL Heritage Classic in Winnipeg during the first intermission on October 23, 2016.^[16]

The band began an international tour in the summer of 2016, continuing throughout 2017 in Australia, Europe, and North America including festivals such as Bonnaroo and Governor's Ball. The band's song "Spirits" won the 2017 Juno Award for Single of the Year.^[17]

The band's fourth studio album, Rattlesnake, was released on March 29, 2019. On April 3, 2019, the band performed the album's first single, "Salvation", on Late Night with Seth Meyers.^[18]

In September 2019, the Liberal Party of Canada adopted the band's song "One Hand Up", which originally appeared on Rattlesnake, as their campaign anthem for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's campaign. The deal included the band producing another version of the song in French. The French version was believed by some to have been Google Translated from English to French, and while the band did not confirm or deny the report, they did record a new version of the song.^[19]

In March 2022, the band announced on Instagram that Ward had transitioned into a behind-the-scenes role in order to focus on his family and songwriting. Jimmy Chauveau replaced Ward as the band's vocalist.^[20]

On October 4, 2023, The Strumbellas released their first single in two years, "Hold Me". The band also announced a new album, Part Time Believer, which was released on February 9, 2024.

On April 4, The Strumbellas played a US tour in support of their new album Part Time Believer.^[21] On 18 July 2025, the band released the single "Hard Lines".^[22] They followed up the single with the song "Maybe It's Me." On October 21, they released the EP Burning Bridges Into Dust.^[23]

Current members

• David Ritter – keyboards (2008–present)
• Darryl James – bass guitar (2008–present)
• Isabel Ritchie – violin, keyboards (2008–present)
• Jon Hembrey – lead guitar (2008–present)
• Jimmy Chauveau – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2022–present)

Touring member

• Miles Gibbons – drums, composer (2022–present)

Past members

• Simon Ward – lead vocals, guitar (2008–2022), composer (2022–present)
• Jeremy Drury – drums (2008–2022)

Studio albums

More information Title, Album details ...

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions										Certifications
		CAN [24]	BEL (FL) [25]	BEL (WA) [26]	ITA [27]	SWI [28]	UK Amer. [29]	US [30]	US Folk [31]	US Indie [32]	US Rock [33]
My Father and the Hunter	Released: February 21, 2012 Label: Fontana North	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
We Still Move on Dance Floors	Released: October 22, 2013 Label: Six Shooter	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—[A]	—	—
Hope	Released: April 22, 2016 Label: Glassnote	3	129	143	47	68	25	98	3	—	12	MC: Platinum[35]
Rattlesnake	Released: March 29, 2019 Label: Glassnote	56	—	—	—	—	—	—[B]	—	19	—
Part Time Believer	Released: February 9, 2024[37] Label: Underneath a Mountain	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

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EPs

• The Strumbellas (2009)
• Burning Bridges into Dust (2025)

Singles

As lead artist

More information Title, Year ...

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		CAN [38]	CAN Rock [39]	AUT [40]	BEL (FL) [25]	BEL (WA) [26]	FRA [41]	ITA [27]	SWI [28]	US Bub. [42]	US Rock [43]
"Spirits"	2016	23	2	5	4	5	64	11	18	9	7	MC: 5× Platinum[35] BEA: Gold[44] BPI: Silver[45] BVMI: Platinum[46] FIMI: 3× Platinum[47] RIAA: Gold[48] SNEP: Gold[49]	Hope
"We Don't Know"[50]		—[C]	9	—	—[D]	—	—	—	—	—	40	MC: Gold[35]
"Young & Wild"[52]	2017	—	41	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Salvation"[53]	2018	—[E]	10	—	—	—[F]	—	—	—	—	—[G]	MC: Gold[35]	Rattlesnake
"I'll Wait"[56]	2019	—	36	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—[H]
"Greatest Enemy"[58]	2021	—	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—[I]		Non-album single
"Hold Me"[59]	2023	—	37	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Part Time Believer
"Running Out of Time"[60]		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Hard Lines"[61]	2025	—	31	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Burning Bridges into Dust
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

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Promotional singles

More information Title, Year ...

Title	Year	Album
"Soup"[62]	2019	Non-album single
"Maybe It's Me"[63]	2025	Burning Bridges into Dust
"Skin of My Teeth"[64]

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Notes

1. [A]

   We Still Move on Dance Floors did not enter the US Americana/Folk Albums charts, but peaked at number 9 on the US Bluegrass Album Chart.^[34]
2. [B]

   Rattlesnake did not enter the US Billboard 200, but peaked at number 96 on the US Top Current Album Sales Chart.^[36]
3. [C]

   "We Don't Know" did not enter the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, but peaked at number 28 on the Canada Emerging Artists chart.^[51]
4. [D]

   "We Don't Know" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 10 on the Ultratip chart.^[25]
5. [E]

   "Salvation" did not enter the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, but peaked at number 23 on the Canadian All-format Airplay chart.^[54]
6. [F]

   "Salvation" did not enter the Wallonie Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 39 on the Ultratip chart.^[26]
7. [G]

   "Salvation" did not enter the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, but peaked at number 28 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.^[55]
8. [H]

   "I'll Wait" did not enter the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, but peaked at number 37 on the Alternative Airplay chart.^[57]
9. [I]

   "Greatest Enemy" did not enter the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, but peaked at number 47 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.^[55]

• Music of Canada
• List of bands from Canada
• List of Canadian musicians