photo credit: Gale St. Rose
artist bio
With a pastoral upbringing in northern Wisconsin, Ross Thorn’s music emanates as a warm and soulful hymn, waking up optimistically beside a snow-covered window. His sharply crafted and often humorous lyrics—distinctly reminiscent of great folk artists like John Prine—reveal internal struggles of empathy, questions of human character and virtue, and a search for hope, often finding solace in some unanticipated truth.
latest project - Fitting In
On his latest full-length album, folk poet Ross Thorn adopts traditional instrumentation to weave stories brimming with the human spirit across 10 songs. Fitting In is rich with witty lyrics, earworm melodies, and heartfelt stories that warmly call out from the back porch of your memory.
debut album - Hugo
Ross Thorn offers a thoughtful exploration into mortality, loss, and identity on his debut album, Hugo. The 9-track record leans heavily into Ross's folk and country roots, showcasing introspective and melancholic songwriting along with political fervor and compassion for others—an album for anyone that appreciates an old sound with a forward-looking message.
press
On the Record - Fitting In Album Review"Ross Thorn is well on his way to becoming one of the great folk storytelling songwriters of our time."
- Kristi Olson, On the Record
Duluth News Tribune - "Duluth musician Ross Thorn leads with integrity" Blog Critics - Fitting In Album Review WUSB - Country Pocket - Fitting In Album Review The Current - Ross Thorn Supporting Trampled By Turtles and Jenny Lewis"Thorn’s warm voice and witty lyrics about hard work, love and a skepticism of excess, felt reminiscent of folk greats John Prine or Blaze Foley."
- Darby Ottoson, The Current
WNSM College Radio Interview Duluth Reader - Artist Profile Piece On the Record - Hugo Album Review Voyage Minnesota Interviewmedia performances
Fox 21 Duluth - Coffee Conversation Performance The Great American Folk Show - 2025 WDIO Good Morning Northland KAXE - Northern Community Radio The North 103.3 - Live From Studio A WXPR - Live From the White Pine The Great American Folk Show - 2024 Glad You're Here Podcastvideos
notable performances and festivals
Big Turn Music Fest - February 2026
Support for Charlie Parr - January 2026
"Far Away" National Tour - August 2025
Festival Rialto - June 2025
Homegrown Music Festival - May 2025
Support for The Last Revel - December 2023
Support for Trampled by Turtles and Jenny Lewis - July 2023