Artist · chart history · #297 in indie & aaa artist polls
Josh Ritter
Solo artist Moscow United States American singer-songwriter
Josh Ritter is an artist from Moscow. Josh Ritter has 134 chart appearances on 68 radio countdowns from 16 stations on RockLists, spanning 2006–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Getting Ready to Get Down”, which appears on 20 lists with a best position of #5. In total the artist has topped 2 countdowns. The station that charted Josh Ritter most often is WYEP (Pittsburgh, PA), with 43 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2023.
Songs that play like short stories are Josh Ritter's stock in trade. The American singer-songwriter, born in 1976, works a folk and country vein under the broad Americana banner, and what sets him apart is the storytelling: characters, places and turns of plot, sung like he's leaning across the table to let you in on something. Hello Starling, from 2003, carried "Kathleen", a bright, rolling tune that set the tone.
The Animal Years followed in 2006 with "Girl in the War" and "Thin Blue Flame", and the records kept coming: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, So Runs the World Away, The Beast in Its Tracks with "Joy to You Baby" and "Hopeful", then Sermon on the Rocks, where "Getting Ready to Get Down" kicks up more dust than anything before it. Gathering, Fever Breaks and, in 2023, Spectral Lines and "For Your Soul" kept the streak alive.
These days he records and tours with the Royal City Band. In 2006 he was named on a list of the 100 greatest living songwriters, and he writes books as well as songs.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Josh Ritter on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Getting Ready to Get Down | 20 | #5 | – | 2015 | |
| 2 | Kathleen | 19 | #81 | – | – | |
| 3 | For Your Soul | 10 | #1 | 1 | 2023 | |
| 4 | The Curse | 7 | #2 | – | 2010 | |
| 5 | Change Of Time | 9 | #6 | – | 2010 | |
| 6 | Old Black Magic | 5 | #9 | – | 2019 | |
| 7 | Girl In The War | 6 | #88 | – | – | |
| 8 | Joy To You Baby | 6 | #20 | – | 2013 | |
| 9 | Showboat | 6 | #11 | – | 2017 | |
| 10 | Losing Battles | 5 | #30 | – | 2019 | |
| 11 | You Won't Dig My Grave | 3 | #1 | 1 | 2025 | |
| 12 | Where The Night Goes | 3 | #33 | – | 2016 | |
| 13 | Wolves | 6 | #515 | – | – | |
| 14 | Right Moves | 4 | #21 | – | 2007 | |
| 15 | Thin Blue Flame | 3 | #265 | – | – | |
| 16 | Strong Swimmer | 3 | #57 | – | 2023 | |
| 17 | The Temptation of Adam | 2 | #45 | – | 2007 | |
| 18 | Miles Away | 1 | #13 | – | 2018 | |
| 19 | Hopeful | 2 | #35 | – | 2013 | |
| 20 | To The Dogs Or Whoever | 3 | #78 | – | 2007 | |
| 21 | Feels Like Lightning | 1 | #29 | – | 2017 | |
| 22 | Time Is Wastin' | 2 | #95 | – | 2020 | |
| 23 | Harrisburg | 1 | #552 | – | – | |
| 24 | You Don't Make It Easy Babe | 2 | #902 | – | – | |
| 25 | HOMECOMING | 1 | #777 | – | – | |
| 26 | Minds Eye | 1 | #89 | – | 2007 | |
| 27 | All Some Kind Of Dream | 1 | #86 | – | 2019 | |
| 28 | Honeydew (No Light) | 1 | #87 | – | 2025 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
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