Richard Wood Biography
“Richard has the Fire of a Rock God and all of the Talent and Skill of a Master Musician.” Time Out Magazine, London, UK.
For more than three (3) decades, 5x ECMA and multi-Music PEI Award-winning Richard WOOD has blown away sold-out audiences around the globe with his traditional-born, fiery brand of Celtic music. His Canadian Folk Music Award-nominated and ECMA award-winning 8th album, UNBROKEN, which was mastered by legendary, multi-Grammy Award winning Bob Ludwig from Gateway Studios, has reviewers praising it as some of his best work to date!
Along with winning countless championships as both a step dancer and fiddler, Richard has also earned the Don Messer Memorial Trophy. Twice!
Richard has toured the world extensively with highlights including Epcot at Disney World, The Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. He has also performed for special televised events and programs such as Good Morning America, The David Letterman Show, Rita and Friends, and for a special Canada Day on Parliament Hill which was nationally televised by CBC in front of a live audience of over 100,000.
Richard has shared stages and tour buses with heavyweights like The Chieftains and Shania Twain and he’s played for Prime Ministers, Governor Generals, the Queen, and the Emperor of Japan, but he is most proud to have entertained Canada’s Armed Forces in the North Pole, Bosnia, & twice in Afghanistan.
One of Prince Edward Island’s best exports and always the proud island ambassador, Richard has brought his highly sought-after, energetic brand of music around the world, touring extensively in Australia, Europe, Asia, and all across North America.
MacLean’s Magazine named Richard one of the Top 100 Canadians to watch in the 21st Century, but they forgot to mention that watching would leave us out of breath and still wanting more!
“Richard has the Fire of a Rock God and all of the Talent and Skill of a Master Musician”. Time Out magazine, London, UK.
"Prince Edward Island's Bow shredding Fiddling Sensation." The Scotsman
"I was completely blown away when I first heard Richard's UNBROKEN record. It actually sounds like a QUEEN record but instead of Freddie Mercury, the lead is taken by the AMAZING fiddle of RICHARD WOOD!" Darrin Harvey, Host of K-Rock 89.3 & East Coast Music Unplugged
"The best or more precisely, the most entertaning fiddler I have ever seen." Shetland Times
"This stepdancing fiddler from Prince Edward Island exudes the qualities which will take him all the way to the top." Aberdeen Evening Express
"Celtic Prince Conquers U.S. - Country superstar Shania Twain elevates Richard Wood to the summit of U.S. network TV on the David Letterman Show and Good Morning America." The Toronto Star
"Picture it: A graceful tune to start off a set, with beautiful zippering lines, played while caressing the fiddle to his ear, eyes closed, off in a serene realm in a dance with time, as he lures us there with him. Then a cutting strathspey to kick it into a higher gear as he whoops out loud and smiles at the crowd — a total of six reels in a row, all executed with flawless precision, pounding in rhythm, intoxicating in a firing energy, which brings about numerous fits of spontaneous applause from the crowd who spring to their feet in ovation immediately at the set’s end. Wood simply dropped every single jaw in the house — certainly making us all proclaim he is back, and he is better than ever." Todd MacLean, Charlottetown Guardian