Ranj Singh

Surrey's RANJ SINGH first came to the public's attention in the 90's as a key member of the Bhangra Rock band DAL DIL VOG. When the band ceased to exist SINGH was one of the members of the band that continued along on his musical odyssey which has led him to where we find him today, A Simple Man.
The debut disc from SINGH recorded in Vancouver with a bevy of musical and studio heavyweights, in it's self is a testimony to his musical ability and the high regard he is held by his peers. The material covered on "Simple Man" runs the gamut from world catastrophes, simply stated love songs and the touching ode to a recently departed Grandfather. The album was recorded in just 7 days. SINGH will tell you the songs simply poured out of him. Musicians dropped by to watch the sessions and were immediately recruited to join in a wondrous celebration of simplicity and the pure unadulterated joy of making music for the love of it. The results shine through at every turn along this journey of a "Simple Man." Bravo RANJ. Take A Bow! - Dave Chesney

When I first heard Ranj I thought “a ha ,here is a songwriter and a singer who understands who he is and where he sits in the world.”
A world of family and simple but deep values.
Ranj is all the things he sings about and that is what makes his work valuable to all of us who get the opportunity to listen.
It was and is a pleasure to be a part of.
To be who you are is a difficult task in this world of trouble .
We should all be so lucky,.
Wyckham Porteous
- Wyckham Porteous

Ranj Singh used to play hard rock with Vancouver '90s group “Dal Dil Vog”. Mixing bhangra with mainstream rock, the band was ahead of its time and never found a balance that worked — too Indian for the rock world, too rock for the Indian community. Singh retreated, picked up an acoustic guitar and headed in a more folk direction. Simple Man is a collection of sincere declarations, but one in which the balance that eluded Dal Dil Vog is acheived without apparent effort. It's evident in some of the song structures and the reinforcement of percussion. With a subtle production by Wyckham Porteous, Simple Man has character. B
— Tom Harrison, The Province Newspaper
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
- Tom Harrison

Ranj Singh sings softly with a clear, bass voice that bounces off the top of a tabla. He sometimes rings his "Rs."

He likes to tell a story to the clear chords of an acoustic guitar.

"I'm just a laid-back, shy kind of person. I am not flamboyant and jumping around the stage."

He's a simple shy guy, with a simple plan and simple dreams.

Singing is a new venture for the Surrey musician, who played rhythm guitar and sang background vocals in the 1990s with the Bhangra rock band Dal Dil Vog.

It's been only a year since he mustered up the courage to sing solo into a mic.

On a Sunday last year, Singh stopped at Pitt Meadows Café O Lei to spy on an acoustic open mic.

Ivan Boudreau and Greg Stuart from the band Tusket were hosting the event.

Singh thought it would be a safe place to perform. Far away from Surrey, in a suburb where no one knew who he was.

The following week, Singh sang solo for the first time, backed by his friend Chris Dufault.

It went well and Singh was soon in Stuart's studio recording a compilation CD.

His talent sparked a publishing deal which saw Simple Man, his first solo album, pressed and released earlier this year.

Singh mixes his penchant for '70s rock – the soundtrack of his childhood is Cloverdale – with his Indian roots.

Simple Man took seven days to record with the help several award winning Vancouver artists, including John Macarthur Ellis, John Bottomley, Allen Rodger and core members Chris Dufault and Craig “Burdman” Burdes.

Producer Wyckham Porteous calls Singh "a songwriter and a singer who understands who he is and where he sits in the world."

Simple Man is an opus of songs saved in Singh's back pocket for years, with vivid lyrics drawn from experience in his life.

Singh says the songs simply poured out of him.

You and I, written 22 years ago, has become a popular wedding song – a lot of his close friends have used it as a first dance.

He wrote You Are Not Alone after the 2005 Boxing Day Tsunami. It's a song about a beach in the southern city of Madras he remembers while touring in 1996 in India with Dal Dil Vog.

Singh remembers the day he heard about the tsunami perfectly.

"I pictured the people on the beach. It was a sunny day, with kids and dogs on the beach and saw how horrific it would have been if you were just standing there and all of a sudden from blue skies and a warm day there is tragedy.

He says inspiration for his music often comes while he is driving a car.

"It is the perfect time to write and compose," says Singh, who works graveyard shift as a courier.

Singh is thrilled with how a project he started on a whim has blossomed. He says he isn't hungry for fame or success.

"I've been there and done that. I am not the yahoo I was when I was 20 years old. To me, the music and the band comes first."

• Ranj Singh performs at Café O Lei in Pitt Meadows on Friday. To hear samples from Simple Man, visit www.ranjsingh.com.
Mapl Ridge News, Nov. 4th 2007. - Monisha Martins/ Maple Ridge News