No Ordinary Conqueror

The son of professors of neuroscience at Washington State University, Ritter opted for a different path, fashioning a degree in "American history through narrative folk music" at Oberlin College in Ohio.

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After graduating in 1999, he moved to Boston, self-releasing an eponymous album and singing at open mikes. "The great thing about open mikes is you have to grab people in one song," Ritter says, "and you have to grab the most cynical people -- other musicians like yourself."

One night in 2001, Glen Hansard of the Irish band the Frames wandered into a club just as Ritter was set to sing "Potters Wheel," from his first record. Enchanted, Hansard impulsively invited Ritter to Ireland as an opening act for the Frames.

"I was doing temp work, so I jumped at it," Ritter says, laughing and adding that he hadn't really done any full shows at that point. "And the airfare to Dublin was so cheap -- $93 -- that I could afford it at the time."

Long before he gained fame here, Ritter became a sensation in Ireland, quickly headlining major venues. In 2003, Hot Press, the Irish equivalent of Rolling Stone, voted Ritter best international male performer (over Justin Timberlake, among others) and best international songwriter.

Ritter knows, however, that for every high moment, there can be low ones. Consider Jan. 12, when Ritter was the musical guest on "Late Night With David Letterman" -- getting his widest exposure in this country by far. An hour after shaking hands with Letterman, Ritter's label, V2, also home to the White Stripes, Moby and the Raconteurs, shut down. (He's now on Sony/BMG.)

"That a record label can go under while I'm playing for 13 million people -- it's almost like I'm watching it from a distance," Ritter says. But, he adds, "it's become clear to me that I'm the lucky one -- I'm the one who's got the freshwater spring [of creativity], and that will always see me through.

"How it gets turned into a living, that stuff gets complicated, but I've stopped questioning whether that's going to stick around. I know it will if I work."