Justin John Rutledge (born January 3, 1979) is a

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based Canadian

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

singer-songwriter signed to

Outside Music Outside Music is a Canadian record label and distributor founded by Lloyd Nishimura in 2001. In 2007, it expanded to include an artist management division which includes Jill Barber, Matthew Barber, Aidan Knight, Justin Rutledge as manageme ...

. Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...

. In 2006, Justin Rutledge was named Toronto singer-songwriter of the year by ''NOW'' magazine. Rutledge has toured Canada, the UK, the United States, and Europe, and has played shows with

Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Margaret Edwards (born July 11, 1978
) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2002 debut album, ''

Jim Cuddy James Gordon Cuddy, (born December 2, 1955) is a Canadian singer-songwriter primarily associated with the band Blue Rodeo. Early life and education Cuddy was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother Jean Cuddy was an English teacher at Monarch P ...

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and colla ...

Hawksley Workman Hawksley Workman (born Ryan Corrigan, March 4, 1975) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full-length albums throughout his career. A mul ...

Luke Doucet Luke Doucet (born June 9, 1973) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has written and performed as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band Veal and the folk rock band Whitehorse. In 2006 and 2011, Doucet was nominated fo ...

, and

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

Biography

Early life

Rutledge was born and grew up in the

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (2012 film), an American film * ''Junction'' (2024 film), an American film * ''Jjunction'', a 2002 Indian film * ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (E ...

neighbourhood of Toronto, a working-class community centred around an intersection of four railway lines. He was raised in an Irish-Catholic family and grew up with aspirations of becoming a writer. To that end, he studied English literature, with a major in modern poetry, at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. He dropped out after three years of school, as his musical career got in the way. Rutledge told ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' in an interview that his backup plan would be to finish his university studies in English "if this music thing doesn't work".

''No Never Alone'' (2004–2005)

No Never Alone ''No Never Alone'' is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, released in 2004 on Six Shooter Records. A remastered "deluxe edition" was released in 2012 on Outside Music.Comes with a Smile'', who also proclaimed that "A major new talent has landed". Additional UK praise came from ''

Uncut magazine ''Uncut'' is a monthly magazine based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections. A DVD magazine under the ''Uncut'' brand was published quarterly from 2005 to 2006 ...

'', who referred to Rutledge as "a master of gothic understatement", and ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' describing the album as "an incredible breakthrough". After gaining prominence in the UK, ''No Never Alone'' was released in Rutledge's native Canada.

''The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park'' (2006–2007)

Rutledge's second album, ''

The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park ''The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park'' is the second album by Canadian alt-country singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, released on October 2, 2006, on Six Shooter Records. Recorded at a number of studios in Toronto Toronto ( , locally pr ...

'', was released through

Six Shooter Records Six Shooter Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that uses an artist-centric business model, focusing on art before commerce combined with extensive touring. Six Shooter Records was founded in 2000 by Shauna T ...

on October 6, 2006. The record is actually Rutledge's second attempt at a second album; he spent a year recording his first attempt, tentatively titled ''In the Fall'', before he scrapped it. He was unsatisfied with the album and has explained, "I thought a second album should have just a bit more of an assured sense about it. A second step forward should be a step up the ladder as opposed to just asserting your presence. You're not just saying, "hey, I'm still here". You're saying, "hey I'm here and I've challenged myself and I've hopefully done something that I haven't done already". To challenge himself and create the album he wanted, Rutledge wrote a new batch of songs and recorded them in eight days with his band, opting for a more live recording style. ''The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park'' was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

in the category Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo and received the Galaxie Rising Star Award at the

Edmonton Folk Music Festival The Edmonton Folk Music Festival (EFMF) is an annual four-day outdoor music event held the second weekend of August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980 by Don Whalen. and a core group of volunteers. The festival continues to draw man ...

''Man Descending'' (2008)

Rutledge's third album, ''

Man Descending ''Man Descending'' is a collection of short stories written by Saskatchewan-born writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. The book was first published by Macmillan of Canada in 1982 and Vanderhaeghe went on to become one of the few first-time authors to win the ...

'', was released on April 8, 2008, through Six Shooter Records. The record is named after a 1982 collection of short stories by

Guy Vanderhaeghe Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe (born April 5, 1951) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his Western novel trilogy, '' The Englishman's Boy'', '' The Last Crossing'', and ''A Good Man'' set in the 19th-century American and Ca ...

, also called ''

''. Rutledge was inspired by a line from Vanderhaeghe's book, "A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene." He says of the line, "It really resonated with me. As I continued to read the stories, I realized that all these characters in the book were dealing with the same kind of static or inertia in their lives. I kind of took little threads and wove them into songs". The album features guest performances by

Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has ...

Jenn Grant Jenn Grant (born August 20, 1980) is a Canadian folk pop singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Career Grant performed as a musician for a time in her early teens, but stopped due to a bout of stage fright. She did not return to pe ...

Catherine MacLellan Catherine MacLellan is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter, based in Prince Edward Island. Early life The daughter of Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan, MacLellan was born in Burlington, Ontario but raised in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. ...

Melissa McClelland Melissa McClelland (born 18 May 1979) is an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter who lived in Hamilton, Ontario, in her youth and now bases her career from Toronto, Ontario. McClelland's music is influenced by blues and Americana (music), A ...

, Joey Wright, and

Jim Bryson James “Jim” Paul Sean Bryson (born April 30, 1969) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Briefly a founding member of the band Punchbuggy (band), Punchbuggy, he moved to a musical life under his own name with the release of his debut album, ''Th ...

. ''Man Descending'' was longlisted for the

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...

. Other praise for the album in 2008 included the No. 5 spot on ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

s Wood, Wires & Whiskey top 10 and a nomination for Contemporary Album of the Year at the

Canadian Folk Music Awards The Canadian Folk Music Awards are an annual music awards ceremony presenting awards in a variety of categories for achievements in both traditional and contemporary folk music, and other roots music genres, by Canadian musicians. The awards pr ...

. According to an interview, "Compared to 2006's ''The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park'', Rutledge feels ''Man Descending'' is a much more patient, intimate and mature album, despite recording it in just three days". The songs "Alberta Breeze" and "San Sebastian" were written for ''In the Fall'', the album that Rutledge scrapped in 2006, and were rerecorded for ''Man Descending''. In 2009, Rutledge took part in an interactive documentary series called ''

City Sonic ''City Sonic'' is a documentary series about Toronto-based musicians and the places that influenced their music.http://radio3.cbc.ca/blogs/2009/8/Watch-This-City-Sonic-Film-Series The first five ''City Sonic'' films were previewed at Toronto's 2 ...

''. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him reflecting on his time performing at the Cameron House.

''The Early Widows'' (2010)

The Early Widows ''The Early Widows'' is the fourth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, released on May 4, 2010 on Six Shooter Records. The album, produced by Canadian singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman, was recorded at The Woodshed, a recording ...

'' is Rutledge's fourth album, released May 4, 2010, on Six Shooter Records. Rutledge wrote several songs with a single character in mind from author

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...

's novel '' Divisadero'' after collaborating with Ondaatje on a theatrical adaptation of the novel. Ondaatje also co-wrote several of the songs, receiving official credit for the single "Be a Man". The album was produced by Canadian singer-songwriter

(also credited as a musician on the album) and also features Canadian singer-songwriter Oh Susanna and an additional co-writer credit to Nashville singer-songwriter

Darrell Scott James Darrell Scott (born August 6, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He has written several mainstream country hits, and is well-established as one of Nashville's premier session instrumentalists. B ...

''Valleyheart'' and subsequent albums (2013–present)

'' Valleyheart'' is Rutledge's fifth album, released February 2013 on his new label,

. The artist has since released a further four studio albums: '' Daredevil'' (2014), ''

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

'' (2016), '' Passages'' (2019), and ''

Islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...

'' (2021).

Early Winters

Rutledge is also a member of the band Early Winters, a collaboration with Canadian musician/producer Dan Burns, American musician Zac Rae, and British singer-songwriter

Carina Round Carina Round (born 20 April 1979) is an English singer-songwriter from Wolverhampton. Career In the summer of 1996, following a gig in a basement acoustic club in Wolverhampton, Round was given a three-night support at Ronnie Scott's club i ...

. The group has released three studio albums to date: ''Early Winters'' (2012), ''Vanishing Act'' (2014), and ''I Want to Break Your Heart'' (2017).

Theatrical work

In addition to his recording career, Rutledge has also acted on stage, including in productions of Ondaatje's ''Divisadero'' and

Sarah Ruhl Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, poet, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ''Eurydice'' (2003), '' The Clean House'' (2004), and '' In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)'' (2009). She has been ...

's ''

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

''."Justin Rutledge revisits his musical past on Valleyheart"
msn.ca, February 11, 2013. He also composed music and worked as musical director for a production of

Max Frisch Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity (social science), identity, individuality, Moral responsibility, responsibility, morality, and political commi ...

's '' The Arsonists''.

Personal life

Rutledge married designer Sarah Keenleyside, the cohost of HGTV Canada's '' Backyard Builds'', in 2018."Justin Rutledge is alt-country with a little help from his friends"
''

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. ...

'', March 8, 2019.

Discography

Solo

* ''

No Never Alone ''No Never Alone'' is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, released in 2004 on Six Shooter Records. A remastered "deluxe edition" was released in 2012 on Outside Music.The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park ''The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park'' is the second album by Canadian alt-country singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, released on October 2, 2006, on Six Shooter Records. Recorded at a number of studios in Toronto Toronto ( , locally pr ...

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2010) * '' Valleyheart'' (2013) * '' Daredevil'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * '' Passages'' (2019) * ''

'' (2021) * ''Something Easy'' (2023)

with Early Winters

* ''Early Winters'' (2012) * ''Vanishing Act'' (2014) * ''I Want to Break Your Heart'' (2017)

Other credits

* Dean Drouillard, ''Dream at Harmony Motel'' – banjo (2005) *

, ''

Thumbelina's One Night Stand ''Thumbelina's One Night Stand'' is Melissa McClelland's third album. The album was released in 2006 in Canada by the Orange Record Label. Performers *Melissa McClelland: vocals, backup vocals, guitars *Luke Doucet: guitars, vibes, wurlitizers, ...

'' – banjo/vocals (2006) * Oh Susanna, ''Short Stories'': "Schoolyard" – harmonica; "Pretty Penny" – banjo/harmony vocals (2007) * The Roaring Girl Cabaret, ''In Last Night's Party Clothes'' – vocals (2008) *

NQ Arbuckle NQ Arbuckle is a Canadian alternative country band based in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of Montreal-born Neville Quinlan (the NQ of the band's name), Mark Kesper, Peter Kesper, John Dinsmore and Jason Sniderman. History NQ Arbuckle was formed i ...

, '' XOK'' (2008) *

Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Margaret Edwards (born July 11, 1978
) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2002 debut album, ''

, ''

Asking for Flowers ''Asking for Flowers'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards. The album was released March 4, 2008, and was well received by critics, similarly to her first two albums released under Zoë Records, ''Failer'' and ...

'' – backing vocals (2008)

References

External links

*
Early Winters
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutledge, Justin 1979 births Living people Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian country guitarists Canadian male guitarists Singers from Toronto Canadian male stage actors Six Shooter Records artists Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo winners Canadian Folk Music Award winners 21st-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian male singers Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian folk singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian indie folk musicians