Ruston Samuel Kelly (born July 31, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter. After signing with the music publisher BMG Nashville in 2013, his song "Nashville Without You" appeared on Tim McGraw's album Two Lanes of Freedom.[1] Following a record deal with Razor & Tie's Washington Square, he released his debut EP, Halloween, produced by Mike Mogis in 2017.[2]
Ruston Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ruston Samuel Kelly July 31, 1988 |
| Spouse | |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
In 2018, Kelly signed with Rounder Records and released his debut studio album, Dying Star, to generally favorable critical reviews.[3]
In 2020, Kelly released Shape & Destroy.
Personal life
editRuston Kelly was born in South Carolina and comes from a musical family.[4] The family moved frequently because of his father's job, and he lived in Wyoming, Ohio for nearly eight years.[5] Kelly began playing music and writing songs when he was a teenager.[6] Kelly attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kelly struggled with drug addiction for years and decided to pursue a life of sobriety following an overdose in December 2015. Regarding his recovery he stated, "I went to rehab once, but it was all I could afford, so it was this kind of rehab in North Carolina."[7]
Kelly met singer Kacey Musgraves after performing at the Bluebird Café in Nashville in March 2016.[8] They married in October 2017[9] and filed for divorce in July 2020.[10]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- Dying Star (2018)
- Shape & Destroy (2020)
- The Weakness (2023)[11]
EPs
edit- The Bootleg Sessions (2013)
- Halloween (2017)
- Dirt Emo Vol. 1 (2019)
- Weakness, Etc. (2024)
Singles
edit- "Asshole (Demo)" (2018)
- "Mockingbird" (2018) - No. 25 Adult Alternative Airplay[12]
- "Weeping Willow" (2019)
- "Brave" (2020)
- "O Holy Night" (2022)
- "The Weakness" (2023)[13] - No. 35 Adult Alternative Airplay
Tours
edit- Headlining
- Dying Star Fall Tour (2018–2019)[14]
- Shape and Destroy Fall Tour (2021)
- The Weakness Tour (2023)
- Too Chill to Kill Tour (2024)
- Opening act
- Port Saint Joe Tour (for Brothers Osborne) (2019)[15]
- The Stick Season Tour (For Noah Kahan) (2023)
Songwriting contributions
edit| Year | Artist | Album | Title | Co-writers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tim McGraw | Two Lanes of Freedom | "Nashville Without You" | Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers |
| 2014 | Josh Abbott Band | Tuesday Night EP | "Tuesday Night" | Josh Abbott |
| 2015 | Front Row Seat | "Front Row Seat" | Brian Davis | |
| 2016 | Rob Baird | Wrong Side of the River | "Run of Good Luck" | Rob Baird |
| Hayes Carll | Lovers and Leavers | "Love Is So Easy" | Hayes Carll | |
| 2018 | Lucie Silvas | E.G.O. | "Just for the Record" | Lucie Silvas, Jarrad Kritzstein |
References
edit- ^ McKenna, Brittney (2018-09-07). "Ruston Kelly on New Album 'Dying Star' and Why Women Are Superior Songwriters". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ruston Kelly - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "Dying Star by Ruston Kelly". Metacritic. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ DeSantis, Rachel (November 5, 2021). "Tim Kelly's New Album with Son Ruston Kelly Proves It's Never Too Late to Realize a Dream". people.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ "Ruston Kelly Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ "Ruston Kelly". Rounder Records. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Gravley, Garrett (2019-01-16). "Ruston Kelly Went Through Hell, and Made a Few Stops in California On the Way Back". Dallas Observer. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ Despres, Tricia. "Kacey Musgraves on Finding Love with Ruston Kelly". Taste of Country. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Milano, Marie. "Kacey Musgraves Husband Ruston Kelly". Country Living. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "Reps: Singers Kacey Musgraves, Ruston Kelly file for divorce". Apnews.com. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Crowmaster [@RustonKelly] (January 17, 2023). "My third album The Weakness produced by @natemercereau is coming April 7. Title track out now as well as preorder/merch/etc https://t.co/rEVi2sAydq https://t.co/ncqBWgBQg6" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ruston Kelly - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Triple A Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Ruston Kelly - Tour". Ruston Kelly. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Gage, Jeff (2018-11-12). "Brothers Osborne Extend Headlining Tour With New 2019 Dates". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 22, 2019.