Justin Rutledge

Justin Rutledge
Justin Rutledge press photo.
Background information
Born	(1979-01-03) January 3, 1979 (age 38)
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Alternative country
Occupation(s)	singer-songwriter
Instruments	guitar, harmonica
Labels	Six Shooter Records Outside Music
Associated acts	New Country Rehab Carina Round Early Winters
Website	Justin Rutledge

Justin Rutledge (born January 3, 1979) is a Toronto-based alternative country singer-songwriter signed to Outside Music.

Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer Ryan Adams. His influences, both of the literary and music world, include Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Richard Brautigan and E. E. Cummings.

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, Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo, Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet and Dolly Parton.

His critically acclaimed lyrics are sometimes linked by music writers to his time as a university English major; he was editor-in-chief of a University of Toronto literary journal.

Rutledge was born and grew up in the Junction neighbourhood in Toronto, a working class community centered 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. He dropped out after three years of school as his musical career got in the way. Rutledge told Maclean's 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 is Rutledge's first album. In order to pay for the recording he worked as a bartender. Rutledge has remarked that "I would often do a studio session during the day, and then head straight to work until 4 or 5 in the morning".