Ruston Kelly

{{Infobox person

| name = Ruston Kelly

| image =

| caption =

| landscape =

| alt =

| birth_name = Ruston Samuel Kelly

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|7|31}}

| birth_place = Georgetown, South Carolina

| module = {{Infobox musical artist

| embed = yes

| genre = {{flatlist|

| occupation = Singer-songwriter

| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|mandolin|harmonica}}

| years_active = 2013–present

| label = {{flatlist|

}}

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}}}

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.{{cite web|last1=McKenna|first1=Brittney|title=Ruston Kelly on New Album Dying Star and Why Women Are Superior Songwriters|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/ruston-kelly-on-new-album-dying-star-and-why-women-are-superior-songwriters-720670/|website=Rolling Stone|access-date=February 22, 2019|date=2018-09-07}} Following a record deal with Razor & Tie's Washington Square, he released his debut EP, Halloween, produced by Mike Mogis in 2017.{{cite web|last1=Erlewine|first1=Stephen Thomas|title=Ruston Kelly - Biography|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ruston-kelly-mn0003058280/biography |website=AllMusic|access-date=February 22, 2019}}

In 2018, Kelly signed with Rounder Records and released his debut studio album, Dying Star, to generally favorable critical reviews.{{cite web|title=Dying Star by Ruston Kelly|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/dying-star/ruston-kelly|website=Metacritic|access-date=February 22, 2019}}

In 2020, Kelly released Shape & Destroy.

Personal life

Ruston Kelly was born in South Carolina and comes from a musical family.{{Cite web|date=November 5, 2021|first=Rachel |last=DeSantis|title=Tim Kelly's New Album with Son Ruston Kelly Proves It's Never Too Late to Realize a Dream|url=https://people.com/country/tim-kelly-releases-ride-through-the-rain-son-ruston/|access-date=2021-11-08|website=people.com|language=en}} The family moved frequently because of his father's job, and he lived in Wyoming, Ohio for nearly eight years.{{Cite web|title=Ruston Kelly Biography, Songs, & Albums|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ruston-kelly-mn0003058280/biography|access-date=2021-11-08|website=AllMusic|language=en}} Kelly began playing music and writing songs when he was a teenager.{{Cite web|title=Ruston Kelly|url=https://rounder.com/artist/ruston-kelly/|access-date=2021-11-08|website=Rounder Records|language=en-US}} 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."{{cite web|last1=Gravley|first1=Garrett|title=Ruston Kelly Went Through Hell, and Made a Few Stops in California On the Way Back |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/things-to-do-in-dallas-ruston-kelly-at-house-of-blues-on-jan-24-11466424 |website=Dallas Observer |access-date=March 4, 2019|date=2019-01-16}}

Kelly met singer Kacey Musgraves after performing at the Bluebird Café in Nashville in March 2016.{{cite web|last1=Despres|first1=Tricia|title=Kacey Musgraves on Finding Love with Ruston Kelly|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/how-did-kacey-musgraves-ruston-kelly-meet/|website=Taste of Country|access-date=February 22, 2019}} They married in October 2017{{cite web|last1=Milano|first1=Marie|title=Kacey Musgraves Husband Ruston Kelly|url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/a25048527/kacey-musgraves-husband-ruston-kelly/|website=Country Living|access-date=February 22, 2019}} and filed for divorce in July 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/tn-state-wire-music-us-news-ap-top-news-kacey-musgraves-a8974a1f092366423465c88f6237855b|title=Reps: Singers Kacey Musgraves, Ruston Kelly file for divorce|date=20 April 2021|website=Apnews.com|access-date=10 April 2023}}

Discography

=Studio albums=

Dying Star (2018)
Shape & Destroy (2020)
The Weakness (2023){{cite tweet |author=Crowmaster |user=RustonKelly |number=1615381839144972290 |date=January 17, 2023 |title=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 |language=en |access-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315112707/https://twitter.com/RustonKelly/status/1615381839144972290 |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |url-status=live}}

=EPs=

The Bootleg Sessions (2013)
Halloween (2017)
Dirt Emo Vol. 1 (2019)
Weakness, Etc. (2024)
Dirt Emo Vol. 2 (2025)

=Singles=

"Asshole (Demo)" (2018)
"Mockingbird" (2018) - No. 25 Adult Alternative Airplay{{cite web |title=Ruston Kelly - Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ruston-kelly/ |website=Billboard |access-date=March 3, 2023}}
"Weeping Willow" (2019)
"Brave" (2020)
"O Holy Night" (2022)
"The Weakness" (2023){{cite web|url=https://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/future-releases|title=Triple A Future Releases|publisher=All Access Music Group|access-date=December 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213102914/https://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/future-releases|archive-date=December 13, 2022}} - No. 35 Adult Alternative Airplay

Tours

;Headlining

Dying Star Fall Tour (2018–2019){{cite web|title=Ruston Kelly - Tour|url=https://www.rustonkelly.com/tour|website=Ruston Kelly|access-date=February 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222204638/https://www.rustonkelly.com/tour|archive-date=February 22, 2019|url-status=dead}}
Shape and Destroy Fall Tour (2021)
The Weakness Tour (2023)
Too Chill to Kill Tour (2024)

;Opening act

Port Saint Joe Tour {{small|(for Brothers Osborne)}} (2019){{cite web|last1=Gage|first1=Jeff|title=Brothers Osborne Extend Headlining Tour With New 2019 Dates|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/brothers-osborne-2019-tour-dates-754787/|website=Rolling Stone|access-date=February 22, 2019|date=2018-11-12}}
The Stick Season Tour {{Small|(for Noah Kahan)}} (2023)

Songwriting contributions

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Artist ! scope="col" \| Album ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Co-writers
scope="row" \| 2013 \|Tim McGraw \|Two Lanes of Freedom \|"Nashville Without You" \|Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers
scope="row" \| 2014 \|rowspan="2"\|Josh Abbott Band \|Tuesday Night EP \|"Tuesday Night" \|Josh Abbott
scope="row" \| 2015 \|Front Row Seat \|"Front Row Seat" \|Brian Davis
rowspan="2" scope="row" \| 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
scope="row" \| 2018 \|Lucie Silvas \|E.G.O. \|"Just for the Record" \|Lucie Silvas, Jarrad Kritzstein

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Artist

! scope="col" | Album

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Co-writers

scope="row" | 2013

|Tim McGraw

|Two Lanes of Freedom

|"Nashville Without You"

|Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers

scope="row" | 2014