Deric Ruttan was raised just outside Bracebridge, Ontario, on land where his great-grandfather made moonshine in the 1930’s. Taking his cues from musical heroes like Steve Earle, he moved to Nashville and spent seven years ‘in the trenches’ in the country music capitol of the world, struggling to make a name for himself. Eventually he signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and soon after inked a recording contract with Disney’s Lyric Street Records. When the album was released in Canada, the CD yielded 5 Top Ten singles, (including the hits, “When You Come Around”, “Shine”, and “Take The Wheel”), and earned him a “Best Album” nomination at the 2004 Canadian Country Music Awards. “Male Vocalist” and “Rising Star” nominations followed, as did the Grand Ol’ Opry appearances, and a high-profile national tour. In 2004 he was named “Best New Solo Country Artist” at the Canadian Radio Music Awards. Stateside though, Ruttan’s artist success was about to be eclipsed by his success as a songwriter.
In 2003, just as his first single “When You Come Around” was released, he celebrated his first #1 as a songwriter when friend and collaborator Dierks Bentley took the Ruttan/Bentley/Brett Beavers co-write “What Was I Thinkin’” to the top of the charts in the US. The song helped set Bentley on the path to country stardom. (To date, Bentley has recorded six Ruttan co-writes, including the 2005 chart-topper “Lot Of Leavin’ Left To Do”.) In 2004 Ruttan’s “My Way”, recorded by Aaron Pritchett, was the most-played Canadian country song of that year. Capitol Nashville’s Eric Church had an American Billboard hit with his and Ruttan’s “Guys Like Me” in 2007, and cuts on other acts followed (over two dozen to-date), on artists like Gary Allan, Paul Brandt, Doc Walker, Jason Blaine, and The Higgins. In September of 2007, Ruttan was awarded his first Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) for Songwriter Of The Year (along with co-writers Aaron Pritchett and Mitch Merrett), for “Hold My Beer”, recorded by Pritchett. With his songwriting cache increasing, Ruttan struggled to balance his artist and songwriting careers.
Deric Ruttan is available for corporate events, private shows, milestone celebrations (birthday, anniversary), fundraisers, festivals, and more.