Ruston Kelly
Ruston Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Ruston Kelly performing for WMOT Roots Radio in August 2025 | |
| Born | Ruston Samuel Kelly July 31, 1988 |
| Spouse | |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
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]
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
[edit | edit source]Ruston 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
[edit | edit source]Studio albums
[edit | edit source]- Dying Star (2018)
- Shape & Destroy (2020)
- The Weakness (2023)[11]
- Pale, Through the Window (2025)
EPs
[edit | edit source]- The Bootleg Sessions (2013)
- Halloween (2017)
- Dirt Emo Vol. 1 (2019)
- Weakness, Etc. (2024)
- Dirt Emo Vol. 2 (2025)
Singles
[edit | edit source]- "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 | edit source]- 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 | edit source]| 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 | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).