Deric Ruttan

Deric J. Ruttan (born January 27, 1972) is a Canadian country music singer, songwriter and record producer from Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. A Nashville, Tennessee resident, he has released four studio albums and has written or co-written more than 60 songs that have been recorded by other recording artists.

Breakthrough Deric moved to Nashville in 1994 to pursue his music career, spending his days writing songs and his nights scouring the city getting ideas and learning from local singer-songwriters. He got his break in 1999 when producer Steve Bogard heard one of Deric's tapes and liked it. Steve signed Deric to a songwriting deal and immediately began recording his first demos. After Doug Howard at Lyric Street Records heard his demo and Deric played five songs live for Randy Goodman, Deric entered a record deal with the label. In 2003, he released his debut album, Deric Ruttan.

Songwriting In 2003, just as his first single "When You Come Around," was released, he celebrated his first No. 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, on artists like Gary Allan, Paul Brandt, Doc Walker, Jason Blaine, and The Higgins.

In September 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. He won the CCMA for songwriter of the year once again in 2014 for "Mine Would Be You," recorded by Blake Shelton.

Ruttan has written and co-written songs for prominent country musicians including Dierks Bentley ("What Was I Thinkin'" and "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do"), Aaron Pritchett ("Hold My Beer" and "My Way"), Jason Aldean ("Any Ol' Barstool"), Eric Church ("Guys Like Me" and "Hell on the Heart"),Blake Shelton ("Mine Would Be You" and "Came Here to Forget"), and most recently, Maddie and Tae ("Die From a Broken Heart").

Since 2011, Deric has written for Nashville-based publishing company THiS Music. He renewed his deal with THiS Music in 2016.

As a recording artist It took over four years for Ruttan to follow up his 2003 self-titled release. In 2008 he released his second album, aptly titled First Time in a Long Time, which yielded four hit radio singles at Canadian country radio: the title track, "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me", "California Plates" (co-written with members of Manitoba country band Doc Walker), and "Good Time", a duet with Bentley. (The video for "Good Time" reached No. 1 on CMT Canada's video countdown).

At the 2008 Canadian Country Music Awards, Ruttan earned a total of four nominations – "Male Artist", "Songwriter", "Record Producer", and "Best Album," and closed the show performing alongside The Guess Who/Bachman Turner Overdrive guitar legend Randy Bachman. By the following year, "First Time In A Long Time" had garnered so much radio airplay that it earned Ruttan and co-writer Jimmy Rankin a SOCAN Country Music Award at the 2009 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.

Discography Studio albums Title Details Deric Ruttan Release date: September 9, 2003 Label: Lyric Street Records First Time in a Long Time Release date: April 1, 2008 Label: On Ramp Records Sunshine Release date: January 12, 2010 Label: Black T Records Take the Week Off Release date: October 15, 2013 Label: Black T Records

Live albums Title Details Up All Night – Deric Ruttan Live Release date: September 20, 2011 Label: Black T Records

Singles 2000s Year Single Peak positions Album CAN Country CAN US Country 2003 "When You Come Around" — — 46 Deric Ruttan "Unbeatable" — — — 2004 "I Saved Everything" 16 — — 2005 "Take the Wheel" 10 — — "Shine" 7 — — 2006 "Invisible" 13 — — 2007 "Good Time" 11 — — First Time in a Long Time 2008 "First Time in a Long Time" 10 96 — "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me" 17 — — 2009 "California Plates" 14 — — "Almost Beautiful" 13 — — "Sing That Song Again" 13 — — Sunshine "—" denotes releases that did not chart

2010s Year Single Peak positions Album CAN Country Trey Fanjoy "Unbeatable" 2005 "Take the Wheel" "Love Did" 2007 "Good Time" (with Dierks Bentley) Antonio Hrynchuk 2008 "First Time in a Long Time" "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me" Joel Stewart 2009 "California Plates" 2010 "That's How I Wanna Go Out" Warren P. Sonoda 2011 "Sunshine (Hey Little Girl)" 2012 "Main Street, 1979" Jeth Weinrich "My Kind of Freedom" John Fucile/Lisa Fucile/Deric Ruttan 2013 "Take the Week Off" Margaret Malandruccolo 2014 "Pass It Around" "Good Thing Gone" Paul McGuire

Awards and nominations