Featuring Tenille Townes, Lindsay Ell, James Barker, Kelly Archer, and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pmMwGiRmls

The 2021 CCMA Songwriters Sessions celebrates the crafting of original songs, the stories behind the lyrics, and indulging viewers with both new and familiar faces along the process. From Canada’s most iconic country songs to today’s biggest hits, from up-and-coming artists to the faces that you know and love, the CCMA Songwriters Sessions has something for everyone!

This series features CCMA Award winners 

Tenille Townes https://tenilletownes.com

Lindsay Ell https://www.lindsayell.com  

James Barker of James Barker Band https://www.jamesbarkerband.com, and songwriter 

Kelly Archer https://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/about-kelly-archer

PLUS, upcoming Sessions will include The Reklaws https://www.thereklaws.com

 Meghan Patrick https://www.meghanpatrickmusic.com

GriffenPalmer https://www.facebook.com/griffenpalmermusic, 

and

the legend himself, and a dear lifelong friend of mine, Deric Ruttan https://twitter.com/DericRuttan

So proud to share deets on my childhood friend Deric Ruttan who is included in this round. I am usually at the CCMA Awards and Songwriters sessions while they are hosted in Ontario (2016-2018) and 2021 would have made my 3rd approval to attend the festivities with camera in hand, but with my spinal fracture, I could not attend this year. I love all the artists here in this 2021 CCMA Songwriter Sessions, but, I would like to feature my dear childhood friend Deric Ruttan for a moment, as his success is personal to my heart and so excited for his successes and future endeavours musically. JOB WELL DONE!!!

Deric Ruttan’s hit he wrote for Blake Shelton, Mine Would Be You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9wQ7iblBsA&list=PLTKDK8WVNTr7C1REXtMfS4sBZSkibTxU0&index=4

Deric’s most personal song he has ever written, about his hometown of Bracebridge Ontario, called Main Street 1979. Brings tears every time I close my eyes and listen to his voice, as this was my community too, and I flashback to our time in the Muskoka Youth Choir together and our BMLSS Bracebridge Muskoka Secondary School days, great memories, so proud of you Deric and your awesome success my friend. <3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V1SeASomxg&list=PLTKDK8WVNTr7C1REXtMfS4sBZSkibTxU0&index=5

Deric J. Ruttan is a Grammy-nominated, Nashville-based singer/songwriter and a Canadian country music artist.  The writer of multiple #1 country songs,

Deric was born January 27, 1972 and he is a Canadian COUNTRY music singer, songwriter, and record producer who was raised just outside Bracebridge, Ontario, on land where his great grandfather made moonshine in the 1930’s.  It was the perfect backdrop for the singer/songwriter, who grew up listening to everything from CCR to Gordon Lightfoot to Johnny Cash.  

After touring with several country bar bands, 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.

2003, just as his first single “When You Come Around,” was released, he celebrated his first No. 1 as a songwriter when a 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. Deric’s unique outlook and delivery attracted the attention and praise of songwriters Don Schlitz, Steve Earle, and Steve Bogard.  Deric has had over 70 songs recorded by other artists, including cuts by Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Justin Moore and David Nail to name a few.  Bentley’s chart-toppers “What Was I Thinkin’”, (Billboard #1), and “Lot Of Leavin’ Left To Do” (Radio & Records #2) are Ruttan co-writes, as are the Eric Church hits,  “Guys Like Me” and “Hell On The Heart” (Mediabase #8).  Since signing with THiS Music/Warner Chappell, Deric’s songwriting star has continued to rise.  

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 and with this hit, Deric also received a Grammy nomination.

It took over four to 5 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.

In January 2010, with “Sunshine,” Deric began releasing albums on his own independent label, Black T Records. He captured live audio on Sunshine’s supporting tour to create 2011’s live album, “Up All Night – Deric Ruttan Live.” He released his most recent album, “Take the Week Off,” in October 2013.

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

“It wasn’t just that writing songs for other artists was taking time away from me writing my next record”, says Ruttan. “It was that suddenly I was known as a guy who’d written radio hits for other acts – the bar had been raised for me, creatively, because of that. I felt the next record I made needed to be really, really good.”

In November 2013, he celebrated a multi-week #1 song when “Mine Would Be You”, recorded by country superstar and The Voice judge Blake Shelton, was a three-week number one (Billboard) for the artist.  “Mine Would Be You” was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song, and an ACM Award for Song Of The Year.

 In June 2016 Deric celebrated his second Blake Shelton #1 hit with the introspective “Came Here To Forget”.  

In July 2016, MCA Nashville’s David Nail took the Ruttan summer anthem “Night’s On Fire” to #10 on the Mediabase chart.

In April of 2017 Deric celebrated his 4th #1 country single when Jason Aldean took his song “Any Ol’ Barstool” to the top of both the Billboard and Mediabase country charts.  

An ASCAP (8x), SOCAN (10x), CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) (2x), and CMAO (Country Music Association Of Ontario) (5x) award winner, Deric has headlined 4 of his own coast-to-coast tours in Canada, where he has had 11 Top 10 singles as an artist, and 2 #1 videos on CMT.  

He is currently in the studio recording music for a new EP, to be released on his own independent label, Black T Records.  He lives just outside Nashville, TN with his wife Margaret, where he has found success as an artist on Canadian country radio, and he continues to balance touring to support his albums with songwriting at home. “Considering I haven’t lived there in over 20 years, I feel really embraced by Canada.”

Much continued success Deric, xoxo