Ruarri Joseph

Ruarri Joseph (born 3 January 1982) is a Scottish singer-songwriter.

He toured widely in the UK and made several appearances at music festivals including Glastonbury with the Rhythm Doctors in 2004.

He finished recording an EP in 2006, "All Substance and No Style", and after a number of live performances in London attracted record label interest.

He was signed to Atlantic Records and released his debut album, Tales of Grime and Grit, in mid-2007 on that label.

He signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2007.

Soon after, Joseph released his debut, digital only EP.

Q magazine made its lead track, "Patience", its track of the day in late April.

An 8-track version of his debut album Tales of Grime and Grit was released for download on 3 June 2007.

The album was released on 9 July, preceded by the lead single, "Tales of Grime and Grit", on 2 July.

The second single, a revamp of "Blankets", was released on 24 September.

Recording of the album took place at St Merryn Airfield studios in Cornwall, and was produced by the London-based record producer, Paul Reeve.

On 24 June 2007, Joseph played at the Glastonbury Festival on Stage 1 (left field).

He has also supported a variety of large acts, including Funeral for a Friend, Paulo Nutini, and more recently David Gray.

Joseph is currently continuing his musical career on his own label, Pip Productions, after deciding to leave Atlantic in early 2008.

In mid-February 2008, Joseph announced on his Myspace page that he had opted to leave Atlantic Records, citing differences in opinion for the release of his second studio album, as the main motivation behind the decision.

Joseph's criticism of the attitude fostered by major record labels was vehement, stating that he had been perceived as 'an asset, basically like a car tyre, and if they wanted to, they could melt me down and turn me into condoms!'.

Joseph retreated to his garden shed with an assortment of musical instruments to start the recording of his second album, Both Sides of The Coin.

Each instrument played in the recordings – including guitars, drums, banjo, accordion, and harmonica – was played by Joseph.

Limited space forced Joseph to move them into his shed one instrument at a time.

By the end of the summer of 2008, Both Sides of The Coin was completed.

Ruarri released his second album, Both Sides of The Coin, in February 2009.

It was sold on tour in the winter of 2009, then released widely in February 2009.

Joseph started work on his third studio album in late 2009 and released early demos of potential tracks through his Myspace page.

Joseph began work on his third studio album, Shoulder to the Wheel, later the same year, before releasing it independently in February 2010.

The album had a wider physical and download release in November 2010, after Joseph secured a new management deal.

Shoulder to the Wheel was released in February 2010 through his own independent record label, Pip Productions.

In October of the same year, Joseph secured a management deal with ACP Recordings, who also handle David Gray, Spiritualized, and Damien Rice.

Shoulder to the Wheel was thus allowed a wider download release in November 2010, with 'Orchard for an Apple' being chosen as the lead single.

The album peaked at number 8 on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart, and Joseph has been touring extensively post-release.

A single mix of 'Orchard for an Apple', featuring new backing vocals and instrumentation, was played on BBC Radio 2 by Alex Lester.

In December 2010, the song was added to the BBC Radio 2 Playlist, where it remained for three weeks.

Lester announced that the single was due for release on 3 January 2011, coinciding with Joseph's birthday.

The song has also had airplay on Steve Wright's daytime Radio 2 show.

Joseph embarked on an extensive tour of Shoulder to the Wheel throughout 2011 and early 2012, playing at various venues across the UK including a gig at the Union Chapel, Islington, supporting Foy Vance.

His fourth studio album, Brother, was released in July 2012.

Since 2016 Ruarri has focused his attention on his new, band project, William the Conqueror.

Joseph was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and after spending some of his childhood in New Zealand moved to England in his teens.

After attempting to pursue a career in London, Joseph moved to Newquay, Cornwall after the birth of his first child.

In Cornwall, Joseph continued his career in music and played in a variety of bands such as Eli Bowen and The Rhythm Doctors.

As a solo artist, Joseph played with an acoustic guitar and a piano, occasionally accompanied by a band.