Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weil, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Michel Legrand, Jacques Brel, Pete Seeger, Carole King, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Ray Davies, Marvin Gaye, Burt Bacharach, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Nick Drake, Townes Van Zandt, Cat Stevens, John Martyn, Jeff Buckley, and any other good writer before, since and still to come
Born in London, I've been a full time songwriter most of my waking life and also in many of my dreams. I signed a publishing deal with Eaton Music in 1994. I've done stints as a journalist, travelling to Europe, the far east and the US. Moved to Paris in 2001 and lived there five years. Since fall 2006 I've been based in the US, first on the west coast and lately on the east. I play 100-150 live shows a year. In 2008 alone I covered more than 15,000 miles, with gigs in almost every state. People have been nice or I've been lucky, and I've received over twelve songwriting awards (see list below). I've made two CDs since coming to the States, 'Coast To Coast' and 'Dear Life'. They've both had good reviews. If you'd like to read some of the reviews they're on my blog. I've also had pretty consistent radio play and been on TV a few times too. I'm glad to be here. So is my music.
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DISCOGRAPHY
"Blue Afternoons" (Written for Jazz singer Liz Fletcher)
Mainstem 2002
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"Sweet Or Bitter Wine"
Mainstem 2005
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"Coast To Coast"
Bitemusic Limited 2007
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"Dear Life"
Bitemusic Limited 2008
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SONGWRITING AWARDS
February 2007 Songwriter Universe: Song Of The Month for 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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March 2007 International Singer/Songwriter Awards: Honorable Mention for 'On The Road To Santa Fe' ('Coast To Coast') and 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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July 2007 11th Unisong Song Contest: (Acoustic Category) Top 20 Finalist for 'After The Rains', and (Jazz Category) Top 20 Finalist for 'Come In Come Out (Of The Rain)' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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September 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Competition: (Folk Category) Honorable Mention for 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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October 2007 North Carolina Songwriting Contest: Second Prize for 'After The Rains' and 'Prisoner Of The Open Road' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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October 2007 Britsound Radio: Album Of The Month for CD 'Coast To Coast' (Bitemusic Limited)
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November 2007 Midatlantic Song Contest: Gold Prize (Folk Category) and Second Prize overall for 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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January 2008 Britsound Radio: TOP 10 Album of 2007 for CD 'Coast To Coast' (Bitemusic Limited)
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May 2008 Wildflower Song Contest: Top 10 Finalist for 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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September 2008 Great Lakes Song Contest: Top 20 Finalist for 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')
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October 2008 Independent Singer/Songwriter Awards: Honorable Mention for 'Elegy For The Coming Man' ('Dear Life')
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December 2008 North Carolina Songwriting Contest: Honorable Mention for 'I Dream' and 'Blackness Of The Night' ('Dear Life')****************************************************************
January 2009 Mike Pinders SONGWARS: Top prize in the Folk/Acoustic Category for 'After The Rains' ('Sweet Or Bitter Wine')****************************************************************
February 2009 Mike Pindars BANDWARS: Finalist for 'Elegy For The Coming Man' ('Dear Life')
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March 2009 Indie Acoustic Project: One of 3 Top Finalists in 'Best Lyrics' Category for album 'Dear Life' (Bitemusic Limited)
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September 2009 UK Songwriting Contest: Semi finalist in the Adult Contemporary Category for 'I Will Follow' and 'Reach Out'
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REVIEWS
"Truly gripping lyrics with great themes and troubling witty messages. An inspirational artist" (Leith Radio 98.8FM)****************************************************************
"To describe Rupert Wates as a singer/songwriter does not do him justice. You feel, not just hear his music and lyrics. He is an experience. He finished his set with 'I Dream', a song reminiscent of Jacques Brel's work, to a standing ovation" (Eileen Batson, North Carolina Songwriter's Co-op)****************************************************************
"Each song yanks the listener fully into the story and rhythms, not to mention an emotionality imbuing Wates' plaintively melodic voice. Every cut's a gem, completely enthralling, absorbing, and thus we have a new and unique songwriter/musician already in the fronk rank by dint of...timeless work. Trust me, Rupert Wates is an exceedingly rare talent" (Mark Tucker, Folk And Acoustic Music Exchange)****************************************************************
('Dear Life' is) "One of the best CDs of 2008" (Jon Sirkis, Indie Acoustic Project)
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"...Like a clearer and more theatrical Gordon Lightfoot...A true tunesmith" (Robert Francos, www.jerseybeat.com)****************************************************************
"I first met Rupert Wates when he performed at a small coffee shop in Chicago in July 2008. His performance floored me...Rupert gave a coliseum-quality performance. Sounding like a one-man Moody Blues unplugged, he is truly a musician that deserves to be heard" (T. Mannis, http://rogersparkbench.blogspot.com)
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"A delight to listen to...These are songs crafted with care and imbued with sincerity and conviction. ('Coast To Coast' is) An album to be savored, not rushed" (Rob Quicke, Britsound Radio)
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"A singer who makes you think while he entertains...Rupert Wates manages that tricky tightrope with great skill" (Chris Kocher, pressconnects.com)
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(FOR MORE REVIEWS see my BLOG)
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RADIO SHOWS
Live interviews and performances for Britsound Radio, NJ (November 2007); WPSC, Wayne, NJ (December 2007); WXAV, Chicago, IL (July 2008); KOTO, Telluride, CO (July 2008); KPSU, Portland OR (August 2008); Britsound Radio, Wayne NJ (March 2009); WRPI, Troy NY (June 2009) Leith FM, Edinburgh Scotland (August 2009)
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Live TV Appearances:
Bart Hawley TV Show, Jackson, MI (September 2008)
SACC TV, Schenectady NY (April 2009)
SACC TV, Schenectady NY (June 2009)
ABC TV, Mount Pleasant SC (September 2009)
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RADIO PLAY 2009: Danny Watson Folk Show, 2MAX FM New South Wales Australia; Radio Upper Galilee 105.3FM Israel; Mojo Alt, 94.1 FM Radio 2, Skopje Macedonia; Radio Zusa, FM 95.5, Lueneberg, Germany; Britsound Radio, WPSC 88.7FM, Wayne NJ; CJLX, FM 92.3, Ontario, Canada; Barely Darker Than Air, WHUS Storrs CT
(For more radio play see blog)
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'Dear Life' and 'Coast To Coast' available at www.rupertwates.com and at www.cdbaby.com/cd/rupertwates
'Sweet Or Bitter Wine' available at www.rupertwates.com
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4North Carolina Song Contest
We are very excited about playing at such an awesome jazz club. We have some great sets lined up for you, so don't miss it. Friday and Saturday November 20th and 21st, 5:00-8:30p at Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago
Aaron Koppel -Guitar, Matt Nelson; (Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos) -Keyboard, Graham Czach; (Chicago Afrobeat Project) -bass, Robert Tucker (Matthew Santos) -drums
Hope you can make it down to Megastar this Wednesday! $2 drafts tons of
fun and a chance to vote the finalists through to sing at The Big E!!!http://nemegastar.com
HELLO RUPERT UR GIG SCHEDULE LOOKS VERY GOOD-CONGRATS!... my New CD "Breaking Skin/Rompiendo el Cuero" is now available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/congajohnny and at Descarga.com(see review)..Thank you all in advance for purchasing my music!..Volcano Percussion Artist-"JC" JOHNNY CONGA
Hi Rupert, Thanks for finding us. Your music is beautiful....Our guitarist Mark is originally from Manchester so we too are representing the UK. Maybe we'll see you this Thursday at Cornelia or some other time. Best, The Overnight Crossing
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