Justin Utley

Justin Utley

Runaway Promo Pic
Background information
Birth name Justin Utley
Origin Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Genres Rock, acoustic rock, folk, alt country
Occupation(s) Singer, Songwriter
Years active 1996 - present
Labels Kolob Records NYC
Website http://www.JustinUtley.com

Justin Utley is an American rock singer and songwriter.

Biography

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Justin Utley began his career as a Mormon-Contemporary singer/songwriter, touring throughout the west United States to mostly religious and faith-based audiences during the late-1990s. In 2002, he was a featured performer at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics,[1] and earned numerous awards during his time in Utah, including “Best Singer and Songwriter” by Salt Lake City Weekly and "Best New Artist" by Indie Review Monthly. The Utah native also composed and performed the theme song to the Emmy Award-winning PBS movie "The Shadow of Light", as well as other independent films.

Utley released his first-ever nationally distributed album Runaway on Kolob Records in November 2005 and a remix EP entitled Hold You + Remixes was released in April 2006, which included a live version of the title track recorded at the Javitz Center in New York City. After publicly breaking ties with the LDS Church and sending his own "self-excommunication letter", Justin became a noted activist and advocate for civil rights and LGBT equality in the United States, and an outspoken personality against the LDS church's use of conversion therapy, a method Utley endured for two years after serving a two-year full-time mission for the church. In June 2010, Utley released Stand for Something – a single written to inspire and motivate to take action towards securing LGBT equality in America, ending youth homelessness, and increasing community awareness. The single was nominated by the LGBT Academy Of Recording Arts for 4 OutMusic Awards, including Best Songwriter and Artist of the Year, winning Best Country/Folk Song of the Year. Another version of the single was released in October 2010 which included two additional live tracks and an acoustic version of songs from the album 'Runaway'.

Theatrically, his credits include a seven-month Utah regional run as “Joseph” in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2001–2002) and as leading man "Radames" in the Utah premiere of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Broadway hit Aida (2005). Later, he would leave his Mormon-inherited religion behind, relocate to Manhattan and debut in the New York City theater scene as “Tommy Dautry” in the musical Our Country (2009). The show garnered the Best Musical, and Justin as Best Actor awards for the Planet Connections Theater Festivity. The show went on to be featured in the New York Musical Theater Festival in the summer of 2010.

Justin’s next full-length album, Nothing This Real, was released November 11, 2011 to critical acclaim.

Utley in 2013

Justin has been a friend of Ronnie Kerr for many years, and in 2012 was contacted by Ronnie to ask to use some of his music in his latest film, as he had used his music on a previous film. But later Justin flew to LA and over a weekend, also acted in the movie 'Saltwater'.[2]

Discography

Date Title Comments
1994 Almost August EP w/Almost August (Self-Titled)
1996 Simplicity Album
2000 Six Songs Plus One EP
2002 Shadow Of Light Motion Picture Soundtrack Theme song
2003 Day Of Defense Motion Picture Soundtrack Featured performer
2005 Runaway Album
2006 Hold You + Remixes EP
2010 Stand For Something Single
2010 Stand For Something EP/Extended Single
2011 Nothing This Real Album

References

  1. Washington Week Events Olympics.Retrieved July 4, 2007
  2. Wilson, Drew (6 June 2012). "Saltwater: The Justin Utley Interview". www.milehighgayguy.com. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

External links