Xavier Rudd is an Australian singer, songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 and multi-instrumentalist

Multi-instrumentalist

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...

. He was born in 1978 and grew up in Torquay, Victoria

Torquay, Victoria

Torquay is a township in Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km. south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point Danger and Zeally Bay...

. He attended St. Joseph's College, Geelong

St. Joseph's College, Geelong

St Joseph's College, sometimes referred to colloquially as Joeys or SJC, is a Roman Catholic Independent school for boys located in the inner Geelong suburb of Newtown...

.

He has developed a strong reputation for playing live performances at musical festivals and concerts in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

  North America and throughout Europe. His following is particularly strong in Australia and in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, where he has recorded several albums.

Many of Rudd's songs incorporate socially conscious themes, such as environmentalism and the rights of Aboriginal peoples

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

. In addition to playing the yidaki in many of his songs, he has also included both Australian and Canadian Aboriginal vocals in some of his songs.

Live performances

Rudd has become a fixture at music festivals worldwide including the Bonnaroo Music Festival

Bonnaroo Music Festival

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...

, the High Sierra

High Sierra Music Festival

High Sierra Music Festival is a multi-day music festival held in Quincy, California, a mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada.The festival is held each year the weekend of July 4...

 (2004 & 2007) and the Wakarusa

Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival

Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is a four-day music festival held in early June at Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, Arkansas. The festival has been held annually since 2004....

 (2005), moe.down (2003), Summer Sonic, Lowlands, Rock Werchter among others. He has performed on tour with Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (musician)

Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...

, Dave Matthews, Ben Harper Good Old War

Good Old War

Good Old War is an indie band from Philadelphia, PA featuring former members of Days Away.-Biography:Good Old War is made up of Keith Goodwin, Daniel Schwartz, and Tim Arnold. The band's name comes from the last names of the three members; Goodwin for Good, Arnold for Old, and Schwartz for War...

, G. Love & Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce is an alternative hip-hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are known for their unique, "sloppy", and "laid back" blues sound that encompasses classic R&B. The band features Garrett Dutton, better known as G...

 and Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rodrigo y Gabriela , also known as "El Rodri y La Gabi", are a Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars...

.

Personal life

Xavier has two sons, Joaquin and Finojet.
Rudd is managed by Christi Thompson, Thompson Artist Management, which is based in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

.

Rudd is a vegetarian, and was awarded PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...

's annual "World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity" award for 2007. Xavier has also received Paul Watson Sea Shepherds Rock the Boat award.

Studio albums

• 2002: To Let
• 2004: Solace
• 2005: Food in the Belly
  Food in the Belly
  -External links:* * *...
  
  
• 2007: White Moth
  White Moth
  -Description of Music:The official Xavier Rudd online store had this to say about the album:...
  
  
• 2008: Dark Shades of Blue
  Dark Shades of Blue
  - Personnel :*Joe Barresi – Mixing*Carmel Echols – Choir, Chorus*Rob Giles – Choir, Chorus*Jimmy Hoyson – Engineer, Vocal Engineer*Clydene Jackson – Choir, Chorus*James Looker – Engineer, Production Assistant, Photography, Instrument Technician...
  
  
• 2010: Koonyum Sun
  Koonyum Sun
  -Musical style:Koonyum Sun shows Rudd returning to the Blues and roots feel of White Moth. The album is credited to the trio of Xavier Rudd and Izintaba...
  
  (with Izintaba)

Live albums

• Live in Canada - Independent (2001)
• Live at the Grid
  Live At The Grid
  Live at the Grid is a recording of a performance by Australian musician, Xavier Rudd, on 12 October 2002 in BC, Canada. Xavier describes the album "a last minute thing; my good friend Milo asked me if I could play at the opening of his new studio, The Grid. The evening was wicked, a small room...
  
  - Independent (2003)
• Good Spirit
  Good Spirit
  Good Spirit is the fifth album and the third live album from Australian roots musician Xavier Rudd. It was released in Australia on 11 April 2005....
  
  - Independent (April 11, 2005)
• Live Bonnaroo 2005
• Live Bonnaroo 2007

External links

• Xavier Rudd web site
• Live Recordings on archive.org
• Xavier Rudd at Myspace
• http://guitarinternational.com/wpmu/2010/04/17/rudd/ Guitar International; Interview with Xavier Rudd