Rupert Wates was born in London and studied at Oxford University. In the late 90's, he signed a publishing deal with Eaton Music and worked for several years as their house songwriter. He moved to Paris in 2001, formed his own quartet and performed regularly in the city's clubs. He came to the US in fall 2006. Since then he has received more than thirty songwriting and performing awards. He has also recorded and released 8 CDs; all have received outstanding reviews in the online press and have been played on radio stations in America, Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Israel and Australia.

In addition to writing and recording, Wates plays over 120 live shows a year in venues all over America, in Canada and in Europe, and has appeared regularly on radio and TV. He prefers smaller, more intimate spaces, where the audience is up close and personal, where true musicianship counts, and where real emotion can't be faked.