Wichita musician to know: Rudy Love Jr.

In August of 2015, Rudy Love Jr. had no money, no place to stay, and his van had broken down in New Orleans.

The 28-year-old son of legendary Wichita bluesman Rudy Love was driving from a festival he had played in Athens, Ga., to Los Angeles, where he had worked as a songwriter for years.

He was writing songs using a lone power converter from his van’s cigarette lighter. His old van often overheated.

That spot of bad luck in New Orleans changed his life’s course, and will ultimately result in the release of his first solo album in November.

Love moved back to Wichita on a semi-permanent basis in late 2015 and played with a variety of bands in town – Bad Mother Hubbard, Tony Ngo, Soul-R-System, Jenny Wood and Cassie Jo Craig, among others.

“This place kind of gave me back the need for it – reminding myself that I need to play music and do it with people I love,” Love said.

His forthcoming album, “The Framework,” represents both a new beginning for him “and the culmination of the work I’ve been doing for 10 years,” he said.

Finding himself

For years, Love tried to find work as a songwriter for major artists in Los Angeles.

He was put in songwriting sessions for major-label artists such as Rihanna and Shakira. At times, he worked alongside R&B singer Ne-Yo and considers him a major influence.

“I got to work with some really great producers and really great writers,” he said. “I got to sit and listen to (Ne-Yo) write a song for Shakira. I ended up writing a song as well, but it didn’t get placed – but my competition was Ne-Yo.”

Writing songs for other artists was a way for Love to try to get exposure for his own music, he said.

“It was more focused on, ‘We want you to write for as many artists as you can and build your credentials until you can become an artist,’ ” he said. “I just kind of found that whole process to be a little bit tiring.”

Eventually, Love left Los Angeles, intent on writing what truly inspired him and not what a label wanted him to write.

The hyper-competitive music scene in Los Angeles almost pushed Love to give up on music altogether.

It was the example of his father, he said, that inspired him to press on.

“Through every time he had something stolen and every time that he got knocked down, he was still doing music,” Love said. “He got back up, and he had an amazing career because he never gave up, never quit at it. If anything, by the time I’m his age, if I’m still able to go out and do music and share that, that’s success for me.”

Thus, the framework for “The Framework” was laid.

Love technically moved to Wichita in late 2014 but was often traveling between Los Angeles and Atlanta – where his album was being produced – until late 2015.

High-powered producers worked on “The Framework” – including Patrick Collier and Chris Henderson, who was one of the producers behind Jamie Foxx’s Grammy-winning “Blame It (On the Alcohol).”

On the road again

Now that “The Framework” is almost out – two singles have already been released on iTunes and Spotify – Love is leaving Wichita again.

He will return to Los Angeles in late November to promote himself and his music.

The decision, he said, was not easy.

“The only reason why I can go is because I spent enough time here,” he said. “I’ve just kind of really gotten attached to the (Wichita) scene again, to where it’s the same as when I was here before. Just imagining picking up and leaving all this progress is painful.”

“The Framework” will be released Nov. 11.

In the meantime, you can watch a preview of two songs from the album on Kansas.com/video.