John Wesley Ryles (born December 2, 1950 in Bastrop, Louisiana) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1968 with the single "Kay", a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and the title track to his debut album for Columbia Records. Ryles later recorded one album, Reconsider Me, for the Plantation label, which produced a #39 single in its title track. It was followed by two non-album singles, "Tell It Like It Is" and "When a Man Loves a Woman," both on the Music Mill label in 1976. He then moved to ABC Records, releasing three albums for them as well as his highest-peaking single, the #5 "Once in a Lifetime Thing." When that label merged with MCA Records, he issued the album Let the Night Begin there. It included a rendition of "Always on My Mind." Two more singles followed on the Primero label: "We've Got to Start Meeting Like This" and "Just Once," followed by "She Took It Too Well" on 16th Avenue Records in 1984. The last label for which he recorded was Warner Bros. Records between 1987 and 1988. Although he reached Top 20 with "Louisiana Rain" during his stay on Warner, he did not release an album for the label. Since the release of his last single in 1988, Ryles has served primarily as a background vocalist and demo singer.
