By Staff
Ryland Bael may not be a name recognized by many in the Brewton area, but John Boutwell may be.
Boutwell, who formed Boutwell Entertainment LLC, released his new album “Gone Too Long” Tuesday, under the pen name “Ryland Bael.”
The Flomaton native said he has taken an “unorthodox approach” to the music industry.  Rather than waiting to be discovered to get his music to a worldwide audience, Bael said he created his own entertainment company to record and release his original songs. 
The new album, featuring 10 songs written by Bael, is available for purchase at www.rylandbael.com and most major digital distributors including iTunes, amazon.com, rhapsody.com, napster.com, and a new digital distributor dedicated solely to independent artists called digstation.com.
Bael — or Boutwell — is a graduate of Flomaton High School, Jefferson Davis Community College and has earned degrees from the University of Alabama. 
Born in Bay Minette, his roots are in the Boutwell/Lambeth/Knowles community on Upper Creek road just outside the town limits of Flomaton.  
Why choose such a difficult industry after so much education?
Bael said music is his calling.
Upon completion of his graduate work at the university of Alabama in 2003, Bael incorporated and formed Boutwell Entertainment, LLC to operate underneath as an artist.  He released his first album under his legal name in July 2004 titled “John Boutwell:  Remember Me” and toured the Southeast for about two years. 
Bael said he adopted his new pen name for business purposes.
The album “Gone Too Long” is a well-named project reflecting the personal pain, growth and triumph Bael has experienced in his own life. 
Bael said the last few years have been a training ground for him, but there was a time when he came close to losing who he was. 
The album “Ryland Bael:  Gone Too Long”  can be purchased through the artist Web site www.rylandbael.com. 
Fans can also visit the official Ryland Bael Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/rylandbaelofficial or visit the official Ryland Bael Myspace at www.myspace.com/rylandbael.