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‘Yellowstone’ Star, Ryan Bingham, Drops Soulful New Love Song “Blue Skies”
Ryan Bingham is perpetually one of of the most underrated acts in country music.
A New Mexico-born, Texas-raised cowboy at heart, Bingham 2007 debut, Mescalito, has become a cult favorite among loyal country fans, but 2009 was his real breakout year. Bingham worked with Grammy-winning producer, T Bone Burnett, on the soundtrack for a Jeff Bridges movie, Crazy Heart, which delivered us the film’s award-winning theme song, “The Weary Kind.” The song earned Bingham an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics’ Choice Award for “Best Song” in 2010, as well as a Grammy Award for “Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media” in 2011… quite the roundup of critical acclaim.
Of course, the casual country fan would now know him as Walker on the popular Taylor Sheridan show Yellowstone.
But for the first time in 7 years, Bingham is back with a brand new full-length, studio album, They Call Us The Lucky Ones, which will be out on May 15th. His most recent project, 2023’s Watch Out for the Wolf, was a 7-song creative departure from his usual sound. Not a concept record per se, but the album was an unplanned project that was birthed out of a mushroom trip in a cabin in the Montana wilderness, and then written and recorded right there.
Bingham married his Yellowstone co-star Hassie Harrison in October of 2023, and he explained that this was “the most fun” he’s ever had making an album, and I have to imagine that has an awful lot to do with how happy he is in his personal life:
“This album was probably the most fun I’ve had making a record. I’ve always loved records that feel loose and live and gritty with a bit of soul, where the imperfections from the moment are left in.
Working with musicians as talented as The Texas Gentlemen really let us lean into that in a way I hadn’t experienced before. There was an unspoken understanding between us about what each song needed, so we tracked most of it live with minimal overdubs, just playing and letting the feel lead. It finally felt like I was capturing these songs the way I always heard them in my head. We can’t wait to get out on the road and share them with fans.”
This week, Bingham released another song from the album titled, “Blue Skies.”
The new music video features footage from the Jeff Nichols-directed short film, Love Letter to Texas, which debuted at SXSW this year. The film stars Bingham alongside talented actor Michael Shannon, and Bingham’s wife and Yellowstone co-star, Hassie Harrison, with narration from Sissy Spacek.
Check it out:
In addition to Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, Ryan Ake (guitars), Daniel Creamer (piano, organ), Paul Grass (drums, percussion) and Scott Lee (bass), the record also features Richard Bowden (fiddle, mandolin) and Cody Huggins (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel).
The Call Us The Lucky Ones Tracklist
1. The Lucky Ones
2. Let The Big Dog Eat
3. I Got A Feelin’
4. Twist The Knife
5. Americana
6. Cocaine Charlie
7. Blue Skies
8. Relevance
9. Ballad of The Texas Gentlemen
10. I’m A Goin’ Nowhere
Ryan Bingham Tour Dates
April 24—Austin, TX—Mack, Jack and McConaughey: Jack Ingram & Friends
May 22—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE
May 23—Columbus, OH—KEMBA Live!
May 24—Cleveland, OH—The Agora
May 26—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
May 27—Royal Oak, MI—Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 29—Buffalo, NY—Artpark Mainstage Theater
May 30—Kingston, NY—Ulster Performing Arts Center
June 1—South Deerfield, MA—Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company
June 2—Portland, ME—State Theatre
June 3—Boston, MA—Roadrunner
June 5—Port Chester, NY—The Capitol Theatre
June 6—New Haven, CT—Toad’s Place
June 7—Montclair, NJ—The Wellmont Theater
June 9—New York, NY—Irving Plaza
June 10—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore
June 12—Richmond, VA—The National
June 13—Washington, D.C.—Lincoln Theatre
June 14—Norfolk, VA—The Norva
June 16—Chattanooga, TN—The Signal
June 18—Fayetteville, AR—Ozark Music Hall
June 19—Dallas, TX—Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater
July 11—Alta, WY—Grand Targhee Resort
July 18—Whitefish, MT—Under the Big Sky FestivalThe post ‘Yellowstone’ Star, Ryan Bingham, Drops Soulful New Love Song “Blue Skies” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.