Yellowstone star and budding country musician, Luke Grimes, met up with Apple Music Country and collaborator Dave Cobb, to talk about his highly interpersonal and nuanced relationship with music, songwriting, and how his upbringing ties into all of it.
Videos by American Songwriter
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Grimes was the son of a pastor and was often not allowed to listen to anything other than gospel music in the household. He further discussed his upbringing with Apple Music Country’s Southern Accents Radio.
“When we would go hunting once a year, my dad sort of had this kind of playlist of old outlaw country stuff that he would play,” Grimes shared with Southern Accents Radio host Cobb. Of the 20 or so songs present on that playlist, Grimes says the most ingrained pieces within his musical psyche are Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” and Waylon Jennings’ “Lukenbach, Texas.”
With those influences in mind, Grimes decided to slightly digress from his acting career in hopes of writing songs like the ones that outlined and colored his childhood. Grimes released his debut single, No Horse To Ride, in December 2022.
Though in response to what Grimes seemingly views as a type of whimsical dream, he divulged to Cobb that he was hesitant to release the music into the world. “Because I came from another world entirely and, and was an actor for a long time and I mean, still am but you know, I, of course there’s this feeling of like, are people going to [say], ‘Is this cheesy, is this goofy?'” Grimes confessed. “A lot of imposter syndrome.”
Despite this fear of seeming unauthentic or as just another actor trying to become a musician, Grimes stuck true to himself making the music that he both loved and knew how to make. “I had to be like, ‘Am I gonna let that debilitate me from doing this thing that I really want to try?’ And if I have an opportunity and I don’t take it, I’ll really kick myself one day, you know?” he continued.
“It was a crazy feeling and I was very prepared to be judged or people think it was kind of a strange thing that I was doing, but you know, I’ve just tried to sort of approach it as kind of honestly as possible,” Grimes disclosed.
Listen to Grimes discuss music and songwriting on Apple Music HERE.
(Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
