The Failed Pilot That Inspired Luke Grimes to Make His First Song

Luke Grimes is now the face of the CBS series Marshals, thanks to his time on Yellowstone, but the actor once recalled a failed pilot he made. For most artists, they try to forget about the failures and projects that didn’t get finished. But for Grimes, he remembered the television pilot of Outlaw Country not as a failure. Instead, it offered him the opportunity to write his first song. 

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Appearing on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Grimes opened up about his time on the show. “It was kind of amazing. John Linson, the producer, he had Sons of Anarchy and [became] a producer on Yellowstone, he hired me for this pilot. He had this idea for a singer-songwriter, a Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley-type guy, who the way he made money was criminal activity. He was in a gang. That’s why it was called Outlaw Country.”

While the premise seemed like a safe bet for the networks, producers consistently passed on the project. But during the production, Grimes got the chance to showcase his songwriting abilities. “They let me write and record the songs for it. I was in bands all through acting school in L.A., I was always in bands, played drums and wrote with the band. but that was the first time I wrote a song that I cut or was for anything.”

[RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Star Luke Grimes Reveals Major Career News]

The Connection Between Riley Green, Luke Grimes, And Ella Langley

As for the two songs he wrote, Grimes revealed them to be titled “Wild Grass” and “Reckless Road.” Considering them extremely “outlaw country”, the actor insisted, “It’s not bad for a first foray.”

Although his first “foray” into music, it wasn’t his last as he recently released his newest studio album with Red Bird. Featuring songs like “Come Home,” “Haunted,” and “Without You,” the actor was a master of time as he also helmed Marshals, which included a cameo from country music star Riley Green. 

Besides sharing the screen together, Green and Grimes had another connection – Ella Langley. Most fans easily remember “You Look Like You Love Me” dominating the charts and social media when released. But when Langley filmed the music video for “Choosin’ Texas”, look closely, and you will see none other than Grimes.

 Looking back, the failed Outlaw Country pilot ended up doing far more for Grimes than simply expanding his résumé. It became the unexpected launching point for his music career. 

(Photo by River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images)