Luke Grimes was a seasoned actor before he released his debut country single, “No Horse to Ride” in 2022. That doesn’t mean that the Yellowstone star was new to music when he released the single. In fact, music has been part of his life since he was a child. However, he didn’t lean heavily into it until last year. In a recent interview, Grimes talked about his hometown and how being on the set with Ryan Bingham inspired him musically.
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Grimes appeared on the most recent episode of Taste of Country Nights. While there, he spoke to host Evan Paul about a long list of topics including his hometown, how he got his start as a musician, and the impact of hanging out with Bingham on the set of the hit television show Yellowstone.
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Luke Grimes Has a Love/Hate Relationship with His Hometown
Back in October, Grimes released his debut EP, Pain Pills or Pews. The title is a reflection of what he felt were the only options in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. The city once had incredibly high overdose rates and was a major hotspot in the opioid epidemic that kills hundreds of people every day in the United States. At the same time, he is the son of a pastor.
In relation to the song “Oh, Ohio,” Paul asked Grimes if he had “mixed feelings” about his hometown. “Yeah,” Grimes replied. “I left Ohio. Clearly, I thought maybe there was more out there. I think that song—I always kind of equate it to a breakup song with your home where it’s not necessarily happy. Not everything about leaving home is happy,” he added. “It’s really hard.”
[Get Tickets to See Luke Grimes Live via StubHub]
“I also want it to come across that there is a lot of love for that place. I’m so happy to have grown up there,” he said. “Especially all the people, all the friends, all the family. I hope the song feels like a love song, but it’s melancholy in the way that it didn’t quite work out,” he continued.
Grimes went on to say that he goes back to his hometown every year for Thanksgiving and deer hunting with his family.
The Impact of Ryan Bingham
Paul also asked Grimes if Bingham or Lainey Wilson gave Grimes any musical advice on the set of Yellowstone. “I didn’t get to spend as much time with Lainey as I would have liked to,” Grimes said. “Ryan is just a great guy. I love being around him. He’s just got the best energy, the best spirit, and if I’ve learned anything from him musically, it’s just by watching him do what he does.”
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