Luke Grimes, who plays former Navy Seal Kayce Dutton on the Paramount series Yellowstone, has teased his first official single “No Horse to Ride,” out Dec. 16, off his forthcoming debut album.
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Co-written with Jonathan Singleton and Tony Lane, Grimes, who recently signed with Universal Music Group Nashville on Dec. 13, shared a portion of the song on his Instagram page.
In addition to acting, Grimes has always wanted to return to making music. Earlier in 2022, the actor said he was planning a songwriting trip to Nashville and had already penned some songs.
An Ohio native, Grimes grew up playing music in church and was influenced early on by everyone from Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and more current artists, including the late Townes Van Zandt, Paul Cauthen, Colter Wall (who had three songs featured in season four), and Ruston Kelly.
The musician later played drums for the Los Angeles-based alt-country band Mitchells Folly, who released their debut album, Whirlwind, in 2008. He is also credited as a writer on the Jesse Cole song “Reckless Road,” which was written for the 2012 pilot episode of a show called Outlaw Country.
“It was around that time when the alt-country thing was really going on,” said Grimes of his earlier musical career. “Wilco and Ryan Adams were really big then and we were kind of like that. I played guitar too and helped write songs for the band, so I got to be more than just the drummer. It was a cool experience.”
Grimes later pushed music aside to pursue acting, starring in films American Sniper and The Magnificent Seven prior to Yellowstone in 2018, in which he stars alongside Kevin Costner, the patriarch of the ranch family, John Dutton.
In 2020, Costner, who sings in his country band Kevin Costner & Modern West, also wrote and recorded 16 songs for his album Tales From Yellowstone. Several of the tracks were featured in the third season of the series.
Lainey Wilson recently debuted her song “Smell Like Smoke,” off her latest album, Bell Bottom Country, on season five of Yellowstone.
Prior to signing with Universal in December, Grimes spent several months in Nashville writing with Jonathan Singleton, Randy Montana, Brent Cobb, Jamey Johnson, Love Junkies, Josh Osborne, Tony Lane, Jessie Alexander, and Jon Randall and is currently working with producer Dave Cobb on his debut album.
“As an actor, Luke Grimes has effortlessly brought the cowboy lifestyle to the forefront of American culture,” said Cindy Mabe, president, Universal Music Group Nashville, in a statement. “As a country music artist, Luke has tapped into that same honesty and authenticity to capture a raw grit and pure depth of artistry that will expand the sound and reach of country music.”
Main Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Network
