Luke Grimes has a confession: a TV pilot nobody ever saw was the spark that ignited his entire music career.
The Yellowstone and Marshals star opened up to Rolling Stone about how a scrapped show called Outlaw Country gave him his first real shot at recording an original song—and it's a story as wild as the character he played.
Grimes was cast in the pilot by producer John Linson (a Sons of Anarchy legend who later worked on Yellowstone) to play a Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley-type singer-songwriter. His character made his real money through criminal activity. He was in a gang. Hence: Outlaw Country.
"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," Grimes explained. "That's why it was called Outlaw Country."
The pilot filmed in Nashville roughly 15 years ago. Producers let Grimes write and record original songs for the production. Two tracks emerged: "Wild Grass" and "Reckless Road."
"Which sounds very outlaw country," Grimes noted with a laugh. "It's not bad for a first foray."
While Outlaw Country never made it to series, it opened a door that's stayed wide open ever since. The Ohio native—now a Montana resident—has since released his self-titled debut in 2024 and the critically acclaimed album Red Bird this spring, both helmed by Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb.
Before that pilot, Grimes had been playing in bands throughout acting school in L.A. and beyond. But recording "Wild Grass" and "Reckless Road" for Outlaw Country marked the first time he'd written a song that actually made it onto tape.
Sometimes the best career breaks are the ones that never air.
