We hope you can join us in the record store on Friday, November 7th at 5:00 PM for an intimate performance and record release celebration honoring the life, music and memory of Luke Bell. November 7th marks the release of Bell’s posthumous album, The King is Back, and we’ve invited friends and admirers of Luke to take the stage at Grimey’s and perform his songs on this special day. Aaron Lee Tasjan, Jaime Wyatt, Joshua Hedley, Riley Downing, Gowa Gibbs and Rachel Baiman will each be playing a song of Luke’s and Carol Bell, Luke’s mother, will be making a special appearance to speak about Luke and to share information about the Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program. We look forward to celebrating Luke’s life through his music and hope you’re able to make it out for this special event. A recently completed Luke Bell The King is Back mural adorns the back of the building, so be sure to snap a pic with it when you’re here for our event. Copies of The King is Back will be available for purchase in the store starting on 11/7. Vinyl and CD are also available for preorder on our webstore now.
As a leader of country-western music, Luke Bell’s time on the throne was short. He released one official album during his lifetime, delivering a mix of honky-tonk shuffles and Bakersfield barnburners in a voice as magnetic as his own personality. He toured briefly, graduating from career-launching gigs in the dive bars of Austin and Nashville to bucket-list shows opening for Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam. And then he disappeared from the public eye to privately wage a war with the mental illness that eventually claimed his life. He was just 32 years old.
Three years after his passing, Luke’s music endures. Nowhere is that more apparent than The King Is Back, a collection of Luke’s studio recordings — most of them previously unreleased — that showcase his full range as a storyteller and songwriter. Tracked between November 2013 and August 2016, these 28 songs capture Luke in his artistic prime, spinning stories about blue-collar workers, heartbroken ramblers, and the personal struggles that bind us together. He’d been raised by a family of writers, and he did his part to uphold the Bell tradition, stocking his songs with characters whose bulletproof exteriors fail to hide the hurt that lurks within. Laced with pedal steel guitar, saloon-style piano, heartland hooks, and plenty of two-stepping’ groove, The King Is Back isn’t just a career retrospective; it’s also a reminder of the timeless catalog that Bell built in three short years, pairing the vintage vibes of golden-era country music with lyrics that tackled the human condition.
Net proceeds from the album will benefit the Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program, honoring his life by supporting mental health access for those in need. Through this release, Bell’s music continues to shine, bringing comfort, awareness, and firmly cementing Luke Bell as a legend in country music.
