Luke Grimes Rides High at Railbird Festival 2025

Luke Grimes ambled onto the Burl stage at Railbird Festival in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 1, 2025, with a cowboy’s quiet swagger. Born on January 21, 1984, in Dayton, Ohio, Grimes has traded Hollywood lights for a guitar, his weathered voice carrying the weight of wide-open plains. Known for playing Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone, he proved at Railbird he’s more than an actor moonlighting as a musician. His set, under the Kentucky dusk, turned the Red Mile infield into a dusty trail, fans hanging on his every word.

Career and Band Affiliations

Grimes’ music career kicked off with his 2023 debut EP, Pain Pills or Pews, followed by his 2024 self-titled album, Luke Grimes. He performs with a tight band, including guitarist Cole Harris and drummer Ethan McConnell, though his gritty vocals and introspective lyrics steal the show. He’s toured with Midland and collaborated with Ryan Bingham, a Yellowstone co-star, on a 2024 single, “No Horse to Ride.” His acting resume is robust, with roles in American Sniper (2014), Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), and Yellowstone (2018–present). In 2025, he earned a CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year, a nod to his growing country music cred. His songs, steeped in Americana, echo Chris Stapleton’s rawness.

Biggest Songs

• “No Horse to Ride” – Written by Luke Grimes and Jessi Alexander, a brooding ballad of longing.
• “Hold On” – Penned by Grimes and Aaron Raitiere, a soulful plea with streaming success.
• “Burn” – Co-written with Ryan Bingham, a fiery track of heartbreak and resolve.

Railbird Performance

Grimes opened with “No Horse to Ride,” his voice low and haunting, pulling the crowd into his world. He shifted to “Hold On,” the band’s steel guitar weaving through the humid air as fans swayed. His delivery on “Burn” was raw, sparking cheers from cowboy-hat-wearing diehards. However, a brief mic cutout during “Playin’ on the Tracks” threw the rhythm, but Grimes grinned, saying, “Kentucky’s testin’ me tonight,” winning laughs. He covered Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” his baritone channeling the Man in Black, then slowed things down with “Oh Ohio,” a nod to his roots. For 65 minutes, his set was a journey—gritty, honest, and unpretentious—closing with “Black Powder” to a roaring ovation.

Controversies and Connections

Grimes has dodged major scandals, his transition from actor to musician drawing more curiosity than controversy. Some country purists questioned his authenticity in a 2023 X thread, calling him “a TV star playing cowboy,” but his earnest performances have quieted most critics. His marriage to Bianca Rodrigues since 2018 has stayed out of the headlines, with no public romantic drama. His friendship with Ryan Bingham, forged on Yellowstone, led to their collaboration, though some fans speculated tension when Bingham skipped a joint tour in 2024—unsubstantiated rumors. At Railbird, Grimes dedicated “Hold On” to “anyone starting over,” a nod to his own leap into music, connecting deeply with the crowd.

Final Notes

His performance was a reminder that authenticity trumps pedigree, his songs resonating like campfire stories. Photos of him, guitar slung low, with fans singing in the foreground, are elsewhere on this site, as well as many Yellowstone alumni, capturing a set that felt like a homecoming for a man still finding his place in country music.

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