New Luke Bell Song Released Ahead of New 28-Song Album

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photo: Laura E. Partain


The King is Back, and in a very big way.

Wyoming native and independent country artist Luke Bell was an enigma in life, became a cult legend upon his death, and despite his scant output, has become an influential artist as his legend has only grown in the music world he left behind.

Shortly after releasing his landmark self-titled album in 2016, the question on the minds of many Luke Bell fans was “Where Ya Been?” Once one of the most promising prospects in country music, Luke Bell had opened shows for Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr. and Dwight Yoakam, but virtually disappeared from the touring circuit, and never released a followup album. Yet for many Luke Bell fans, this only made the mystique of Luke Bell grow in stature as opposed to fade away.

In truth, Luke Bell was struggling with severe bipolar disorder in the aftermath of his father’s death. It became hard enough for him to deal with life, let alone continue to pursue a music career. As fans kept asking about Luke, he would pop up occasionally playing shows with old-time musician Matt Kinman and others. But no return tour ever happened, and no new music ever surfaced.

Luke’s death brought upon its own enigmatic moment. After having been reported missing on August 20th, 2022, he was eventually found on August 29th on the streets of Tucson, AZ. Luke Bell died of a drug overdose, brought on by his acute mental health issues. Strangely, despite Luke’s relative obscurity, the story became a national obsession, even making it onto ABC’s World New Tonight. This brought an entirely new interest to Luke’s music.

Ever since the death of Luke Bell, folks have been asking about the possibility of new or unreleased music he might have left behind. Well now they have their answer, and it’s a rather resounding one. Announced on Friday, September 5th, a new 28-song album called The King Is Back will be released on November 7th via Thirty Tigers. The title track is available now (listen below).

The album includes songs that were originally recorded between between 2013 and 2016. Fans should not expect full studio recordings, or completely fleshed out songs for every track, though some are fully formed, and were ready for release, like the title track. The collection of songs was assembled with the guidance of Luke’s mother Carol Bell, his sister Jane Bell, and his manager Brian Buchanan.


Carol Bell says about the new song, “‘The King Is Back’ captures the feeling of being back on top after a low period. Luke’s friend and bandmate Steve Daly said Luke hadn’t mapped out any solos or spots for big hooks, he’s simply said that whatever they played needed to sound cocky, as if something was about to happen. Like ‘The Bullfighter,’ this song is about a state of mind and it’s multilayered. We can all relate to the feelings of relief and excitement when we wake up feeling strong after a period of feeling poor and hungry. We can all relate to waking up ready to seize the day after a period of hopelessness.”

Along with getting such a treasure trove of Luke Bell music, it’s going to a good cause. All proceeds from the album release will support The Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program, a non-profit organization founded by Carol and Jane Bell that supports Big Horn Basin residents by providing vouchers for up to ten sessions with a therapist of the individual’s choice.

“It’s a meaningful way for Luke to give back to his community,” says Carol Bell. “A lot of Luke’s songs feature brave, cocksure characters who are hiding some kind of pain, and I think Luke was writing about himself, even though the songs weren’t always autobiographical. I also see traces of Luke in funny songs like ‘Orangutang,’ which might be about a Wyoming kid who wound up in Nashville, feeling like an ape who just escaped the zoo. The willingness to be silly and ridiculous, for the sake of fun—that’s very much like Luke, too.”

Along with the new song and the announcement of a new album, there is also a feature-length documentary about Luke Bell on the way called Where Ya Been? The Odyssey and Elegy of Luke Bell by filmmakers Kevin Romeo and Matt Bakken. There will also be a tribute to Luke Bell at the upcoming AmericanaFest on September 11th at Basement East in Nashville, hosted by Western AF.

Luke Bell’s The King Is Back is now available for pre-order. Track list below.


TRACK LIST:

1) Rattlesnake Man
2) Don’t Mind If I Do
3) Long Gone Love
4) Cold Stew
5) Daydream Blues
6) I’m Not
7) Black Crows
8) On Our Own
9) All I’ve Got
10) Dark House of Fools
11) Ready for Love
12) Horse Flies
13) Guitar Man
14) Hand to Hold
15) Blue Freightliner
16) Hard Time
17) Rounder
18) Stag
19) Roofer’s Blues
20) River
21) Bottom of the Sea
22) The King Is Back
23) Irrigator’s Blues
24) Orangutang
25) Waste of Time
26) Seven and Steady
27) The Party Song
28) Tiger’s Mouth

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