Ryan Bingham Is More Than Just a Cowboy on ‘Yellowstone’

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• Ryan Bingham plays ex-con and ranch hand Walker on Yellowstone.
• Taylor Sheridan reached out to him for music for his hit western, and ended up writing a part for him.
• Bingham co-wrote the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning song The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart.

Yellowstone fans know Ryan Bingham as ex-con and ranch hand Walker on Taylor Sheridan’s neo-western. He’s often seen with his guitar, filling the bunkhouse with music. Which makes sense, considering Bingham is more than just a cowboy on Yellowstone. He’s also an award-winning singer/songwriter.

Ryan Bingham is more than just a cowboy on ‘Yellowstone’

Bingham started making a name for himself in the country and Americana music genres back in 2007 when he released his critically acclaimed debut album Mescalito. Over the next decade-plus, Bingham released more records. Including Roadhouse Sun, Tomorrowland, Junky Star, Fear and Saturday Night, Ryan Bingham Live, and American Love Song.

The most notable achievement in Bingham’s music career came in 2009, when he and T-Bone Burnett wrote the song The Weary Kind for the film Crazy Heart. The duo won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and Bingham performed the song for the movie’s soundtrack.

Colin Farrell and Jeff Bridges performed renditions of the song in the film, with Bingham and his Dead Horses band serving as the backing band.

He wrote his Oscar-winning song after reading the ‘Crazy Heart’ script

Bingham says that The Weary Kind was a song that he wrote specifically for the movie. He told PopCulture that director Scott Cooper sent him a script, and he wrote the song after reading it.

“I just wrote that song from reading the script before they filmed it,” Bingham said. “I can’t remember exactly where I was. I was in the middle of nowhere in the backseat of the van with my guitar, and I just kind of started that chord progression and wrote that song. [I] got back home, sent it to Scott, and that was it. The rest is history.”

Ryan Bingham met Taylor Sheridan when he was writing ‘Wind River’

Bingham originally met Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan when he was writing and directing the film Wind River. He says that Sheridan enlisted him to write a song for the movie, but it just didn’t work out.

“I never seemed to come up with anything for the movies at that time that fit, but we always kept in touch and remained friends,” Bingham explained.

He told Wide Open Country in 2019 that he and Sheridan reached out to him again about writing songs when he was creating the Kevin Costner-led drama.

Taylor Sheridan reached out to Ryan Bingham about writing songs for ‘Yellowstone’

Yellowstone has become known for its incredible soundtrack, which Bingham has appeared on. But when Sheridan found out about Bingham’s cowboy past, he realized the singer/songwriter should have a bigger role in the series.

“Once we met and started hanging out, he found out I grew up riding horses — my family ranched out in New Mexico — so I grew up doing a lot of that kind of cowboy stuff,” Bingham recalled.

“So he said ‘Well, I oughta just write you a part in the show.’ He said ‘I’ll just write something small’ [and said] ‘If you do good, I’ll keep you in there and if you suck we’ll just kill you off. I’m still in there so far. We’ll see how it goes.”

His ‘Yellowstone’ co-star says he’s an ‘incredible cowboy’

According to Bingham’s co-star Jefferson White (Jimmy Hurdstrom), Bingham is an “incredible cowboy.” Not only does he often play music on the set, but he also gives his co-stars tips on team roping and riding.

“He has no ego,” Denim Richards (Colby) said of Bingham in a behind-the-scenes interview on the Paramount Network. “[Taylor Sheridan] has a really great eye for talent and putting all those pieces together. It’s been a tremendous blessing to have [Bingham] be a part of the project.”

Yellowstone seasons 1 through 3 are now playing on Peacock. Season 4 is expected to hit the platform in the spring of 2022. Ryan Bingham will perform in concert at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo at Will Rogers Auditorium on February 5.

Season 5 of Yellowstone should premiere on Paramount in 2022.