Quality Americana

When I first heard of the new release from late country star Luke Bell, I was ashamed to admit I had never looked at his catalog.

At first glance, the black and white images floating around the internet remind me of a young Bruce Springsteen, and it seems the vagabond lifestyle Bell lived would fit in perfectly to one of his ballads.

Country Roots

“I come from a traditional background. The things that I love are traditions — you know, cowboy culture and American culture,” Bell told Chuck Armstrong at the Boot. “When I started digging back through records and listening to older music, I kind of became fascinated with all the techniques and flat-tire shuffles on the drums on Ray Price records or the George Jones boogie and guitars … you start looking at all those things. 

I’m always working on houses with JP Harris, and you wouldn’t go build a house without going to someone to learn how to frame it first. It’s a better idea, I think, to study a little bit. That’s kind of what my work has been, studying old music and using different techniques and experimenting a bit to make my own brand of sound.”

Bell grew up in Wyoming, and was the first musician in his family. 

“It was a very different route to take,” Bell said. “There aren’t any musicians in my family. College really wasn’t doing it for me, and I was looking for an independent platform to go learn, and music was that.”

He spent time in the southwest learning different styles of music and eventually settled in Nashville. 

“I had a little apartment in Austin I loved living in, by a swimming pool,” Bell told James Orme for Slug Magazine. “I was working construction and shoeing horses and getting off work and swimming in the pool every night. That was killer, those were killer days. Then in New Orleans, I lived in the Lower Ninth, in a neighborhood of really great musicians. I was only there for probably four or five months.”

Though Nashville was his home, Bell never seemed to really be off the road.

“I’ve gotten to where I’m just pretty open,” Bell said, “there’s no telling what can happen. I don’t know if the lifestyle will allow me to settle down either. It just depends. I always try to enjoy spending time wherever I get to go, you know?”

The King is Back

The King is Back includes 28 unreleased session tracks that showcase how unique Bell’s approach to songwriting and singing is. 

“Sometimes, a song takes five minutes. Those are usually my best ones,” Bell said. “The idea comes up, and I just get it out. As far as my writing style goes, it’s hard to beat the Carter Family and all those great traditional American songs. I enjoy trying to write about our lives today with the straightforward simplicity of those old songs. It makes it easy for anybody to digest when I can condense the hundreds of words I’m trying to say into three minutes.”

The work showcased here is beautiful and honest and creative, showing so much promise for a talent that secretly battled a mental health condition.

Bell was found deceased in his vehicle in Tucson, Arizona just over three years ago. His overdose was ruled accidental, though many saw it as a cry for help. Bell was only 32 years old, and suffered from bipolar disorder. 

His mother is working now to tell Bell’s story and help save others that face these challenges. Proceeds from the album will help fund the Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program.

Support the Artist

More information about the Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program can be found here.

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