Taylor Sheridan brought anyone with an experience on the ranch into his show Yellowstone. This included the acclaimed country musician Ryan Bingham. Bingham plays the guest role of a ranch hand, Walker, in the series. Interestingly, Sheridan is a big fan of the singer’s music and listened to one of his songs on a loop while writing the script for his pre-Yellowstone film, Wind River.
Ryan Bingham’s most recent album, American Love Song, featured a ballad called Wolves, which was inspired by the student organization March For Our Lives. The song was featured in the Taylor Sheridan series, where Bingham’s character sings the song in a scene.
Taylor Sheridan Listened To The Yellowstone Actor’s Song On Loop While Writing Wind River
Before his Yellowstone fame, Taylor Sheridan was known for his neo-Western crime film, Wind River, which had Marvel stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen playing the lead roles. The film, set in the Wind River Indian Reservation, explored the investigation of the death of a Northern Arapaho tribe girl, Natalie Hanson.
Sheridan played the perfect song in the background to inspire him to work on his crime film. Yellowstone actor Ryan Bingham‘s murder ballad Hallelujah kept playing on loop as Sheridan worked on the script of Wind River. During his interview with The Los Angeles Times, the 1923 creator shared:
“I wrote [the movie] Wind River listening to his song Hallelujah on a loop.”
Hallelujah was featured in Bingham’s third studio album Junky Star. The Americana song was released through the label Lost Highway Records in 2010. The song’s theme about hard-lived lives catching up to wounded souls was poetic for what Sheridan had written for the film’s central character played by Yellowstone actress Kelsey Asbille.
Asbille’s Natalie Hanson was a representation of the numerous indigenous women who were victims of atrocities committed on and off reservations. Bingham’s song certainly helped, as the film received critical acclaim and gained widespread attention to Sheridan’s neo-noir Western projects. Sheridan soon reached out to Bingham to write songs for Yellowstone but ended up casting him as an actor.
Taylor Sheridan Cast Ryan Bingham In A Cowboy Role In Yellowstone
Not just Hallelujah, but Sheridan was hooked on the country singer’s works in general. Wide Open Country reported in 2019 that he eventually got in touch with Bingham to write songs for his Western drama Yellowstone. While talking to the musician, he learned that Bingham grew up riding horses and working in ranches. He immediately cast him in a cowboy role, Walker, in the series.
During his LA Times interview, Sheridan shared that getting Bingham onboard the Kevin Costner series was a gift. He had some great words of praise for the singer:
“To have him on Yellowstone is a gift. He is the graveled voice of this generation’s cowboys and poets.”
Besides Ryan Bingham, there are also other country singers like Lainey Wilson who landed significant roles in the series. Bingham and Wilson also wrote and performed several songs in the latest fifth season of Yellowstone (via Holler.).
Yellowstone is now available for streaming on Peacock, while Wind River is available for rent on AppleTV+.
