‘The Soul of Yellowstone’: The Series Soundtrack

Ryan Bingham playing at the listening party for his 2019 album "American Love Song" at Rita House in West Hollywood, Calif. The Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter also plays Walker, the singing cowboy, in “Yellowstone.” Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The final season of the Paramount Network series “Yellowstone“ premieres Nov. 10, 2024. With award-winning actors and a high stakes plot line anchoring the show, the contemporary Western drama has become one of the network’s most watched series. Music also plays a pivotal role in the cowboy-themed franchise. Each song fuels the storytelling written by show creator Taylor Sheridan.

Sheridan works closely with music supervisor Andrea von Foerster. Music supervisors are the masterminds behind the soundtracks to TV shows and movies. Throughout five seasons of “Yellowstone”—the fifth season is split into two parts—Sheridan and von Foerster kickstarted independent artists’ careers and gave seasoned musicians their first shot at acting.

Both Sheridan’s and von Foerster’s love of music drive the show. Listening to the music the duo has placed in the “Yellowstone” series opens up a new universe for viewers invested in the lives of the show’s powerhouse main attraction, the Dutton family. 

Promotional poster for "Yellowstone" (2018) featuring (L–R) Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kevin Costner, and Kelly Reilly. Paramount Network

Finding the Right Song

“Yellowstone” features a wide array of country music, like Red Dirt country that comes from the heart of Texas and languid singer-songwriter ballads. Von Foerster isn’t  afraid to use unconventional methods to find the right song choices for each episode. While many of today’s music supervisors are too busy to sift through pitches from artists hoping to be chosen for placement, von Foerster takes a different path. She reaches out to artists via social media, even if they don’t have a following.

Zach Bryan performs onstage at the 2023 Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tenn. Bryan's “The Good I’ll Do,” appears in Episode 4, Season 5 of "Yellowstone."  Jason Kempin/Getty Images

That’s how she discovered Zach Bryan’s pensive acoustic tracks. They were perfect for the “Yellowstone” soundtrack. Bryan is now one of country music’s most popular acts. When von Foerster discovered his music, she had to find a way to get him to Nashville to record for the first time with award-winning music producer Dave Cobb. In an interview with Wide Open Country, she detailed how she orchestrated his first break in the music industry:

“A lot of the people that we have used weren’t signed or published when we used them. ... With Zach, he was on Twitter and YouTube, and that’s where I saw him. I reached out and I said, ‘Listen, I work on this show. You have no reason to believe me in a DM on Twitter.’ It was just ridiculous. But I was like, ‘If you can get yourself to Nashville, I can get you with Dave Cobb, and you can record these songs for us’.”

She continued:

“I had sent the YouTube links to Taylor, and he loved them. So we got those songs recorded. We actually only used one of them, but it was just awesome.”

Bryan’s emotional ballad, “The Good I’ll Do,” appears in Episode 4 of Season 5 during a scene featuring wranglers from different ranches coming together for a cattle drive.

Cover for Zach Bryan's 2022 album "American Heartbreak" featuring the track "The Good I'll Do" and his 2023 album "Summertime Blues." Warner Records

While they initially only used one of Bryan’s cuts for the show, it led to him stepping on set and trying his hand at acting for the first time. While reflecting on his appearances in the first half of season five, von Foerster said, “for him to end up on the show, too, is really great.”

A Breakout Opportunity for Artists

Singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson performs at The Basement in Nashville, Tenn., 2020. Wilson appears in Season 5 of "Yellowstone" as a singing cowgirl. Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Bryan isn’t the only country musician who took up acting while providing music for “Yellowstone.” Both Ryan Bingham, an Americana singer-songwriter, and Lainey Wilson, an award-winning country singer, have characters and music on the show. Bingham plays a wandering ranch hand named Walker, and Wilson plays a singing cowgirl in search of love that proves elusive when it comes to the show’s lot of cowboys.

Von Foerster first worked with Wilson when she placed the country singer’s upbeat tune “Workin’ Overtime” in a classically chaotic cowboy scene featuring a night out. In the song, the female protagonist sings about her guardian angel who never gets a day off.

"Yellowstone" Season 5 used songs from Lainey Wilson’s second full-length album, “Bell Bottom Country” (2022), including “Watermelon Moonshine” and “Smell Like Smoke.” Broken Bow Records

Bingham got his chance to be a part of the show one day while chatting with Sheridan. The musician has had more than 10 of his originals used in the series. When the show creator found out he had real-world experience as a cowboy and had participated in a fair share of rodeos, Sheridan created a character for him.

Ryan Bingham as Walker in “Yellowstone” Season 1, Episode 5 playing “All Choked Up Again” from his 2010 album “Junky Star.” Paramount Network

Tracks from five Ryan Bingham albums are featured in the "Yellowstone" Official Playlist, including albums (L–R) "Mescalito" (2007), "American Love Song" (2019), and "Junky Star" (2010). Lost Highway and Axster Bingham Records

“Yellowstone” has been a breakout opportunity for many artists. Songwriter Dani Rose spoke of the bump the show gave her music career after she had several song placements. She told Rolling Stone:

“Yellowstone bumped up my monthly streaming listeners to [nearly] 100,000 listeners, which was crazy, going from really nothing to being put on playlists and being asked to play different festivals, just based off of the fact that I had music on the show.”

The hit series has also acted as a bridge for cast members, with actors on the show taking their talents from in front of the camera to the stage as musicians—some, for the first time.

‘Tales from Yellowstone’

Luke Grimes playing Kayce Dutton, in “Yellowstone” Season 3, Episode 4: “Going Back to Cali.” Paramount Network

Actor Luke Grimes plays a fan-favorite character on the show: the sensitive, brooding Kayce Dutton. When the show began back in 2018, he never dreamed he’d have his own music placed on the show one day. But being on set with veteran actor Kevin Costner, who’s a musician himself, gave Grimes the confidence to chase his musical dreams along with his acting aspirations.

In an interview with Holler later featured on American Songwriter, Grimes explained how one of his early singles came to be included in the soundtrack: “The way it worked the first time is I sent him [Sheridan] an iPhone work tape of ‘No Horse to Ride,’ and he just said, ‘Hey that’s great!’ Then, all of a sudden, I was getting a call that I needed to sign something because they were going to put it in the show.”

Luke Grimes's 2024 self-titled debut album, featuring track "No Horse to Ride." Mercury Nashville

While many show creators think of the music as one of the project’s final pieces, Sheridan looks at music as one of the storyline’s featured elements. Grimes added:

“Taylor writes to the music, and he is better versed in country and Americana than just about anybody. ... All the time he’s showing me stuff I haven’t heard yet, and that’s how he writes the show. I think that’s why music is such a big part of the soul of ‘Yellowstone.’”

Sheridan has also used several songs released by Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton. The “Field of Dreams” actor has been making music with his band Modern West since 2007.

Actor Kevin Costner performs with his band Modern West in Barcelona, 2010. JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

Inspired by his character, John, Costner took to the studio with his band and recorded their concept album, “Tales From Yellowstone.” The record features tracks from the perspective of the head of the Dutton family. After the show included tracks from the album like “Won’t Stop Loving You” and “Heavy Like the Rain” in Season 3, Costner and his bandmates eventually took the series soundtrack on the road. In 2021, they performed across America on the “Tales From Yellowstone” tour, which featured music and artists from the hit show.

Cover for Kevin Costner & Modern West's 2021 album "Tales From Yellowstone." Kevin's Music

‘A Gift Since Day One’

Sheridan’s series has taken on such a wide scope due to its popularity; it’s often referred to as “the Yellowstone universe.” The how’s success has opened the door for several spinoffs, including prequels like 1883 and 1923, which tell the stories of past generations of the Dutton family. The thought and care both Sheridan and von Foerster put into the music of each new episode has created a “Yellowstone” music universe as well.

Ryan Bingham playing at the listening party for his 2019 album "American Love Song" at Rita House in West Hollywood, Calif.  One of the album's tracks "Wolves" is featured in “Yellowstone.” Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

If you ask von Foerster, their music universe is more like a playground. One reason she loves working with Sheridan on music for the show is that they’ve been able to help so many artists catch big breaks:

“‘Yellowstone’ has been a gift since day one. … Being able to be on the playground that Taylor [Sheridan] has created and I get to put the toys on it, it’s really fun because he loves music. I love music. We have the same taste. And getting to be a part of people’s story is the best—just being able to help people, because what’s the point of any kind of ranking system or power or anything if you can’t help people? It’s really exciting to be able to help be a part of someone’s dream coming true. You can’t ask for more than that.”

“Yellowstone” Season 5, Part 2 premieres Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The show will feature plenty of new music by country’s biggest artists and rising independent musicians to go along with the exciting plot line as the Dutton family continues their tireless efforts to keep their ranch in the family for future generations.

Promotional poster for the final season of "Yellowstone." Paramount Network

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