Stars From The Yellowstone Universe Who Also Have Successful Music Careers

"Yellowstone," created and written by Taylor Sheridan, follows the lives of the Dutton family in Montana as they work to protect their family ranch. Led by gravelly voiced patriarch John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, there's love, loss, intrigue, and revenge. The show became a ratings juggernaut by its fifth season, even with the dramatic exit of Costner from the show, and it has launched a number of popular spinoffs. It also features a fantastic soundtrack of great singers who help bring the Wild West spirit of the show to life.

Some of those artists have made an appearance in front of the camera as well and are acts that you might recognize, like Zach Bryan and his band, who made a sneaky cameo on Season 5 of "Yellowstone." Then there was real-life Texas rock band Whiskey Myers, who were playing at the bar at the end of Season 1, Episode 4, during a sweet moment between Beth Dutton (played by Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). Their appearance on the show gave the band a boost in real life. On the "Whiskey Riff Raff" podcast, Cody Cannon, lead singer and guitarist of Whiskey Myers, said: "It was pretty overwhelming, pretty life-changing. We never had the opportunity to have a platform to reach millions and millions of people at one time, you know?"

While Whiskey Myers and others were background players on the show, there were some actors who were front and center on "Yellowstone" who also have careers as musicians. From one of the Dutton family members to the ranch hands to the love interests, here are the "Yellowstone" stars who have made names for themselves as musicians.

Ryan Bingham played Walker on "Yellowstone." His character was picked up outside of a jail before he joined the ranch team; Walker got caught up in the drama of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, even surviving being taken to the train station (if you know, you know). He also got in some romantic entanglements, dating barrel racer Laramie, played by Hassie Harrison; Bingham and Harrison are also a real-life couple. Bingham's character also plays his guitar and sings on occasion. The songs were ones that Bingham himself had already written, and they really highlighted his talents as a singer/songwriter, like "All Choked Up Again," from Season 1, Episode 5, and "Hallelujah" from Season 4, Episode 9, when Beth Dutton asks his character to play a sad song.

In Season 5, Episode 9, Bingham as Walker sings "A Song For The Stone." It was his first original song specifically written for the show, and in a press release when the song came out, he said (via Cowboys & Indians): "I'd like to dedicate this song to all the Yellowstone fans out there, all the cast and crew, and all the folks that have made this whole thing possible over the years. ... It's taken me a while to write this song, but sometimes you've got to live it before you can write it."

Bingham's musical career started years before "Yellowstone" aired. His first album, "Mescalito," came out in 2007. In 2010, he was named the Americana Music Association's Artist of the Year when he was 29. The same year, he won an Oscar for the song "The Weary Kind," which was the theme for the movie "Crazy Heart." His seventh studio album, "They Call Us The Lucky Ones," came out in 2026.

Singer Lainey Wilson has had a rags-to-riches transformation, and she's become a mainstay of country music. Being on "Yellowstone" was something new; it was her first-ever on-screen role. Wilson first appeared in the premiere episode of Season 5 of the hit show; she played a singer and a love interest for cowboy Ryan, played by Ian Bohen. She would go on to appear on three more episodes. Wilson's music was used on "Yellowstone" years before she made her debut in front of the camera; the first song for the show was "Workin' Hard" for the premiere of Season 2.

The role of Abby was written specifically for her by Taylor Sheridan. On the podcast "Making Space with Hoda Kotb," Wilson talked about how she got her role on "Yellowstone." "Well, Taylor Sheridan told me, because we were on the phone, he said, 'I've got an idea' ... 'I want to create a character specifically for you, and I want you to sing your music and kind of be yourself, but go by a musician named Abby.'"

Even with her foray into acting, she hasn't given up her music, and she's been racking up the accolades. Wilson has won multiple Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 2023 and in 2025. She even hosted the show in 2025. Wilson also won the Grammy for Best Country Album in 2024 for her fourth studio album, "Bell Bottom Country."

Luke Grimes starred as Kayce Dutton on "Yellowstone," and he has continued as the same character for the CBS show "Marshals." As for his music career, it started after he'd already been on "Yellowstone" for four seasons. His first song, "No Horse to Ride," which he co-wrote with Jonathan Singleton and Tony Lan, was released in 2022. It was used on Season 5, Episode 8 of the show, though not sung by Grimes' character. 

In a press release about the song, Grimes said: "I think of music as sort of a first love; it was my first creative outlet. To be at the start of this journey, putting my own music out into the world, is beyond a dream come true," according to People. Grimes grew up playing music. He also wrote songs and played the drums for a country band in Los Angeles as he was starting out in acting. His first solo album was self-titled and came out in 2024, and Grimes followed it up with "Redbird" in 2026. He's also played some country music festivals.

Grimes has admitted that not everyone appreciated his foray into the music scene. "There's definitely people ... saying, 'Why is this guy doing this? He already has a job. There's enough people making really good music,'" he told Music Row. But he's not letting the haters bring him down. "Music—especially country, folk and Americana music—has been so important to me," he explained to Music Row. "If I hadn't done it because I was afraid of the judgment, the workload or the stage fright... one day I would have regretted it."