2nd Season of “Yellowstone” Features Great Country & Roots Music

The Paramount Western series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner doesn’t just make for compelling television, it also works as a great discovery mechanism for good country and roots music that much of the rest of popular culture ignores. Season 2 of the series that started in June has been no different, featuring music from the Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers, Eliot Bronson, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, The Marcus King Band, and many others, including Ryan Bingham, who is a revolving character on the cast. Blackberry Smoke leads the pack with songs on the soundtrack with six played so far in the series, and a seventh upcoming.

“As fans of Yellowstone, we have been engaged with the storyline since the show began,” Blackberry Smoke frontman, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Charlie Starr tells Saving Country Music. “What [Producer] Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner and their whole team have created is fantastic and we’re humbled to have Blackberry Smoke’s music be such a big part of season 2.”

And the idea that Yellowstone is helping good music reach new audiences isn’t just a hypothetical. In 2018 when Whiskey Myers appeared in the series not just as soundtrack contributors, but as an actual band in one of the scenes, sales of their records shot up immediately afterward. The 5th episode of Season 2, which first aired on July 24th opened with Tyler Childers singing “Nose to the Grindstone.” This piqued the interest of The View commentator and famous daughter Meghan McCain. “Wow, Tyler Childers’ voice is so beautifully intense and haunting – wish I had been introduced to his music earlier….,” McCain tweeted out. (McCain is also strangely a big Hellbound Glory fan).

Yellowstone centers around the famous American National Park and the conflicts that arise between the shared borders of a large cattle ranch, an Indian reservation, land developers, and the park itself. It was created by Taylor Sheridan who is originally from Texas, and made a name developing Sons of Anarchy, as well as the movie Hell or High Water, both of which featured lots of independent and classic country music as well. Sheridan is given credit for revitalizing the modern Western.

Below is a list of the songs that have been featured in the series so far. Episode 6 airs Wednesday night, July 31st. As new episodes air, we’ll update this article and/or post another running down the rest of the songs featured in the series.

Episode 1 – A Thundering

• “What Comes Naturally” – Blackberry Smoke (Cowboy looking for work)
• “Hear You Call” – APM – (Jamie orders coffee)
• “My Diamond Is Too Rough” – Ryan Bingham (Walker plays the song at lunch)
• “Conquer” – Kind (Beth and Bob at restaurant)
• “Ain’t Much Left of Me” – Blackberry Smoke (In the bunkhouse)
• “Mud” – Whiskey Myers (In the ranch arena)
• “Long Hot Summer Day” – Turnpike Troubadours (Bar fight scene)
• “Workin’ Overtime” – Lainey Wilson (In the bar)

Episode 2 – New Beginnings

• “Breakdown in G Major” – Eliot Bronson (Stringing barbed wire fencing)
• “Bread & Water” – Ryan Bingham (Walker playing guitar)

Episode 3 – The Reek of Desperation

• “Here & Gone” – Mississippi Twilight (Wranglers herd cattle)
• “Montana Melody” – LeGrande Harvey (In campaign video)
• “Fire” – Bad Flamingo – (At the bar)
• “Summer of Love” – Bad Flamingo (At the bar)
• “Up To No Good Livin’” – Chris Stapleton (At the store shopping for meth supplies)
• “Train Rollin’” – Blackberry Smoke (In the truck)
• “Whiskey and You” – Chris Stapleton (End credits)

Episode 4 – Only Devils Left

• “Hills and Valleys” – Jason Rebello (At sporting club)
• “Johnny Cash (Man in Black)” – Badd Wolf (Beating up Jimmy’s dad)
• “Last of My Kind” – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (End credits)

Episode 5 – Touching Your Enemy

• “Nose to the Grindstone” – Tyler Childers (Flashback)
• “S.O.B.” – Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (Flashback to the bunkhouse)
• “Never Be Ourselves” – Savannah Conley (Flashback to teenage years)
• “Reaper” – Wild The Coyote, Bad Wold (Learning about Indian relay races)
• “Good One Comin’ On” – Blackberry Smoke (At the arena)
• “Scare The Devil Outta You” – Blackberry Smoke (At the arena)
• “Welcome ‘Round Here” – The Marcus King Band (At the arena)
• “Shakin’ Hands with the Holy Ghost” – Blackberry Smoke (At the arena)
• “Drank like Hank” – Brothers Osborne (At the arena)
• “Prayers” – Pete Sands (Ending credits)

Episode 6 – Blood The Boy

• “Pearl Snaps” – Jason Boland and the Stragglers (At the rodeo song #1)
• “Start To Go” – Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (At the rodeo song #2)
• “Deep Down in the South” – Whiskey Myers (At the rodeo song #3)
• “Waiting on the Thunder” – Blackberry Smoke (At the rodeo song #4)
• “Headstone” – Whiskey Myers (At the rodeo song #5)
• “Take This Heart of Gold” – Mandolin Orange (Jimmy wins rodeo)
• “All I Know” – William Prince (Start of the day)
• “The Killer” – Jaida Dreyer (End credits)
  

Episode 7 – Resurrection Day

• “Outlaw Shit” – Waylon Jennings (Getting ready for the day)
• “I Hurt Too” – Katie Herzig (Monica and Kayce talk)
• “Lucky Seven” – Blackberry Smoke (Playing poker)
• “Slow Burn” – Kacey Musgraves (Monica and Kayce together)
• “White Trash Story” – Casey Donahew (Playing poker)
• “Evening Blues” – William Wild (On the roof)
• “Old Man” – Wild The Coyote, Badd Wolf (John and Kayce talk)

Episode 8 – Behind Us Only Grey

• “Alabama Pines”  – Jason Isbell (Getting ready in the morning)
• “Save Your Soul” – Joey Stylez (On screen performance)
• “Warpath” – Drezus (On screen performance)
• “Repulsion – APM Music (In the trailer)
• “Axe” – The Steel Woods (Ending Credits)

Episode 9 – Enemies By Monday

• “Orange Bus” – Brock Tyler (At coffee shop)
• “Love Someone” – Honey Country (In boutique)
• “Under The Influence” – Honey Country (In boutique)
• “That Would Be Alright” – Lincoln Grounds, Thomm Jutz (In boutique)
• “Dreams and Gasoline” – Rob Baird (In the bar)
• “Fast Stack” – William Wild” (Rip, Jimmy, and Lloyd together)
• “You Can’t Bring Me Down” – Suicidal Tendencies (In the trailer)

Episode 10 – Sins of the Father

• “Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore” – Chris Stapleton (Opening scene)
• “The Weary Kind” – Ryan Bingham (Closing scene)