Rodeo Sunsets and Silver Screens | Ryan Bingham

On this episode of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen welcomes acclaimed singer-songwriter, actor, and Academy Award winner Ryan Bingham for a conversation recorded at the legendary Continental Club in Austin, Texas. Before Hollywood recognition and Yellowstone fame, Bingham's life was shaped by the realities of the American West—rodeo circuits, ranch work, and years spent writing songs rooted in lived experience rather than romanticized myth. That authenticity became the foundation of a career that began with his breakthrough album Mescalito and led to an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy for "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. Bingham joins REK to discuss his long-awaited return with They Call Us the Lucky Ones, his first studio album in seven years. Created alongside longtime collaborators The Texas Gentlemen, the record emerged from relaxed jam sessions rather than meticulously planned studio work, resulting in an album that feels both spontaneous a...