Luke Grimes pays homage to his home state with ‘Oh Ohio’

Yellowstone star is prepping debut country album

Mercury Nashville/Range Music recording artist Luke Grimes has released “Oh Ohio.” The song follows the release of his popular debut country song “No Horse To Ride,” which has already amassed over 15 million global streams since its December release. “Oh Ohio” was written by Grimes, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall, and produced by Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Dave Cobb.

Grimes, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, wrote about the experience of leaving home and the point in one’s life when you realize that the place you come from isn’t “home” anymore, though it will always be a part of who you are.

“I left Ohio over twenty years ago to chase a dream,” Grimes shares. “It was a big moment for me when I realize that Ohio wasn’t my home anymore; I’m sure many people who have moved away can relate. It felt like home for a very long time but over the years I could feel the drift. ‘Oh, Ohio’ is less of a song about leaving home and more about losing it. It’s a breakup song but with a place. Knowing your time together is over but you are a part of each other forever.”

“I think Luke sings from the heart and is filled with conviction and honesty,” adds Cobb. “He’s living and breathing what he sings, and it’s been a blessing getting to be part of his journey.”

Grimes’ debut track, “No Horse To Ride,” debuted inside the Top 10 of the Country Songs sales chart at No. 7. In its second week of release, “No Horse To Ride” racked up 95K Shazams, placing it No. 2 on the Shazam Country chart, No. 2 on the Shazam Top 200 USA chart and No. 37 on the Shazam Global chart, a rarity for a country artist. Spotify placed the song on the cover of its Country Hits 2023 playlist, with the song in the No. 1 position, and the song has been on eight Spotify Viral Charts.

Known for his role as Kayce Dutton on the hit television series, Yellowstone, Grimes has been making music for years and is prepping his first major label project. When not on set, Grimes can be found spinning his favorite country albums and songwriting at home in Montana or in Nashville writing with some of Music Row’s elite including Jonathan Singleton, Tony Lane, Randy Montana, Brent Cobb, Jamey Johnson, Love Junkies, Josh Osborne, Jon Randall, and Jessie Alexander.

Grimes grew up playing music in the church as the son of a Pentecostal pastor. His father also laid the foundation for the music he loves, introducing him to the works of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. The Ohio native is now finding his own voice and style as an artist, inspired by the likes of Colter Wall, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, and the late Townes Van Zandt.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com