Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts’ idiosyncratic blend of rock, folk, country, blues and gospel can best be described as Dark Americana. Led by singer-songwriter, multi- instrumentalist, producer Rick Wagner, the ensemble first gained recognition with their self- titled debut album in 2020, hailed by Americana Music Show as “great stories about wisdom gained from hardscrabble living, similar to Ray Wylie Hubbard, Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.” Wagner’s honest, plainspoken songs come straight from the heart with a nod to Outlaw Country’s founders Willie, Waylon, Johnny and Kris, delivered in a warm, raspy baritone that American Songwriter says “hits with a cool sincerity that is a genuine rarity in the modern musical landscape.” But while country music’s traditional themes of heartache, lonesomeness, and of course, drinking are the subject of many of Wagner’s songs, this is by no means a traditional country act. Song like “59,” “Proof,” and “The Ghost That’s Chasing Me” are reflective, semi-autobiographical tales of a songwriter searching for meaning and truth in an upside down world.
The 2022 follow-up Moment Of Truth took on a more somber tone. After opening with the moody instrumental “America’s Moments” the album flows with the overall surreal feel of a pandemic album before closing with the melancholy “Heartbreak Lullabye,” a song Wagner wrote as a homage to John Prine the day after the legendary singer-songwriter passed away in the early days of COVID. Along with 11 new originals, the album includes a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Most Of The Time,” which landed the band in Rolling Stone with “A Song You Need To Know.” This overlooked Dylan gem (from the 1989 album Oh Mercy) sits nicely beside Wagner’s contemplative, nostalgic and tenderhearted originals. Songs like “The Rest Of My Days,” “Guilty,”and “Before I Stop Loving You” are indeed evidence that Dylan’s influence is the bedrock of Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts’ sound. “Echoes of Dylan” is how Americana UK described the album.
The band’s third LP Let The Light Back In was released in the spring of 2024, acclaimed by Americana UK as “classic, compelling songwriting that stirs the soul.” The album opens with a superb cover of Tom Petty’s “Room At The Top.” Although once lamented by Petty as “one of the most depressing songs in rock history,” Wagner finds a different interpretation. “To me it’s about escaping from the things that might be bringing you down and finding inner peace. I felt this song set the perfect tone to leadoff the album, as it did for Petty’s Echo album” says Wagner. The sentiment is similar on “Lost In The Rye,” a song about escapism and holding onto the innocence of youth. “A latter-day Replacement’s song” is how The Rocking Magpie describes “Ain’t Nothing Good About Goodbye,” an upbeat rocker about two lovers trying tirelessly to keep it together despite their differences. The emotional pendulum swings back and forth over the album’s 10 tracks. “Ghosts On The Boulevard” is the bittersweet nostalgia

of going back to one’s hometown, while the title track “Let The Light Back In” is a rousing tale of redemption and rebirth that lands somewhere between Nick Cave and Johnny Cash. “Back and Blue” takes on racial injustice with a raw blend of ethereal, bluesy guitars, trippy synths and a riveting background vocal performance by Brandi Thompson (Brandi and the Alexanders). “Can’t Catch The Wind” and “Coming Home” pack catchy melodies into simple, homespun folk tunes… heartfelt songs with a heartland feel.
Rick Wagner’s musical journey began back in the early 1980’s when he left a small coal town in Pennsylvania and headed to Greenwich Village. Drawn by the bright lights of the big city and the magnetic sounds coming out of lower Manhattan clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, the young bassist left his hometown near Scranton, PA and arrived in New York City in 1981. Soon thereafter he landed a gig playing bass with the influential alternative rock band The dB’s. As their album Like This topped the college radio charts in 1984, they toured incessantly sharing stages with like-minded bands like REM, Alex Chilton and The Replacements. He continued to rack up touring and recording credits with bands including The Silos, Paul Collins, Emily Duff, The Cucumbers, Clancy’s Ghost, and Storytown. “After 40- odd years of being a sideman I felt it was time to change things up a little,” says Wagner. “One of the side effects of working with so many great songwriters is that little by little that rubs off. Now it’s my turn.”
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