Ryan Bingham in Memphis

About the artist

"George Ryan Bingham" (born March 31, 1981) is an Americana singer-songwriter currently based in Los Angeles, California. Bingham was born in Hobbs, New Mexico, grew up in West Texas and went to high school in Houston, Texas, at Westfield High School. Bingham got his first guitar as a 16 year old when his mother bought him one. At the time, they were living in Texas. Although he was fascinated by music, he left his guitar dormant in his closet for around a year, until Bingham's old neighbor, whom he used to drink beer with at his back porch, taught him a classical Mariachi song called "La Malaguena" in segments. Soon, he moved to the Fort Worth area in Texas, and with growing interest in playing music, he started seeking new songs to learn. Bingham started playing gigs in bars that he and his friends used to hang out in and that's how his career as a musician initially began. After garnering critical acclaim for his first two studio releases on Lost Highway Records, 2007's Mescalito and 2009's Roadhouse Sun, Ryan Bingham went on to collaborate with Grammy-winning producer T Bone Burnett on the soundtrack for the 2009 acclaimed film Crazy Heart, including notably co-penning & performing the film’s award-winning theme song "The Weary Kind". The title track earned Bingham an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics' Choice Award for “Best Song” in 2010, as well as a Grammy Award for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" in 2011. As a result of his monumental year, the Americana Music Association honored Bingham with the organization's top award in 2010: “Artist of the Year”.