Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts take listeners along on a soul-searching journey told through the eyes of a road-worn traveler who has experienced life’s ups and downs and lived to tell the tale. In Luther Black’s persona, singer-songwriter-producer Rick Wagner writes honest, plainspoken songs straight from the heart with a nod towards Outlaw Country’s founders Willie, Waylon, Johnny and Kris, delivered in a deep, gravelly voice that American Songwriter says “hits with a cool sincerity that is a genuine rarity in the modern musical landscape.”
The band's 2020 self-titled debut received positive reviews from across the globe for its "great stories about wisdom gained from hardscrabble living" (Americana Music Show) while drawing comparison to Ray Wylie Hubbard, Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. The 2022 follow up "Moment Of Truth" contained twelve standout tracks including a hypnotic cover of Bob Dylan's "Most Of The Time " which was featured in Rolling Stone as a "Song You Need To Know." Their latest "Let The Light Back In" (release date 4/19/24) is a genre-bending blend of rock, folk, blues and gospel that proves Wagner's continued growth as a songwriter with a stunning collection of sparse, contemplative songs.
Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts celebrate the release of "Let The Light Back In" with a rare, special stripped down acoustic performance at Rockwood Music Hall with Wagner accompanied by Lance Doss on lap steel guitar.
