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Death, Sex & Money | Raising A Country Musician Through Swagger and Psychosis

Death, Sex & Money | Raising A Country Musician Through Swagger and Psychosis

Update: 2025-11-11
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Description

Country musician Luke Bell had swagger, talent, and a career on the rise, opening for Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam. Then mental illness took over. His mother Carol shares what it was like raising Luke, the fine line between his bold personality and paranoid delusions, and navigating his years of homelessness and psychosis before his death at 32. 


Listen to his posthumous album, The King Is Back. Proceeds go towards mental health treatment for people in Wyoming who can't afford it.




Song List:


The Great Pretender


Rattlesnake Man


Where Ya Been (Music Video)


Guitar Man


Sometimes


On Our Own


The Bullfighter


River


The King Is Back (Music Video)




Podcast production by Zoe Azulay


Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus.


And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.

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Death, Sex & Money | Raising A Country Musician Through Swagger and Psychosis

Death, Sex & Money | Raising A Country Musician Through Swagger and Psychosis

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