The son of a renowned South Carolina blues guitarist, Marcus King picked up his first guitar as a young boy. After three albums at the helm of the Marcus King band, the guitar virtuoso released his solo debut, El Dorado, in 2020. Now 29, he has continued expanding his fanbase with his silky vocals and confessional songwriting. Recently, the “Mood Swings” crooner offered fans a sneak peek of a new song with a familiar co-writer.
Marcus King Hosts Surprise Pop-Up Show in Nashville
On Wednesday (May 14), throngs of fans crowded into Robert’s Western World on Nashville’s South Broadway Street for a surprise Marcus King pop-up show.
Aside from his band’s latest single, “Honky Tonk Hell,” King closed out the night with a still-unreleased tune he penned alongside country singer Meg McRee and reigning Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson.
“Any Lainey Wilson fans out there tonight?” he asked, inciting cheers from the crowd.
Then he launched into a soulful version of a tune called “Here Today:” I’m a ramblin’ desperado / Never looking back’s my middle name / All the time I had, I had to borrow / Here today, gone tomorrow.
King first test drove the track during a March gig in Australia. He posted footage of the performance to his social media, asking (perhaps rhetorically), “Y’all think we should record this one?”
He got his answer in the comments. “Marcus never misses, you need to record it right now,” one Instagram user wrote.
[RELATED: Chris Stapleton Announces 2025 ‘All-American Road Show’ Tour Dates With Marcus King, Marty Stuart, and More]
His Band Has a New Single Out
The Nashville pop-up show comes on the heels of new music. Recently, The Marcus King Band dropped “Honky Tonk Hell,” its first single since 2018.
“‘Honky Tonk Hell’ is an anthem for anyone out there like myself who have struggled with the permanence of sobriety – those who fear the thought they will never again howl at the moon,” King said. “This song for me serves as a reminder to take it all one day at a time.”
The Marcus King Band Family Reunion will return this summer for its ninth Family Reunion music festival. The event takes place Aug. 23-24 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Jamey Johnson, Stephen Wilson Jr., and Molly Tuttle will also take the stage.
Featured image by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images
