Cole Gallagher Sings the 'Traveling Man's Blues' Feat. Members of the 400 Unit

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Cole Gallagher releases his new single “Traveling Man’s Blues” produced by GRAMMY-winner Vance Powell (Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White) and featuring current and previous 400 Unit members Chad Gamble, Sadler Vaden and Jimbo Hart.

The song laments on the loneliness felt on the road, while the official video documents Gallagher’s experience moving from Los Angeles to Nashville earlier this year. Shot over a total of three three-day drives back and forth to and from California totaling over 6,000 miles traveled, the clip captures the vast expanse of our country from desert gas stations and roadside attractions to cheap motels and natural landmarks. The song and video were featured at Holler who called the track “a shuffling slice of Byrdsian country rock that sounds like Ry Cooder reimagining the theme from The Littlest Hobo as Cole Gallagher adds a fresh addition to any road song playlist.” 

“There is certainly an element of loneliness within this song, however; I believe that the overarching theme of this song is one of hope and finding my place in the world,” shares Gallagher. “It was an absolute blast to shoot this music video, and it gave me more artistic liberties and tools to express myself than any of my other projects because it was just me, the open road and a camera."

The new song follows Gallagher’s duo of singles released earlier this year: the gritty “Don’t You Know” and his soft plea for peace “Lost Sounds”. Last summer, he released his debut EP The Confluence to critical acclaim. Voted the #2 album of 2023 by Americana Highways readers and peaking at #17 on the Roots Music Report Americana Album Chart, The Confluence was also produced by Powell and features David Hidalgo of Los Lobos on “Chatting Through Steel,” in addition to the same members of the 400 Unit.

The Confluence earned additional acclaim from Guitar World, Ones To Watch, The Bluegrass Situation, Magnet Magazine and Americana UK. The EP featured the first official cover of Bruce Springsteen rarity “Sugarland,” which Springsteen’s team signed off on, as well as “Lines In The Sky”, which was also named a Song You Need to Know by Rolling Stone. Gallagher released a series of videos from the EP, including the black-and-white vampire-romance of “Stumbling In The Dark.” 

Photographer Credit: Richard Stow