The Greenville, South Carolina native has been building one of the most compelling careers in American music for over a decade — honing his voice, guitar chops, and songwriting across years of touring with The Marcus King Band before stepping into the solo spotlight with El Dorado in 2020, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. He followed that with Young Blood and the Rick Rubin-produced Mood Swings, each one pushing his sound further and earning him a bigger audience.

Now comes Darling Blue — and it feels like a homecoming.

A Band Reunited, A Sound Reborn

If Mood Swings was a voyage through some of the darker corners of addiction and depression, Darling Blue finds those calls answered. Reuniting in the studio with his longtime live band for the first time since Carolina Confessions in 2018, King recorded the album at the storied Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, Georgia with Grammy-winning producer Eddie Spear. The result blends Motown, cosmic country, psychedelic rock, and country folk across 14 tracks — with guests including Billy Strings, Jamey Johnson, Noah Cyrus, and Lainey Wilson on co-writing duties.

From the honky tonk swagger of Honky Tonk Hell to the campfire intimacy of Blue Ridge Mountain Moon, it’s King’s most expansive record yet — and somehow also his most cohesive.

Coming to Canada This Summer

Marcus King and the band are deep into the Darling Blue Pt. 2 Tour, and Canadian fans have two chances to catch them this summer — Toronto’s Massey Hall on June 16 and Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre on July 17. If you’ve been meaning to see him live, don’t sleep on these dates.

For those who had their eyes on an Australian run — those dates are unfortunately gone. The collapse of Bluesfest 2026 took a number of international tours down with it, and the long-haul logistics without a festival anchor made the Australia leg unworkable. Disappointing for fans down under, but the good news is Canada is very much still on the map and you may just see us at the show at Massey Hall.

This Copy Is a Little Different

We have a copy of Darling Blue on vinyl in the shop right now — Mint, sealed, Pink colored — but what makes this one special is what’s tucked inside.

It includes a one-of-a-kind collectible postcard from Ghost Town in the Sky’s opening year, 1961, signed by Marcus King himself. Ghost Town in the Sky was a beloved Maggie Valley, North Carolina theme park with deep roots in Appalachian culture — and the fact that King chose this as his signature collectible says everything about where his music comes from.

This is a signed edition, one in stock, priced at $69.99 CAD.

Grab it here at Fire Vinyl Records

Signed vinyl from an artist actively on tour, with a Grammy pedigree and a fanbase that spans blues purists, country fans, and everyone in between — this one won’t sit around long.

The post Signed, Sealed, Delivered — Marcus King’s Darling Blue Is in the Shop appeared first on Fire Vinyl Records.