It was a devastating loss for the Murray family and the band, shared by many. This band, these musicians, were knocking on the door of national stardom, and they were ours.
Have you ever watched a dramatic movie “based on true events”? Sometimes, at the end, you’ll see photos of the actual people involved and tell you a little bit about where they are now, what happened down the road, how their lives turned out. It helps close the story and remind you that these things happened to real people.
On Wednesday, we got a chance to learn about an additional layer to the story of Chadwick Murray and the Bastards of Soul, as it was announced that the band’s third album, Give it Right Back, has been scheduled for release on Nov. 17.
The Bastards of Soul are back with a new release.
Mike Brooks
As part of that announcement, Bastards of Soul dropped the single “This Love,” a ballad to Murray’s wife and one of the last songs he ever wrote. Murray never got a chance to record vocals on this track, but with his wife’s blessing the band brought in an extraordinary replacement in longtime Dallas singer Keite Young to sing his last love song to her.
“‘This Love’ is probably the best recording that we’ve ever made and I think it’s a beautiful love letter from Chadwick to his wife,” says bass player and co-writer Danny Balis. “We’re super honored to have Keite Young handle vocals on this and I think Chadwick would be very, very proud.”
We gave it a listen and have to agree with Balis. It’s a gorgeously rendered track, and Young plays it just right.
“To have been asked to be a part of something so special was a complete honor,” says Young. “I’m eternally grateful to have been able to deliver such a special message of timeless love and gratitude on behalf of a loving and dedicated husband to a fearless, shining light of a wife. You don’t get that opportunity every day and I cherish every moment of being present for it.”
The story of Chadwick Murray and the Bastards of Soul is many things, but “over” isn’t one of them. Balis, Chad Stockslager, guitarist Chris Holt and drummer Matt Trimble, are still our people as much as Murray’s wife Hannah and her young son. And so is Keite Young, who was handed the impossible job of singing a dead man’s love song to his widow.
In 2021, before Murray’s death, how many of us were ready to boast that we knew them when? Now the better line may be, “Just wait till you see how the story ends.” Chadwick would have liked that.
Check out “This Love” below (it’s OK to cry):
