Article Contributed by Calabro Music Media
Published on 2026-04-15
Bob Wagner - I've Been Down is out June 12 via RPF Records/Royal Potato Family on classic black vinyl and digital formats. Available for Pre-Order/Pre-Save at: https://orcd.co/ivebeendown
Today, Burlington, Vermont-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Bob Wagner shares "Richest Man On Earth," the second single ahead of his debut album, I’ve Been Down, due June 12 on RPF Records/Royal Potato Family.
The song, featuring glistening pedal steel from Sturgill Simpson guitarist Laur Joamets, updates the classic murder ballad tradition with a pointed nod to the many narcissistic figures dominating today’s media landscape: “Didn’t shoot him, didn’t stab him, not even a black eye / I just stopped paying him attention ’cause I’m too broke to spend my mind / You see, all he wants is all the eyeballs on him all the time / He may elicit some of your affection, but he can’t get none of mine.” Later, Wagner sings, “Will they lock me up or throw me behind bars / Or will they set me to working, to colonize Mars?”
“I was driving home after buying a 100-year-old Oscar Schmidt rubber bridge guitar,” says Wagner. “I’d been thinking about writing a murder ballad, and the guitar felt like the kind you’d write one on. I wrote it on the drive, and when I got home, all I had to do was press record. It speaks to a composite of nefarious, attention-seeking characters in politics and capitalism—and while literal murder isn’t the intent, figuratively speaking, starving the beast of its endless need for the spotlight is an idea worth considering.”
Fresh off touring as one of two guitarists in Phish bassist Mike Gordon’s solo band, Wagner showcases his versatility on the forthcoming I've Been Down, a ten-track collection, which is already being recognized as a standout outlaw country release of the year.
