Dick Cole’s King of Cool – A Personal Journey Through Rock, Blues, Jazz, and Memories

Dick Cole Steps Beyond the Open Road

Dick Cole has built much of his musical identity around motorcycles, biker culture, and the freedom of the open road. With King of Cool, however, the veteran musician takes a different direction, turning towards relationships, personal memories, and the experiences that shape a life. Released on June 15, 2026, the six-track collection draws on rock, blues, and jazz.

Cole’s appreciation for the Hammond B3 organ and tenor saxophone also informs the musical direction he describes for the project. At 73, he continues to write, perform, and record. His background as a retired military officer and civil servant gives his songwriting a personal context. It is also evident that his years of playing with rock bands have helped shape his musical outlook.

The album’s central attraction is its variety. It moves from a tribute to a Hollywood icon to a recollection of a defining historical moment. The remaining titles suggest further explorations of relationships, resilience, and reflection. Now, let’s take some time to go through each of them.

1. “King of Cool” – A Tribute to an Enduring Icon

The title track is the album’s natural centerpiece. “King of Cool” celebrates Steve McQueen, an actor whose screen presence, rebellious image, and association with motorcycles and fast cars helped establish his lasting cultural appeal. Cole‘s lyrics draw on familiar moments from McQueen’s life and career. The opening evokes the actor’s image through his bright blue eyes and leather coat, before recalling his television appearances and the role of Captain Hilts in The Great Escape.

The chorus then brings the focus back to McQueen’s charisma, connecting his motorcycle adventures with the sense of freedom that continues to define his public image. There is more to the song than celebrity admiration. Cole’s writing reveals an appreciation for the qualities McQueen represented. Thus, independence, confidence, adventure, and a rugged kind of authenticity. The final verse also acknowledges the actor’s battle with cancer, adding a note of sadness to an otherwise celebratory portrait.

Cole has identified this as his favorite song on the release, particularly enjoying the opportunity to work with B3 organ, horns, and vocal harmonies in the choruses. Those elements suit the song’s larger-than-life subject and the affectionate tone of the lyrics. For listeners who admire McQueen, motorcycles, classic cinema, or the culture surrounding both, “King of Cool” has an accessible emotional hook. It is also the track that most clearly communicates Cole’s personality as a songwriter.

My Verdict: The album’s strongest calling card: personal, nostalgic, and built around a subject Cole clearly admires.

2. “He No Longer Asks” – A More Reflective Turn

The title “He No Longer Asks” immediately suggests a story about changing expectations, emotional distance, or a relationship in which something has shifted. It fits the broader direction Cole describes for the album, which moves into subjects such as love, marriage, and infidelity.

That potential emotional territory provides a contrast with the admiration and nostalgia of the title track. Instead of looking outward towards a famous cultural figure, the song’s title points towards the quieter questions that arise between people. Without the song’s lyrics available for close examination, it would be unfair to assign it a specific storyline. Still, its place in a collection that explores different aspects of life suggests another side of Cole’s songwriting beyond motorcycles and adventure.

My Verdict: An intriguing title that points towards the album’s more personal relationship-focused material.

3. “Lainey” – A Personal Story Waiting to Be Unpacked

“Lainey” is one of the album’s most direct and personal-sounding titles. A name can carry a great deal of emotional weight in songwriting, whether it refers to a loved one, a character, or a particular memory. Placed between “He No Longer Asks” and “Still Vertical,” the song also contributes to the variety of the six-track collection. It offers a change of focus from the historical and cultural references found elsewhere in the album.

The available press materials do not establish who Lainey is or what really happened. Rather than regurgitating a backstory, the most grounded observation is that the song invites listeners to look for the personal connection behind it. For an artist whose album draws on lived experience, that personal dimension is worth exploring.

My Verdict: A song with the potential to add intimacy to the album, though its specific story needs to be assessed through the song itself.

4. “Still Vertical” – A Title That Suggests Resilience

“Still Vertical” is an especially striking title because it suggests endurance: remaining standing after setbacks, continuing despite age, or refusing to be knocked down by life’s challenges. That interpretation resonates with the broader context of Cole’s career. He continues to write and record music while maintaining other interests, and King of Cool itself represents a willingness to keep exploring new creative directions.

However, the title alone does not confirm the song’s subject. It could refer to personal resilience, a humorous observation, or something entirely different. What it does provide is a memorable phrase that invites curiosity. Within the album’s wider mix of memories and relationship themes, “Still Vertical” sounds like a natural opportunity for a different perspective on life’s ups and downs.

My Verdict: A memorable title with an appealing suggestion of persistence, even if the precise meaning requires a closer listen.

5. “Last Bird out of Saigon” – History Through Personal Experience

“Last Bird out of Saigon” is the album’s most clearly documented personal story beyond the title track. Cole has explained that the song concerns his experience as an Air Force officer aboard the last Air Force fixed-wing airplane to leave Saigon before the fall of the city on April 30, 1975.

That background gives the song a different kind of weight. While “King of Cool” looks towards a public figure whose life became part of popular culture, “Last Bird out of Saigon” draws from a moment Cole personally experienced. The title is evocative, combining the image of a departing aircraft with the sense of a historical chapter closing. Its significance comes from the intersection of individual memory and a moment with wider historical consequences.

Moreover, Cole has named this as his second-favorite track on the release. That makes it particularly important to the album’s identity: it shows how his military background can become songwriting material, bringing listeners closer to experiences that extend beyond the ordinary themes of everyday life.

My Verdict: One of the album’s most compelling concepts, offering a personal perspective on a significant historical event.

6. “Standin’ in the Shadows” – An Intriguing Closing Chapter

The final track, “Standin’ in the Shadows,” closes the six-song sequence with a title that suggests observation, uncertainty, or a person occupying the margins of a situation. That imagery offers a contrast with the confidence and visibility associated with Steve McQueen in the title track. Where “King of Cool” celebrates someone who commanded attention, “Standin’ in the Shadows” raises the possibility of a different perspective.

The title suggests a relationship dilemma, a struggle for recognition, or a more figurative reflection. The available material does not confirm which interpretation applies, so it would be premature to claim a specific narrative. As the closing track, however, it gives the collection a title that invites listeners to reflect on what remains unseen or unresolved. It is an interesting counterpoint to an album that moves between public icons and private experiences.

My Verdict: A suggestive closing song that leaves room for interpretation and rounds out the collection’s range of perspectives.

The Sound of King of Cool

Cole describes King of Cool as a fusion of rock, blues, and jazz, with the Hammond B3 organ and tenor saxophone playing prominent roles in the sound he wanted to create. Those influences give the project a clear musical framework. Rather than returning exclusively to the motorcycle themes that defined several of his previous releases, Cole uses this collection to explore a wider range of subjects.

He has also spoken about drawing inspiration from artists including The Eagles, Don Henley, Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Steely Dan, and Toto. Their presence in his musical imagination helps explain his interest in combining rock foundations with jazz and blues influences.

The Production Process

Cole’s production process is also worth acknowledging. He says the melodies and lyrics are entirely his own, with the music performed by him and other musicians. He then used Suno Pro to process and separate the recording into streams for mixing, followed by eMastered for final mastering.

In this case, AI was used as a production aid to reduce time and expense. The distinction is important: Cole describes the songwriting and musical performances as human-created, with AI-assisted tools helping to streamline later stages of the recording process. For independent musicians working with limited resources, that approach reflects one way technology can support the practical work of getting original music finished and released.

What King of Cool has for you

King of Cool finds Dick Cole looking beyond the motorcycle stories that have featured heavily in his previous work. Across six tracks, he turns towards relationships, personal history, and cultural memories, with a musical direction rooted in rock, blues, and jazz.

The title track stands out as the most immediately accessible focal point. Its tribute to Steve McQueen brings together Cole’s admiration for the actor, the symbolism of motorcycles and fast cars, and a sense of nostalgia that gives the song a clear identity.

“Last Bird out of Saigon” offers a different kind of strength, drawing on Cole‘s own military experience and connecting an individual memory to a defining historical moment. The other four tracks broaden the collection’s range, although their specific lyrical stories deserve closer listening before firm conclusions can be drawn about their meanings. Taken together, the titles suggest a project interested in more than one side of life.

For listeners discovering Dick Cole for the first time, “King of Cool” is the best starting point. Its recognizable subject and personal approach give the album a clear center, while the wider collection introduces a songwriter still finding new subjects to explore.

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