You probably know the story: WKIT 100.3, Eastern Maine’s classic rock station, introduced James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards to the Bangor area in 2004, after owner Stephen King personally recommended that the song “Choctaw Bingo” from the album “Live in Aught-Three” go into heavy rotation.

Three years later, after thousands of record sales and a string of sold-out shows at the Grand Theatre in Ellsworth, the Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter is one of the most popular artists in Maine.

McMurtry will give a little something back to the community when he plays a benefit concert on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3, on the Bangor Waterfront, for Food AND Medicine, an organization devoted to assisting displaced workers in Eastern Maine.

“We invited James to come play back in 2005,” said Jack McKay, director of Food AND Medicine, which takes its name from the idea that no one should have to choose between food and medicine. “We sent him a letter on council stationery, and everyone signed it. He e-mailed back saying he’d never received anything like that. It took us a little while to find the right time to do it, but 2007 was the year.”

This will be McMurtry’s fourth appearance in eastern Maine in three years, fueled by consistent play on WKIT and solid record sales at Bull Moose Music stores.

“There are not very many independently owned stations like WKIT that are full-blown classic rock commercial stations,” said McMurtry, speaking earlier this week from his home in Austin. “I get a lot of play on Americana stations and community stations, but this one has a much bigger signal, so it’s just a quantum leap in terms of listenership.”

“It’s hard to put your finger on it,” said Bobby Russell, general manager for WKIT. “I think he connected with an awful lot of people with his lyrics. Whatever the thought may be, he has such a way with words that people can really identify with it. You know what he’s talking about.”

McMurtry is a perfect fit for a worker’s rights organization. His songs, especially the popular single “We Can’t Make It Here Anymore,” deal with the everyday realities of average Americans, who are losing jobs, homes and opportunities as factories and mills close. McMurtry attributes some of his popularity in this part of the country to that fact.

“Unfortunately it has something to do with the fact that Maine’s lost 30,000 jobs to outsourcing,” said McMurtry. “When KIT played ‘We Can’t Make It Here Anymore,’ the phones blew up. You want to hear songs that you can identify with, and it’s sad that so many people do identify with it.”

“[Food AND Medicine] wants to speak to the betrayal of American workers,” said McKay. “[McMurtry] also speaks to that reality, and the terrible impact it has had on communities, families and schools. He gets to the real heart and gristle of the matter. I think a lot of people treat it like an elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. But James does talk about it.”

Food AND Medicine is an offshoot of the Eastern Maine Labor Council. Though it works closely with unions, it’s not affiliated with any particular union. Rather, it seeks to educate all workers, regardless of the field they work in, of the basic rights they’re entitled to as employees.

“It’s an organization that brings together a lot of workers who would never work together directly,” said McKay. “It looks at fundamentals, things like just cause and health care. It’s education.”

Opening for McMurtry will be two local bands: Bucksport’s Shawn Mercer and the Boondock Blues Band, and Orland’s Gilpin Railroad Incident. Both bands have strong ties to the labor movement, especially the Gilpin Railroad Incident, as most of the members have family members who have worked in the Bucksport mill for decades.

“We grew up in a mill town. We know what it’s like,” said Becky Bowden, bassist for the GRI. “We understand that with all the different mills that have closed in the past 10 years or so, and people getting laid off, there definitely should be something out there to get some help with. And for me personally, it’s a dream come true, because two years I saw McMurtry in Ellsworth, and I never would have expected to be opening for him. It’s definitely a personal best.”

The proceeds from the Labor Day concert will go toward the new Worker Center of Eastern Maine, set to open in Brewer on Sept. 4, the day after the show. Though Food AND Medicine is covering the band’s expenses, McMurtry and company are essentially playing the show for free.

“I feel that Jack and his people are a part of what made us strong up there, so we’re paying back the respect,” said McMurtry. “You gotta help out the people that helped you.”

Tickets for the James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards Labor Day concert on the Bangor Waterfront are $20 in advance at Bull Moose Music stores, and online at www.foodandmedicine.org; tickets are $25 at the gate. Gates open at 5 p.m. A private reception with James McMurtry after the show is set for the Sea Dog Brewing Co.; tickets are $100, and can be reserved by calling 989-5860. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.