⬇️ DAVE RILEY ⬇️
(9CD)
BIOGRAPHY
Riley started playing the guitar at age nine but didn’t get serious
about the guitar until he met up with his parents in Chicago in 1961.
Riley’s father was a preacher in the Church of God in Christ. When the
rest of the family moved to Chicago, they started a family band
called “The Riley Singers,” Riley says, “My father started
training us, he and my Uncle Sam, to sing gospel music. And they used
to whoop you back then and make you sing,” Riley said.
Shortly after Riley’s arrival in Chicago, his family moved from
the North Side to a housing project on the West Side near the Maxwell
Street Market, where he first heard live blues. Riley also recalls
watching Howlin’ Wolf perform through the open doors of a local club,
and although his parents tried to keep him within the sphere of the
church, he managed to sneak off and play Motown Songs with other kids
in the projects.
After graduating from high school, Riley was drafted for duty in
Vietnam. After basic training he was stationed briefly in Washington
State, where he attended a show of Seattle-area native Jimi Hendrix,
who became a major influence on the young guitarist.
After his release Riley married his wife, Tanja, and after she became
pregnant with their son, Riley left soul music to play gospel with
Tanya’s group, the Mighty Gospel Wonders. Soon after, he bought
a house in the suburbs and began working as a prison guard at Joiliet
State Penitentiary, a job he held for about 25 years. Riley
freely confesses that most of the time he spent a guard he was an
alcoholic and a drug addict, habits he picked up from Vietnam.
He spent the latter part of the 80’s trying to shake his addictions
and has been sober since 1989.
Dave Riley found himself in the 70’s playing bass, and occasionally
sitting in, with Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and Howlin
Wolf. In 1973, he gave up his on the road musical career to help
raise his only son, Dave L. Riley, Jr. Now that his son is
grown, Riley is continuing with his music career. Riley formed
his own band in 1996 and soon enlisted his son, Dave “Yahni” Riley,
Jr., to play bass.
In 1998 Riley’s neck was broken in a car crash with a drunken driver,
ending his career at the prison and leaving him unable to play the
guitar for nine months. He has now regained most of his playing
ability. His first CD, Living on Borrowed Time, is the
story of his own personal tragedies. His second CD, Blues Across
America has been a great success. Right now he is busy touring
all over the country with his band. In addition to his son, his
band consists of drummer Sam Carr, and Arkansas harp man, John Weston.
Riley and his band are soon going to travel to Europe to perform.
NEW!
2011.11.26-Live At The Blues Club Fribourg @320