Riley Baugus was born November 28, 1965 in North Carolina. He was brought up in a household where recordings of old-time music were often played, Riley developed a love and appreciation for traditional southern Appalachian music as a young child. He began playing the fiddle at age 10, and soon after was playing the guitar and banjo as well. Riley learned much of his music through visits with the elder traditional musicians in and around Grayson County in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, including fiddlers Tommy Jarrell and Robert Sykes, banjo player Dix man, and guitarist Paul Sutphin.
Riley has played with numerous old-time string bands, including the Red Hots, Backstep, the Old Hollow Stringband, and the Farmer’s Daughters. He also played with Cuttin’ Loose and Polecat Creek.
He has taught banjo, guitar, and fiddle at music camps all over the United States and has toured throughout Europe with Dirk Powell and Tim O?Brien, the Konnarock Critters, and Ira Bernstein. Riley’s singing is featured on the soundtrack of the iconic film, Cold Mountain. He makes his home near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he works as a welder and blacksmith and builds old-time banjos.
Discography:
Life Of Riley (Yodel Ay Hee, 2001)
Long Steel Rail (Sugar Hill Records, 2006)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.