Join country musician Riley Green as he sits down with Southern Living’s Sid Evans to talk about his journey from small-town Alabama to the national stage. Riley shares how his grandfathers shaped his music, the stories behind his hit songs like "I Wish Grandpas Never Died," his new bar The Duck Blind in Nashville, and his latest track, "Jesus Saves" in a candid conversation on music, family, and Southern roots.
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00:00Raleigh Green, welcome to Biscuits and Jam.
00:02Appreciate you having me.
00:05Where am I reaching you right now, Raleigh?
00:07I'm in Nashville at my bar, the Duck Blind.
00:10I'm hanging out up here and catching up on some phone calls.
00:13And I've been spending some of my time in some warmer weather the last few days.
00:18So I'm catching up now. I'm paying for it.
00:20That's nice. I love that you can use that bar as a little bit of a home base and an office.
00:26Yeah, it's, you know, one of the reasons I was really for opening this bar is where it is.
00:32It's in Midtown.
00:34And, you know, this building that I'm in is where I met 90% of the people I know in the music industry,
00:40other songwriters, other artists.
00:42I got my start downstairs at Whiskey Jam like a lot of people did.
00:45So it's a pretty full circle place for me and definitely somewhere I like to hang out.
00:51That's great. Well, congrats on that.
00:53And, you know, I definitely want to touch base on the bar a little bit later.
00:59I got to say, it's nice to interview an Alabama guy for a change.
01:04You know, we're based in Birmingham.
01:07So right down the road from where you grew up.
01:09Yeah, it's been a lot of time.
01:11One of my, like, standout moments in my career, I think, was I was playing a Mexican restaurant
01:16in Jacksonville, Alabama every week for about $150 a night.
01:19And, you know, there'd be 50, 60 people in there.
01:23I did that for about eight years.
01:25And a guy called me from a venue called Iron City in Birmingham.
01:29And he said he'd heard my name a lot.
01:31Wanted to know if I wanted to play down there.
01:33And I've never had a booking agent, manager, nothing like that.
01:36I just had my phone number on a business card.
01:38And I said, man, the place holds 1,300 people.
01:42It'll be empty, you know.
01:44And finally, he taught me into coming down there.
01:46And I think 1,260 people showed up.
01:49And I had no clue anybody knew who I was in Birmingham.
01:51So it was kind of an eye-opened moment that I might have a chance to have a career in music,
01:56you know, because I was just doing it on the weekends when I wasn't framing houses as a hobby.
02:00And that was a little bit different there.
02:03Well, I know Iron City well.
02:04And I've seen a lot of bands there.
02:06It's a great, great venue.
02:09And there's always, it's always worth going, even if you don't necessarily know the artists.
02:14Because, you know, they book a lot of talented folks.
02:17And you might discover someone.
02:19Well, yeah.
02:19I mean, they took a chance on me early in my career.
02:21And I probably played there after I'd outgrown that venue two or three more times, you know,
02:27just because you always remember folks like that.
02:29And I like that smaller, intimate feel, you know.
02:34I mean, that's a good-sized venue, and it sounds great in there.
02:37It's always something I enjoy doing.
02:38Yeah.
02:39What was the name of the Mexican place that you used to play at?
02:43Locomex.
02:44And this was in Jacksonville?
02:45In Jacksonville, yeah.
02:46I played Locomex.
02:48I played a bar called Pelham's.
02:49I played a bar called Heroes, a bar called Brothers.
02:52And I did that every week.
02:54So if you lived in Jacksonville, Alabama, or near there, you couldn't go to a restaurant
02:58and have a meal without hearing me play, for the most part.
03:01And, you know, I slowly branched to Gadsden, Alabama, then to Anniston, Alabama.
03:05And then it was, you know, Rome, Georgia.
03:08And that circle just kept getting bigger and bigger until, you know, folks in Nashville started
03:12hearing about it, I guess.
03:14That's great.
03:14That's great.
03:15Well, you know, we have a connection to Jacksonville here.
03:18Um, there's a guy named Rick Bragg who writes the back page of this magazine, and he's done
03:25that since 2010.
03:27Um, he's, you know, probably he's our best writer and, uh, um, but he's, he's based in
03:34Jacksonville, grew up there.
03:36Prince of Frogtown.
03:37Yeah.
03:37Yep.
03:38Yeah.
03:38That's right.
03:38That's right.
03:39Um, so tell me a little bit about, about growing up there and specifically, um, the
03:46house where you grew up.
03:48What, what did it kind of look and feel like?
03:50And what was it like driving down the driveway?
03:52When I was a little kid, we lived in Pleasant Valley, Alabama, right outside of Jacksonville,
03:56right across from my great grandmother's house.
03:59And, uh, I can barely remember that.
04:01I remember the blizzard in 93, the snow was over my head crossing the street.
04:05Uh, but it's a small, you know, three bedroom house and, uh, had two older sisters.
04:11My dad did construction.
04:12My mom taught school.
04:13And, uh, somewhere around the time I was probably five or six years old, we moved to Jacksonville,
04:17which we called town.
04:19Uh, and that was, you know, Oxford was a big city to me.
04:21Uh, it seemed like Birmingham was a day's drive.
04:26So, uh, Jacksonville was the city and, and that was kind of how I was looked at going
04:30back out to Pleasant Valley.
04:31We called that the country and they all kind of, like I was a city slicker because I lived
04:35in Jacksonville and I went to school in Jacksonville, but we, we always somehow, I think we lived
04:40a little above our means.
04:41We always had a nice house, you know, and, and nobody was really making a ton of money
04:45in my family.
04:45Uh, used to go down to, uh, Fort Morgan, down around Gulf Shores on vacation, you know, and
04:52it was a pretty normal childhood.
04:55I think I enjoyed the most about it and took for granted a little bit that both sets of my
05:01grandparents lived six, seven miles away in Pleasant Valley.
05:05So I saw my grandparents every day of my life for the most part.
05:08Uh, and, uh, even a few great grandparents.
05:11So, uh, I was really fortunate to have that tie there, but where I think I lived most of
05:16my life was out there in Pleasant Valley and what we called the country.
05:19That was kind of where I liked to hang out.
05:20That's great.
05:21That's great.
05:22Um, well, it's a great part of the world and, and, uh, um, you know, really pretty.
05:28It's kind of right there, um, at the kind of the foothills of the, uh, the Appalachians,
05:34I guess the mountains kind of roll right down there.
05:37Uh, yeah, yeah, it is.
05:38You know, uh, the biggest mountain in Alabama is right there at Chee Hall and that's a few
05:42miles away.
05:43So we, uh, we grew up in what we call mountains.
05:47Now that I've traveled a little bit, I realized they were hills, but we called them mountains
05:51where I was growing up.
05:52You know, you, you mentioned your grandparents and, uh, one of your biggest songs, um, was
05:59called, I wish grandpa's never died.
06:03And, um, you made a video of that song, um, that has a lot of images.
06:08Of, of your grandfather or maybe grandfathers.
06:11Yeah.
06:12Both of them.
06:13Tell me a little bit more about them and what your relationship was like with them, with
06:18them being just kind of right down the road.
06:20Well, my granddaddy Buford was a very, uh, very witty guy, really good with words, wrote
06:25poems and painted.
06:26And, uh, I think he would have been a good songwriter had he been around, you know, during
06:32that part of my life.
06:33And, uh, when I was with him, I wrote a song about him.
06:36I played at his funeral and there was a line in it that said he never could himself, but
06:41he taught me how to play.
06:43And I don't really remember what I was thinking when I wrote it, but that's very true.
06:46Like he had an old epiphone guitar and he couldn't play, but somehow we like sat around and we
06:52would just try to learn how to play these old Roy Acuff and Merle Haggard and George
06:55Jones songs.
06:57And, uh, eventually he started to, we'd meet at his, his parents' house, which was my great
07:01grandparents.
07:02They'd passed away.
07:03We'd sit on the porch and he'd get my grandmother, little Jean to, to bring the yellow pages down
07:08and he'd call up these guys that played the banjo or the mandolin or whatever.
07:11And we'd start to meet every week and play.
07:13And so I was a, you know, nine, 10 year old kid sitting around with a bunch of old guys
07:18playing Roy Acuff songs.
07:19And we eventually started doing it every week and made us, built a stage.
07:23We had a saw mold back there.
07:24My granddaddy painted a saw blade gold, hung it on the front.
07:27We called it the golden saw music hall.
07:29And that went on for about 13 years.
07:31And I would just sit up there and watch these guys, watch their hands and figure out how they
07:34made chords.
07:35And, uh, it was never a goal to be in music.
07:39That was just kind of how me and him bonded was, was over country music.
07:43And, uh, my granddaddy Lyndon was, was very different.
07:47He was a big fisherman, played golf.
07:50You know, his biggest decision every day was whether they're going golfing or fishing.
07:53Big outdoorsman, uh, never missed a ball game that any of the grandkids played.
07:58And, uh, you know, when I was with him, we went fishing or we went golfing or whatever,
08:02did something outdoors.
08:03So I had a, I had three dads, you know, I mean, really is what it was like.
08:06And, uh, my dad was, uh, built houses for a living.
08:10And if I wasn't with my granddaddies, I was with him working.
08:14So I spent a lot of time with my granddaddies when I could.
08:17Uh, and, and I learned a lot from them.
08:19And, you know, like my granddaddy Buford used to give me and my cousins, uh, handshake
08:24competitions when I'd see him, you know, we always had to see, and he would say, well,
08:27that was a two, uh, that's third place right there.
08:29You know, uh, we'd talk trash about how the preacher's handshake wasn't any good when
08:34we left church on Sunday, you know?
08:35So he was constantly teaching me life lessons when I didn't really realize it, you know?
08:40Was he around to see, um, some of your success as an artist?
08:46I, I think it was successful to him, what I was doing.
08:49He passed away in 2010.
08:51So I was still, uh, I was still playing local bars and they came out to some shows.
08:56It was a little late for them.
08:57Uh, but they definitely got to see me play.
09:00And, you know, me getting on stage at the Golden Sala and singing Mama Tried was, you
09:05know, that's all he needed anyway.
09:07Uh, but my grandmother, Jean, his wife is still living today.
09:11She's comes out to shows quite a bit.
09:12Uh, my other grandparents, they lived for quite a bit of my career and they got to see
09:17me play the Opry, which I think was the first time I was famous in their eyes was me playing
09:21the Grand Ole Opry, but they got to come to that show.
09:23I mean, that's a pretty big, that's a pretty big deal, Raleigh.
09:25That's, that's about as big as it gets right there.
09:28Yeah.
09:28I don't, I don't think they really cared about much else, but when I did that, it was a big
09:31deal, you know?
09:32So, uh, they've certainly gotten to experience a lot of, you know, the success of my career.
09:36And, uh, it's, it's pretty cool to, to, to be able to share that with them.
09:41I saw a picture of you with, I think it was your grandmother, Lola Jean at the, at the
09:47Opry.
09:48Yeah.
09:48Yeah.
09:48She got to come backstage and hang out back there with us.
09:51This was pretty recently.
09:52She, like I said, she was the wife of my granddaddy Buport, who was a big country music guy and
09:56she, she enjoys it.
09:57I think she's just, uh, just proud of what all's going on.
10:01And well, I know she is because she tells all the nurses at the hospital, she's my grandmother
10:05and, and everybody at the restaurant, she goes in, you know, so she's, uh, she brags
10:09on me quite a bit, but, uh, I'm, I realize now how fortunate I was to have all of my grandparents
10:15in my life for, for the majority of it.
10:18And, uh, and to still have her around is a blessing.
10:21So Riley, with all those grandparents around, um, who was doing all the cooking in your family?
10:26Both of my grandmothers, uh, my, my favorite thing growing up was gravy and biscuits.
10:30And I liked my grandmother Jean's gravy and my grandmother Nancy's biscuits, but I've
10:34never obviously ever tell them that, but every once in a while I would kind of trick
10:38them into, I want y'all to come together and try it.
10:42But I would go drive 15 minutes out of the way.
10:45And I hated getting up for school in the morning, but I would get up early to drive 15 minutes
10:48out of the way to go eat breakfast at their house before I went to school.
10:52Uh, but my grandmother Nancy was, it was a great cook and she passed down a lot of those,
10:57uh, recipes to my sisters and my mom and my aunt.
11:00So we still have good meals when we have family get togethers.
11:03And what about your mom?
11:05She's a teacher.
11:06She was, she's retired now, but she was a teacher and, uh, you know, her sister was a
11:10teacher and, uh, both of my sisters did some coaching and teaching at some point.
11:15So I've had a lot of, a lot of moms around and, uh, being the only boy and the youngest,
11:19I got, uh, I got, uh, scolded quite a bit.
11:23I guess you could say they, they kept me in line.
11:25Um, so Raleigh, I'm wondering about the holidays, um, in your family, you, uh, you came out
11:31with a Christmas song last year.
11:33I think it came out last year, um, called Christmas to me.
11:37Um, what did it look like in your house and, and kind of who was the biggest fan when it
11:42came to the holidays?
11:44Well, you know, that's one thing I love about going back home and, uh, whether it's the holidays
11:50or just a random break that I get from being on the road, I'm, you know, as much of a regular
11:56guy as you can be, uh, to them, especially.
12:00And, uh, it's a really good way for me to kind of disconnect and, and get back to reality
12:04because there's not a lot of reality about what I'm doing on the road.
12:07You know, being, having a kind of rockstar lifestyle is not very realistic.
12:11And, uh, I don't know that it's healthy to feel that way all the time.
12:13So it's nice to go back and be humbled a little bit and, uh, spend time with family and,
12:18and probably more so than anything, it's really useful for me now because that's where I get
12:23a lot of my inspiration.
12:24You know, in that song, Christmas to me is, is described it to a T. It couldn't be more
12:29true about what Christmas was like growing up.
12:31It's, uh, a bunch of family members, members piling into a little bitty tiny house and,
12:36and, uh, opening presents and eating too much and taking a nap and then getting up and eating
12:42too much again and watching the kids run around all over the place barefoot.
12:45But it's, uh, it was a very true story writing that song, a really easy song for me to write
12:49as well.
12:50Is there a dish that comes to mind, uh, when you think of your Christmas table, is there
12:55one thing that, that stands out or something that a family member was kind of known for?
13:00Well, my grandmother, Nancy made really good chicken and dumplings.
13:03That was kind of the thing.
13:04And my parent, my mom makes it now.
13:07Uh, and, and my mom's sweet potato casserole.
13:09It's another thing that I look forward to going home to every time.
13:13When that song came out, there was a photo that was on Apple music and it might've been
13:19in some other places and it was kind of a, a vintage photo.
13:24And I was wondering if that was something personal from, from your family or, or not.
13:31Yeah, that's a, that picture was from my grandmother, uh, Lola Jean's house.
13:35That was me and the Dallas Cowboys Jersey and my dad in the background and my granddaddy
13:39Buford sitting in his chair in the corner.
13:40I found out pretty early in my career, I think the first photo shoot I did for an album,
13:46I didn't really have a manager or anything and I was so new to it.
13:49I just kind of went wherever they told me.
13:51We went to this farm, no telling what we paid to, to rent it out.
13:54And I took a picture standing next to a cow and next to an old barn or whatever.
13:57And I thought, man, I've got all this.
13:59We can come take a picture of my house, you know?
14:01And so I've been very, uh, I've made it a point for all of my album covers and to be
14:08something that's really tied to me.
14:09You know, uh, if it wasn't for trucks was my old red truck and my dog Sadie was in the
14:14picture.
14:15And I wish grandpa's never died was a picture of me and my granddaddy when I was a kid.
14:19And another one was a picture of my granddaddy Lyndon on the boat fishing.
14:22I took with myself on, you know, that's kind of been my, my way of looking at it is I like
14:26for it to be a true story.
14:27And, and, you know, when I look at the album art, I want it to take me back to a certain
14:31place too.
14:32Yeah.
14:33You don't really need to make that stuff up, do you?
14:35Or, you know, go and rent a vintage truck for, you know, probably a couple thousand dollars
14:41for a photo shoot, you know, and you got it right there.
14:44Yeah.
14:44Now we've used, uh, we use my truck in, uh, the video for, if it wasn't for trucks and
14:48it broke down during the video, it overheated.
14:50So we had to wait 30 minutes for it to cool off.
14:53But, uh, I think that's cool.
14:54I think it's, uh, I think it's something that I think is beneficial in a music career
15:00now, especially in country music is to be authentic with all the access that fans have
15:05now, you know, to your social media and all this stuff, you know, I think people can tell.
15:10And for me, I like to use things that are true to me and tell a story that I think is
15:14pretty real.
15:14And, uh, I think I'm just fortunate that a lot of people grew up the same way I did.
15:19Riley, I want to ask about your connection to the outdoors.
15:22You mentioned your, um, your other grandfather was, was an outdoorsman and loved to fish
15:28and golf.
15:29And, you know, if you go to your Instagram, it's all pictures of, of deer and, and ducks
15:37and other things you've hunted elk.
15:38I think I saw in there, um, your handle is Riley duck man or duckman.
15:44I don't know, however you want to say it.
15:48Um, but, um, talk to me about what that means to you, that side of your life.
15:56Um, and you know, for a guy who's spending so much of his time on the road and you're
16:01playing these stadiums and you're traveling all the time, what does it do for you to have
16:06some time in the woods?
16:08I've gotten to a place where a little bit of time disconnecting from all of it really
16:12goes a long way for me.
16:13I don't need a month off.
16:15You know, I, I kind of realized the opportunities that I have now and, and the best place for
16:19me to be is out on the road with fans.
16:21And, uh, I think I got into hunting and fishing and all that from a, probably more of a competitive
16:28standpoint.
16:29I think when I quit playing ball, that was kind of my way with the buddies to go see who
16:33could, you know, find a place to get the most ducks or the biggest deer or whatever
16:36it was and the, the sport of it to me, the chase and, and, uh, trying to figure them
16:42out was, was what I enjoyed.
16:43And now I think I really enjoy it because it's such a great way for me to get away from
16:48everything, to go out, you know, in the woods and climb a tree where my phone doesn't work.
16:51And, uh, you're not worried about where your next show is when you're sitting in a tree
16:56and a big buck walks out and you're bow hunting, you know, it's, uh, so it's really one of the
17:00few places I can truly disconnect.
17:02And I think that's where I get a lot of my inspiration from is when you're kind of alone
17:06with your thoughts, this is such a wide open career.
17:11You know, you're, you're constantly going a million different directions and it's not
17:14just shows.
17:15It's not just writing songs.
17:16It's not just meetings with management or recording studios.
17:19It's kind of a lot of things I didn't realize were a part of it.
17:22So, uh, it's, it's extremely necessary.
17:24I think for me to have something like that, a hobby that's truly a, a getaway.
17:28Well, it's, it's kind of, um, meditative.
17:32Um, and I think a lot of people don't realize this who don't hunt, but if you are bow hunting,
17:40for example, um, you know, you might be sitting there in a tree alone with your thoughts, watching
17:49some very empty woods for, you know, hours, before, before anything actually comes by.
17:55Yeah.
17:56Yeah.
17:57Well, I've got a little farmhouse in Kansas, about an hour and 40 minutes outside of Kansas
18:02city.
18:03And some of the best sleep I get is going up there by myself and standing in this little
18:07bitty two bedroom house.
18:08And, you know, I'll get up early in the morning and go hunt and freeze in the woods and probably
18:13see nothing.
18:14And then come back and eat some breakfast and sleep, take a nap and do the same thing in
18:17the evening.
18:18And I'll go to bed by, you know, seven 30, eight o'clock.
18:20But, uh, it's just, it's tough when, you know, a career like, you know, traveling and tour
18:27and doing country music, it really never ends.
18:30You know what I mean?
18:30Obviously you have a lot of shows, you have a lot of appearances and things like that,
18:33interviews, whatever it is, but like every day you should be riding.
18:37You know what I mean?
18:38That's how I, that's how I have a touring business is the songs I've made up.
18:41So when I'm in Nashville, even if I'm off work, I feel like I should be doing something
18:46that's a constant.
18:46Now I've got a bar, so, you know, I've got another venture that I probably didn't need
18:50and, uh, getting away like that, physically going somewhere where you really are disconnected
18:56from everything else.
18:57It's kind of the only way to, to truly get that relief, I guess.
19:01You were in the construction business before you made it big, um, framing houses, I believe.
19:09What are some things that you learned from those years that have, that have helped you
19:13in songwriting and, and in the music business?
19:17You know, no matter what career you're in, how hard you work is a, you know, you're going
19:21to see a direct result of it from, you know, how far you get.
19:24And, you know, I have a lot of times where I'm worn pretty thin in this lifestyle and,
19:31and management will call me and go, Hey, like, got an opportunity to do this.
19:34You know, you got 10 shows in a row.
19:36We're probably just going to pass on.
19:37I go, well, do I need to go do it?
19:39You know, and I think that comes from having to do some really tough work over the years.
19:43I think playing sports in high school and college and that accountability, you know,
19:47I think when I was 18 years old going into college, I probably didn't have a lot of that.
19:52And, you know, when you're, when you're being forced to get up at 530 in the morning and
19:55go to workouts and do this and do that and, and being held accountable, I think that's
19:59something that, you know, you have to kind of learn.
20:01And, and the same thing was with getting up and going to work in the morning.
20:04I think, I didn't think I was going to have a career in country music.
20:08I was fortunate.
20:09I got to go, you know, play.
20:11And a lot of times they'd let me drink for free or give me a hundred bucks or something.
20:14And, and I enjoyed playing music, but I thought I'd be framing houses the rest of my life.
20:18So I had to grow up kind of quickly.
20:20And I think that work ethic was probably something that's helped me a lot of my music career.
20:25I can remember our granddaddy Buford always telling me as a kid to grab the heavy end.
20:29And, and I thought that was just one of those crazy old guy sayings, but what he meant was,
20:33you know, be the guy that, that'll work a little bit harder than everybody else.
20:36And, you know, I've always kind of had that mentality.
20:39I think that's a generational thing.
20:41I think my dad and his brother, they, they kind of valued themselves on how hard they could
20:46work, how much they could accomplish in one day.
20:48I can remember riding around my dad and him going, yeah, we, we did all that.
20:52You know, we built that house last year and we framed that one in so many days.
20:55And he would jokingly say that he, when he was running the handsaw, he would say he saw
21:00from here to Aniston and back today, like he kept up with how, how far he saw, you know?
21:05So I think that was just something I grew up around and, and, uh, definitely, I think I
21:09could have applied to any career that I ended up in.
21:12Yeah.
21:12Yeah.
21:14Um, well, I know that the, you know, the country business, particularly at your, um, level
21:20is a grind.
21:21Um, I mean, you are just going a hundred miles an hour all the time.
21:26You got to get up, bring it every single day.
21:29Um, so, uh, yeah.
21:31So those, those lessons really have got to stay with you if you're going to, if you're
21:35going to stick it out and do it year after year.
21:38Right.
21:39Yeah.
21:39You know, my granddaddy ran the, uh, the music hall, like I told you about, and I can
21:45remember, you know, it didn't, it didn't make any money.
21:47It was free for anybody that wanted to come.
21:49Anybody that wanted to could sing out of the old ladies would make snacks and they had
21:52like a break, you know, and there was a little tip jar and it might've been enough to keep
21:56the lights on.
21:57But I can remember my granddaddy, if you walked in, he greeted everybody.
22:01He was pulling chairs up for people and all that.
22:03And I don't, I don't know why he would, you know, felt so passionate about that.
22:08He just enjoyed music, enjoyed that style of music and wanted to kind of live on.
22:12And that was kind of his way of doing it.
22:13And, uh, when I would go play the Mexican restaurant and somebody would show up and
22:18there wasn't a table open, I'd get up from playing and go inside and bring chairs out
22:22because I wanted everybody to have a good time.
22:24And I, I don't think it was for any reason other than I just saw that done.
22:27I saw my granddaddy be the kind of host that he wanted everybody there to have a good time.
22:31And I think that's probably where I ended up starting with a music career because I wasn't
22:37the best singer in the world.
22:38I certainly didn't write the best songs when I was starting out.
22:41So, uh, just kind of finding a way to be an entertainer and make sure everybody that
22:46shows up and takes their Friday night to come hang out with me, had a good time was probably
22:51a really valuable thing too.
22:53And that was something that I learned from him and didn't really realize I was learning
22:56it.
22:56All right, Riley, I want to do, um, a little lightning round, um, that we call the jam session.
23:03Okay.
23:03So biscuits or cornbread?
23:06Biscuits.
23:06Auburn or Alabama?
23:10Auburn.
23:12Uh, ducks or deer?
23:15That's tough.
23:17Ducks.
23:17When it's cold enough, ducks.
23:19Okay.
23:20Mayo or no mayo?
23:22Mayo.
23:23Okay.
23:24Sweet or unsweet?
23:26Sweet.
23:27Is anybody the answer that wrong?
23:29It's not from around here.
23:29Uh, the best barbecue place in Alabama is blank.
23:35I like the rocket barbecue, Jacksonville, Alabama.
23:40Okay.
23:41I haven't been to that one.
23:42I got to try that.
23:43Um, my all time favorite bar to play in is blank.
23:48Bar.
23:50Floorbound.
23:51I know you've spent some quality time there.
23:54The best dog I ever had was named blank.
23:58Jazz.
23:59Yellow lab.
24:00Is that your current dog?
24:02I still have her.
24:03Yeah.
24:03Yeah.
24:04Yeah.
24:04One thing I'm known for cooking is blank.
24:07Steak.
24:07The next person I'd really love to do a duet with is blank.
24:14Jamie Johnson.
24:15Have y'all ever talked about it?
24:16Oh yeah.
24:17Okay.
24:18We're going to find some time.
24:19I'll see that in the works.
24:20That's great.
24:21That's great.
24:21I did want to ask you one other question about your background in sports and, and as a quarterback,
24:28you played quarterback at Jacksonville state, I believe.
24:31Yes, sir.
24:32And you played a lot of other sports during high school.
24:36Um, talk to me about your football allegiance and what does it look like on a, on a Saturday
24:43in the fall?
24:45Um, at least when you don't have a show that you got to play.
24:48Well, it's tough for me because like most people in Alabama, my family was pretty divided.
24:53Uh, my dad, granddaddy, all of them were Alabama fans and I was an Auburn fan, but you
24:58know, as I've kind of been tied to, you know, Randy Owens, a big supporter of Jacksonville
25:04state and a lot of the coaches that have come through and I've watched Jacksonville
25:07grow.
25:07I really am a huge Jacksonville state fan now and try to get back to those games when
25:11I can.
25:12They're playing a lot of games during the week nowadays, which is great.
25:15So in October, I get to come back home and catch some of these games.
25:18So, uh, a lot of times I've got a few TVs on my bus.
25:21They'll be, they'll be on college football, but I'm definitely keeping up with Jacksonville
25:24state and pulling for them constantly.
25:26And what's your routine?
25:27What do you, what's your spread that you put out for a game day?
25:31Well, day games, we'll usually order some food or I'm thinking about taking a grill on
25:35the road this year.
25:36I think that'd be a nice addition to it, but we've got a TV outside the bus and several
25:40inside the bus.
25:41We'll have different games on all of them.
25:43And it kind of gives you that, you know, Saturday down South college football feel that
25:47I think I miss when I'm on the road.
25:49Well, I love that you pull for Jacksonville state, you know, still, you know, um, supporting
25:55those guys.
25:56That's great.
25:56Yeah, man, it was a great, it was a great learning experience for me going to school
25:59there.
26:00And I definitely got my start playing in all the little bars in Jacksonville.
26:03So it's, it's nice for me now to have a, have a career and a little bit of a stage to
26:08be able to try to bring awareness to them and hopefully give back a little bit.
26:11All right.
26:12Well, Riley, I want to talk about music for a minute.
26:14Um, and I want to start with a new song that you have out, uh, called Jesus saves.
26:22It's a song about a guy who's fallen on some hard times.
26:26Um, and I've got to say, it's not the song that I was expecting when I saw the title.
26:33Um, and I think a lot of people would probably, um, say that take me back to where you were
26:40when you, when you wrote that one and kind of what the story is behind it.
26:44Uh, well, it was, uh, kind of over the holidays last year, you know, spending time in Nashville.
26:49I'd, I'd pass as a, there's a guy that stands in the same corner every day and, uh, they'll
26:56sell papers.
26:56And, and, uh, one day when I was up there, I thought about him, I don't think I got the
27:01title of the song from that, but just the thought of, I mean, I wonder what he's been
27:05through and how tough it must be for somebody to try to win over a stranger and get compassion
27:11by just what they can fit on a piece of cardboard.
27:13You know, I thought that was a pretty interesting thing.
27:15And I think that we're always kind of quick to assume, you know, they're on drugs or their
27:21alcohol or whatever that is and, and kind of write it off.
27:24So when I did sit down to write the song, uh, I just thought about what are the things
27:30that could happen to anybody that could maybe put us in that same situation, you know, like
27:35what, if something, a few things went wrong for me in my life and those, those are real
27:39life things that happened to this guy, uh, what would make me feel compassionate enough
27:45to stop, you know, and I think making him a veteran, what was, uh, was that thing, you
27:50know, I think when you see that sign that says US veteran, you always feel a little
27:53more compassion for, for some reason.
27:55And, uh, I think the message was, was just, you don't know what everybody's been through
28:00and, and, you know, hopefully that people hear that song, they hear that message and
28:05maybe it makes people think twice when they see somebody that's falling on hard times.
28:09Cause that's really what that song's about.
28:11Well, it's a beautiful song and, and, um, I've got to imagine it's, um, been resonating
28:17with people, um, particularly when you, when you play it live, what kind of, what kind
28:21of reaction do you get from folks on that song?
28:25Well, it's, it's very familiar.
28:26It reminds me of when I first started playing, I wish Grandpa's Never Died.
28:29You know, it's that, uh, people, you know, get quiet and listen and, and it's, it's so
28:36fun to be able to play a show that's got a lot of high energy and people are raising their
28:40beers up in the air and singing along.
28:42And then you can have a moment where you sit on the stool and turn the lights down and
28:45play a song like that.
28:46It's really a story.
28:48And, uh, people, you know, really sit there and listen and kind of go on that journey with
28:52you.
28:52And, uh, there's a lot of pieces of cardboard in the crowd that say Jesus saves on now,
28:56you know, which is a cool thing to see from the stage.
28:58So.
28:58Oh, really?
28:59Yeah.
28:59It's, uh, it's, it's a, it's a, it's a fun song to have written.
29:02And, uh, you know, I, I don't know that it'll ever be a single at country radio or ever
29:06be a huge hit for me, but those are the kinds of songs that I think really moved my
29:11career along and get me fans that are, you know, the ones that want to come see a show
29:15maybe just for that one song.
29:17Yeah.
29:18It's a beautiful, it's a beautiful song and, and, uh, I wish you the best with it.
29:23And, um, I think, uh, it's going to reach a lot of people one way or another.
29:27I appreciate it.
29:27I want to ask you about a very different song.
29:31Um, and that's a song called, uh, you look like you love me.
29:34Um, that just absolutely took off last year.
29:40Um, it won a CMA award for musical event of the year, um, with you and, and Ella Langley.
29:48Um, that had to be a lot of fun to do, um, to perform, to see that thing, uh, explode,
29:56uh, the way it did.
29:58Did it catch you by surprise?
30:00It did.
30:00Yeah.
30:00I certainly had no idea it would be the song that it is.
30:03It's, uh, I know it was a fun song.
30:05I thought talking verses was probably a little too traditional, but how cool is it that a
30:11song that's that country is, is doing that well?
30:13It's been a really fun song to watch it kind of shoot up the charts and become such a big
30:19hit almost overnight.
30:21Uh, and that's not something that I've really experienced with any other songs, a viral success
30:25like that.
30:25So it's been a fun, uh, a fun journey with that one.
30:28Well, we got to talk about Ella for a second.
30:31Um, she's a fellow Alabamian.
30:35Um, and, uh, now you've got a song with her called Don't Mind If I Do, uh, which is a title
30:41track on your new album.
30:43Tell me a little bit about your, your kind of offstage connection with, with Ella.
30:48Well, it was a promoter friend of mine that first introduced me to her music.
30:52And I think she opened a few shows for me, uh, you know, in the Southeast and I've always
30:58liked her voice.
30:59And, and certainly, you know, you always kind of pull for somebody from, from your home state.
31:03There's not a lot of artists from Alabama that are really doing all that well in country
31:06music.
31:06So it's great to have that and, and share that success with her.
31:10Her being on tour with me was awesome last year and certainly looking forward to a tour
31:13together this year.
31:14And, uh, really just, just glad that you can have two songs that are very different that
31:20are being, you know, really successful, uh, with the same artist.
31:23That's a pretty unique thing.
31:24So it's a great moment in the show to have, uh, you know, like you love me, which is such
31:29a catchy sing along.
31:30And then Don't Mind If I Do is kind of the more serious love song and it's a completely
31:34different moment in the show.
31:35So it's, it's awesome to have that with her and, um, certainly happy for her success.
31:39How did Don't Mind If I Do happen?
31:41How did that come together?
31:41Well, I wrote the song, uh, in the green room at a show in Rogers, Arkansas, and I wrote
31:47it as a duet.
31:48I didn't necessarily have Ella in mind to sing on it, but I was trying to kind of figure
31:53out who I would get just because we had that other song together.
31:57You know, you don't see a lot of duets that are kind of back to back like that.
32:00And, uh, when I went in the studio to record it, I think I texted her and see if she would
32:05come by to put a female vocal on it to make sure the key was right for a female.
32:08And she just nailed it.
32:11You know, I really, as soon as I heard it, I thought there was no way I was going to
32:13do any better than that.
32:15Uh, and so it was kind of accidental that she ended up on that song, but it's been, you
32:19know, a huge song for me.
32:20And, and obviously, like I said, a very different song than you, like you love me.
32:24Just on a personal level, what are some things that, that y'all have, um, in common and the,
32:29you know, and maybe what are some things you disagree on?
32:32Yeah, I think Ella growing up in a similar place to me being from Alabama, I think we
32:36have a lot of the same influences musically, which is great.
32:40Uh, and I think that where we're different is, is some of the styles of music.
32:44I mean, she's quite a bit younger than me.
32:45So, so some of her influences are going to be a little bit different.
32:48I think she's got somewhat of a Stevie Nicks kind of thing that I think is really cool.
32:53And, uh, like I said, I'm, I'm a fan of her music and I think the best thing you can
32:57be right now is different and have your own sound.
32:59And she certainly has that.
33:00I know there are people that, you know, probably speculated, you know, or y'all a couple, you
33:05know, and it's sort of also the, the nature of the song.
33:09I mean, you look like you love me.
33:11Um, and, and really also don't mind if I do as well.
33:15Um, I mean, do you think she would describe you as her type?
33:20I don't know.
33:21I mean, being that we grew up so similar, you know, I can certainly see, uh, why people
33:27come to that conclusion and, and, you know, at the same time, you really can't blame them.
33:31I think as a country music fan, you want to believe that a song's true, you know, and
33:35that there's a, there's a real love story happening on stage.
33:38And, uh, you know, I think when that song kind of first came out to be successful, I
33:42kind of mentioned to her, like, there's going to be a lot of speculation and, you know, it's
33:46not a bad thing at all.
33:47As far as her type goes, I, you'd have to ask her that.
33:49I'm not real sure, but, uh, it's certainly been something that is, is, uh, has sparked
33:54from those two songs.
33:55And, and I think probably has a lot to do with why they're so successful as well.
33:59Well, you guys have a great thing going with the duets and I think your voices, um, go well
34:04together and, and, uh, it just, it feels very organic.
34:07It feels very natural and kind of feels like you've just been doing it for years.
34:12Yeah.
34:12Yeah.
34:12I think so too.
34:13And it's, it's, it's always nice.
34:15You can tell you're, you're doing something right when it's easy.
34:17You know, when you sit down to write a song and it just kind of flows out, you know,
34:20you're on the right track and that's kind of the same way with collaborations and, and,
34:24uh, and other artists as well.
34:26So Riley, um, I've wanted to circle back to the duck blind.
34:31Um, so this is the name of your bar that you're sitting in right now, which opened last year,
34:37I believe, right?
34:38That's right.
34:38Yeah.
34:38I think it was September.
34:40So it hadn't been open very long.
34:42Um, what's been the most fun part of this project?
34:44Well, obviously the creative of, of opening a bar is exciting.
34:47You know what I mean?
34:48And it really is me and my buddy that did this.
34:50So we got to sit around and go, man, I'd like to hang a deer head over here.
34:54Man, it'd be cool if there's a big duck or a neon duck.
34:57And there's a little step down from this bar into loser's bar.
35:00And there's a sign that says, duck your head.
35:02You know, we were so excited about, you know, we thought we came up with the coolest thing
35:05ever.
35:06Uh, but it's, it's just been fun to kind of design it and think about what would we, what
35:11would we like?
35:12You know, we're, I'm not too far removed from a fan or just a guy that was going into a bar
35:15in Nashville.
35:16So what would I like to see in a place?
35:18And, and him being a bar owner and me being a country music artist that performs and has
35:22played in these type of bars that we could both put our heads together and try to make
35:25a place that was really, really fun for people to come hang out.
35:28And, you know, the upstairs, we got these giant video screens and people come in on Saturdays
35:33and watch ball games.
35:34And there'll be more Alabama fans than anything up here, which makes me feel like home already,
35:38you know, but, uh, it's just been a really fun process.
35:41And, and obviously, uh, a really cool business to be involved in.
35:45Who are some of your hunting buddies, um, in the country music world?
35:48You know, I have to tell people all the time, you, you, you, everybody's like, man, are you
35:53buddies with so-and-so?
35:54Did you hang out with them?
35:55Whatever.
35:55And we're all so busy.
35:56We see each other like this, you know, like we're, you know, maybe we get in the studio
36:00together or maybe we see each other on the road at shows.
36:02So I rarely get to hunt with a lot of artists.
36:05I took Thomas Rhett duck hunting for the first time a few years ago.
36:08And obviously a pretty good collaboration with half of me came out of that.
36:12And that was a big hit for both of us.
36:13So maybe I should do more of it, taking some other artists hunting, but I think I've gotten
36:18a little bit stingy with my off time.
36:20And when I'm, when I have the ability to go hunting and get away, I usually try to do
36:24it by myself.
36:25Yeah.
36:25Yeah.
36:25It's your, it's your escape.
36:27And, uh, yeah, when you're, you don't necessarily want it to be another, another business thing.
36:33Well, you know, when you take another artist somewhere, we have so little time together,
36:36you can't help but be talking about collaborations or trying to write or whatever.
36:40And I've taken a lot of songwriters hunting with me, but at the same time, you know, that
36:44it's easy to say, well, I should be writing.
36:46If I'm here, I got a few days off.
36:47And when I go by myself, I just, that's my getaway.
36:50If people show up at your bar, uh, is there a chance that they might run into somebody,
36:54um, of note, you know, would, do you show up there periodically and, and hang out or,
37:00or, um, you know, other folks?
37:03That's another reason I was excited about doing this bar is this really is where I like
37:06to hang out at, you know?
37:07So, whereas those bars on Broadway, you know, it's great.
37:10And a lot of, a lot of tourists go down there, but I've never known any other artists to really
37:15hang out on Broadway.
37:16You know, it's a, it's such a touristy spot.
37:18This was really like the locals hangout.
37:20And, uh, I met a lot of songwriters, a lot of other artists here, you know, since we've
37:24opened me and Jamie Johnson have jumped on stage together, me and Ella, Drake White, Randy
37:29Houser, you know, there's just, you never really know who's going to show up and John
37:33Daly might be singing, knocking on heaven's door.
37:35You know, when you walk in, it's a, it's a pretty unique place.
37:38And this part of town is kind of known for that.
37:40That's great.
37:41That's great.
37:42Well, Riley, I just have one more question for you.
37:44What does it mean to you to be Southern?
37:46You know, it's one of those things that when you are Southern and that's where you live,
37:52you take it for granted.
37:53Cause it's just how you grew up.
37:55Uh, it was, my eyes were open to it when I started to bring down people after I signed
37:59a record deal and they wanted us to film like a, where you're from piece.
38:02And they, they're like, this is real.
38:04You know, the, the one flashing light and, and you're both your grandparents live on the
38:08same street and your grandmother's cutting grass out here.
38:10And like, you know, it's, it's the things that I've noticed from traveling places that
38:15are not Southern.
38:15And it's, it's really just the values.
38:17It's the importance of saying, yes, sir.
38:20And yes, ma'am.
38:21And a good handshake.
38:22You know, you don't see that everywhere.
38:23I think growing up in a small town is, is kind of what it means to be Southern for me.
38:28You know, I think when you get in some of these big cities, you know, you might travel
38:32in New York to work and see 10,000 people and not see the same person twice in a week.
38:39You know, I think when you're living in a small town, you're held accountable for how
38:41you treat people, you know, cause if you cut somebody off with a red light in my hometown,
38:45you might see their grandmother at Walmart that day or the Piggly Wiggly, and then she's
38:48going to tell your aunt Becky.
38:50And, you know, so I just think that the, the, the personality and the, the friendships and
38:56the, the community that you get in a small Southern town is, is, is kind of what I miss
39:00when I'm on the road.
39:01And, uh, certainly what I try to go back and remember as often as I can.
39:06Well, I love that.
39:07That's well said.
39:07And I also love your grandfather's, uh, um, trick of, of rating the, the handshakes.
39:15I might have to try that when I'm a grandfather someday.
39:18Yeah.
39:19It worked on us.
39:19I still, I still judge people off their handshakes.
39:22I do too.
39:23Um, well, Riley Green, um, congrats on the new album and congrats on the CMA and, and all
39:30the success, the new bar.
39:32Thanks so much for being on biscuits and jam.
39:34Appreciate it.
39:35Thank y'all for having me.
39:35I, uh, I, uh, I, uh, I, uh, I, uh, uh, I, uh, I, uh, I, uh, uh, I, uh, I, uh, uh, I, uh, I, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, I, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
39:44You