Many artists dream of being on stage for as long as they can remember. This is not the case for Indiana native, John Riggins; his journey began in a unique way. We recently sat down with him to hear his story.
Riggins fell in love with performing in his early thirties when he sang karaoke at a local bar. “It was one of those dive bars where you know everybody and everyone has fun,” he said. When the bar cancelled its weekly event, he wanted to continue singing. “It gave me more of a kick-start to learn to play guitar,” he explained. “I put my nose to it and learned all the chords that I could.” After he started playing, he returned to the bar and offered to play a solo show for tips.
To scale his show, Riggins invited his friend to play lead. They formed a band and began playing around the Indianapolis area and surrounding cities. After that, they won a contest that led him to open for artists like Mark Wills and Darryl Worley.
Riggins was a full-time firefighter and it took him a year to make the decision to move to Nashville. He faced a similar situation when he was almost drafted to play professional baseball after high school. He continued his education, but did not complete college and did not move on to play the sport professionally.
Riggins didn’t want to end up in another “what if” situation, so he decided to make the move to Nashville in 2013. Luckily, his family was very supportive and he was able to pursue music full time.
Live Show – Independence, WI
We attended his show in Independence, Wisconsin, where Riggins played a solo acoustic set. It’s always a pleasure to hear someone who sounds as good live as they do on their album.
Riggins played his original songs as well as covers, including solicited requests from the crowd. The fans in attendance knew his songs and even asked that he play their favorites from the album. One couple drove over 200 miles just to see him play. They first heard Riggins play in Nashville and have been following him ever since.
Outlaw Rising
Outlaw Rising is Riggins’ latest album and he co-wrote many of the songs on it.
Today’s “Country” Music
Riggins had some thought-provoking perspectives on the music industry and the rise of modern “country” on FM radio. He said that many people who crave a more traditional sound aren’t as familiar with streaming services and feel like they’re stuck with FM radio. Some purchase XM radio, but are faced with a lot of the same issues, unless they simply listen to a station that only plays old country music. There isn’t a good way for them to seek out new country music with a traditional sound.
The younger demographic fueling the bro country trend is more familiar with streaming services. It’s a cycle because radio analyzes streaming and social media metrics to determine what they will play.
Regardless of whether the music we want to hear is on the radio, we still have artists like John Riggins, Shane Owens, Cody Jinks, Whitey Morgan, and so many others that are keeping traditional country alive.
To help people find more traditional country artists, he curated his own playlist of old, middle, and new-school country music.
John Riggins’ New Album
Riggins is extremely excited about his new album and expects to release it later this month. He plays the new songs throughout his tour and wants the fans to help select which songs to release first.
Once the album is released, we’ll share the news with everyone. In the meantime, you can visit Riggins’ website or follow him on social media.