Clay Rigdon (vocals, piano, guitar)
Brian Tabor (guitar, vocals)
Cliff Thompson (drums, vocals)
Bobby Dancy (bass, vocals)
Influences
Personally? That would be Debbi.
Musically? First, would have been my Granny (Lucille) Rigdon. She used to sing and play Southern Gospel hymns on her old battered upright piano with it's cracked and missing ivory keys. I'd sit on the bench beside and sing along at the top of my lungs. I lost interest in playing when the teacher (the church piano player) would only allow me to play hymns. I wanted to play Tommy Roe songs. At that time, I only had one record album and that was it. "Dizzy" was my favorite song.
Next was my second Stepfather Charles "Bozo" Jarrell. He turned me on to a whole different world of music that I wasn't familiar with until then. He had a country music band that used to practice at our house in north Jacksonville. Bozo played bass and sang in the group. He had guitar, drums, steel and piano as well. Oh My! I quickly fell victim to those haunting George Jones and Ray Price melodies and before you know it, I was drumming, then playing piano in the band. My first paying gig was a New Years Eve party at our local moose Lodge. I made forty dollars, had women falling over me and felt like I was on the top of the world!
Then, I guess the biggest musical influence came from a man I met while playing at the County Line Saloon in Melbourne Fl. That was Charles Lilly. Charlie was playing bass for Joe Diffie at the time and we had the privilege of opening the show. Debbi and I met and became friends with Charlie, as most people did, right away. we stayed in touch over the next few months and eventually took a trip up to Nashville to visit. Charlie, originally from West Virginia, showed us around Hendersonville and we knew, just as he somehow did, that we were home. We moved up at the first of the next year and now reside in a world of our peers. I'm influenced daily by the nostalgia, culture and the overall music way of life that is Nashville. All of the artists, songwriters and musicians I have met all inspire to me to achieve goals I used to only dream of.
I hope that as I too meet new faces, I may influence someone in return. That would make Granny, Bozo and Charlie proud.
Originally from Jacksonville, FL Clay began his music career at the age of fourteen performing in Honky Tonks and concert venues throughout the Southeastern USA. Along with his unique vocal style, Clay is a multi-talented musician with the ability to play several instruments including guitar, drums, bass guitar and keyboards (piano being his main forte). Clay is also an established studio producer with several projects to his credit including the self-titled CD featured on this site.
Although entertaining saloon patrons and concert goers on stage is Clay's second home, Clay's passion is songwriting. His songs have earned critical acclaim by the most demanding reviewers in the business along with multiple awards and raves from some of the most esteemed internet music sites. Clay is a longstanding member of BMI and NSAI who continually help in further developing his songwriting craft.
When not in writing appointments or recording sessions, you can find Clay performing live in and around Nashville. Clay is a hardworking and dedicated singer/songwriter that always welcomes feedback. Whether praise or criticism, Clay views each as a sharpening tool. So, drop a line and let him know what you think.
BREAKING NEWS! Clay recently won RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR award for his contribution to the collaboration "Everett Lilly & Everybody And Their Brother". The project featured a cast of talented artists and musicians including Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers, Charles Lilly, Darrin and Rhonda Vincent, Marty Stuart, Billy walker and many others. Check it out at IBMA.com
Hey Clay ,thanks so much for adding me to your list of Friends,it really means alot to me that you took the time to add me. I look forward to getting to know you better. Courtney
Thanks for all the work you and your team did to set up the show last night! We had a blast and look forward to doing it again real soon! We love Sam Ash!!
Great show at Chase's Friday night. Glad to meet ya and hope to hear back from you sometimes. We can get together and jam at my place, BBQ some chicken, throw back a few brews and sing a few tunes. Many thanks, Rick
