Riley Baugus | |
|---|---|
 Riley Baugus at MerleFest 2009. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Walkertown, NC, USA |
| Genres | Old Time American, Americana, Country |
| Occupation(s) | Old Time Musician Instrument builder |
| Instrument(s) | Banjo, Vocals, Guitar, Fiddle |
| Website | www.rileybaugus.com |
Riley Baugus is an American old-time guitarist, banjo player, fiddler, singer and instrument builder from North Carolina.
Baugus grew up in the Regular Baptist tradition, which gave him a solid foundation in unaccompanied singing. [1] He began playing the fiddle at age 10 and grew up with the fiddler Kirk Sutphin. As a youth, he also had the opportunity to study with old-time musicians from Surry County, North Carolina and Grayson County, Virginia, including Tommy Jarrell, Robert Sykes, Dix Freeman, Verlin Clifton, and Paul Sutphin. He is influenced particularly by the Round Peak style of Surry County, North Carolina. [2]
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Baugus worked as a welder and blacksmith for 18 years before pursuing a career as a professional musician. [2] He has performed throughout the United States and internationally in Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and England. He has played with several old-time string bands, including The Farmer's Daughters, The Konnarock Critters, The Red Hots, Backstep, and the Old Hollow Stringband. He tours regularly with Dirk Powell and Tim O'Brien, and frequently performs and tours with dancer Ira Bernstein, with the duo show Appalachian Roots.
He often performs as a guest musician with the Dirk Powell Band and the North Carolina folk band Polecat Creek. He sang on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Cold Mountain . He has recorded with Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, Dirk Powell, and Martha Scanlan. He taught banjo at the Augusta Heritage Center's Old Time Week in Elkins, West Virginia and at the Midwest Banjo Camp, [3] in Olivet, Michigan.
Baugus released his first album, Life of Riley, in 2001. A second album, Long Steel Rail, was released in 2006. [4]
On March 22, 2025 he will be inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. [5] [6]
He lives in Walkertown, North Carolina. [2]
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Life Of Riley(Yodel Ay Hee) |
| 2006 | Long Steel Rail(Sugar Hill) |
| 2019 | Little Black Train's a Comin'(Old Garden Records) |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Appalachian Rootswith Ira Bernstein (Yodel Ay Hee) |
| 2004 | Going Home Shoeswith The Lonesome Sisters (Tin Halo Music) |
| 2010 | Long Time Piedmont Palswith Kirk Sutphin (Old Blue Records) |
| 2012 | Lonesome Sceneswith The Lonesome Sisters (Tin Halo Music) |
| 2015 | Tomorrow Mornwith Dirk Powell (Wood and Steel Records) |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Old Time Music From North Carolinaby The Old Hollow String Band (Flyin' Cloud) |
| 1992 | Ready To Rollby The Red Hots (Fire Ant Music) |
| 1993 | Impeachedby The Red Hots (Bobville Productions / Hasty Records) |
| 2001 | Salt Sea Boundby Polecat Creek (Yodel Ay Hee) |
| 2002 | Grandpa's Favoritesby Kirk Sutphin (Old 97 Wrecords) |
| 2003 | Rare Rags & Stringband Bluesby Adam Tanner & The Dirty Rag Mob (Old 97 Wrecords) |
| 2003 | Cold Mountain: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture (Sony Music Entertainment) |
| 2004 | Time Againby Dirk Powell (Rounder Records) |
| 2005 | Come to the Mountain: Old Time Music for Modern Times(Rounder Records) |
| 2005 | Leaving Edenby Polecat Creek (Yodel Ay Hee) |
| 2005 | Elkhorn Riders feat. The Lonesome Sistersby Rench (Gangstagrass) (Rench Audio) |
| 2006 | The West Was Burningby Martha Scanlan (Sugar Hill Records) |
| 2005 | Ordinary Seasonsby Polecat Creek (Yodel Ay Hee) |
| 2007 | Raising Sand by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant (Rounder Records) |
| 2009 | Frolic in Round Peakby Kevin Fore (Round Peak Banjos) |
| 2010 | Country Music by Willie Nelson (Rounder Records) |
| 2010 | Live & Livelyby the New North Carolina Ramblers (Old Blue Records) |
| 2011 | That's How We Runby April Verch (Slab Town Records) |
| 2012 | The Mountain Music Projectby Tara Linhardt, Danny Knicely (Mountain Music Project) |
| 2017 | Playing Favoritesby Lillian Chase |
| 2019 | Just Around The Bend: Survival & Revival in Southern Banjo Soundsby Mike Seeger (Smithsonian Folkways) |
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