If you listen to Riley Green’s debut single, “There Was This Girl,” you can definitely here is traditional country music influences, but Riley says, “I’ll listen to all different kinds of music.  My older sister, she being 10 years older me, you know, I remember riding to school with her and she had a Sunfire and it had either Sublime or Weezer, right there in that era. And I mean, I loved that stuff. “

When it comes to his traditional country influences, Riley says it was his grandfather that instilled that music in him. “That’s the kind of music he liked,” says Riley, “and he had an old guitar and me and him would get around each other, if we weren’t out piddling around at the farm or something like that, we were sittin’ down and he’d try to get me to play something.  And he would sing along with me and I had to play something he knew and that’s what he knew.”

After his grandfather passed away, Riley says he would listen to traditional country as a way to remember him.  But he also appreciates the simplicity of traditional country music.  Riley says, “That old country music like that is just, you know, the songs are simple.  There was just three chords but you know, they said everything they needed to say.”

Riley Green – early exposure to music  :55

“I’ll listen to all different kinds of music.  My older sister, she being 10 years older me, you know, I remember riding to school with her and she had a Sunfire and it had either Sublime or Weezer, right there in that era. And I mean, I loved that stuff.  I just enjoyed music. I don’t know where that really came from.  My sister Lindy was a really good singer. The traditional country came from my Granddaddy Buford. That’s the kind of music he liked.  And he had an old guitar and me and him would get around each other, if we weren’t out piddling around at the farm or something like that, we were sittin’ down and he’d try to get me to play something.  And he would sing along with me and I had to play something he knew and that’s what he knew. You know, so it was really just because that was a common ground we could find.  And then after he passed away it was more of a remembering him type thing.  But that old country music like that is just, you know, the songs are simple.  There was just three chords but you know, they said everything they needed to say.”