Will Rigby

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Will Rigby
Born (1956-03-17) March 17, 1956 (age 68)
GenresJangle pop, guitar pop
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1970s-present
LabelsBearsville Records, IRS Records, Egon Records, Diesel Only Records

Will Rigby is an American musician known for being the drummer of jangle pop band the dB's,[1] a band he formed along with Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, and Gene Holder in the late 1970s.[2] He has also performed with many other artists and has released two solo albums.

Career in the dB's[edit]

Rigby was a member of the dB's from the band's inception. He performed on several of the dB's albums, including Stands for Decibels, Like This, and The Sound of Music.[3] When the band reunited in 2012, Rigby wrote and performed lead vocals on the song "Write Back," which appeared on Falling Off the Sky. This song was the first song Rigby contributed to a dB's album.[4]

Career outside of the dB's[edit]

In addition to his work with the dB's, Rigby has also performed with numerous other artists, including Steve Earle, Cheri Knight, and Freedy Johnston.[5] He also toured with Murray Attaway and Matthew Sweet after the dB's broke up,[5] and also performed with the Shams on their album Quilt.[6]

Solo career[edit]

Rigby's solo debut, Sidekick Phenomenon, was released in 1985,[5] followed by Paradoxaholic in 2002.[7] Sidekick Phenomenon was recorded in the dB's rehearsal studio after hours, and contains covers of Merle Haggard and Hank Williams songs as well as originals.[2] Paradoxaholic was more planned out than its predecessor,[5] and was described by Andrew Marcus as "a beat-heavy, quirky guitar pop album."[8] Rigby also released several singles during the early 1990s, including "The Room's Still Spinnin'", released on Bob Mould's Singles Only Label,[9] and "Ricky Skaggs Tonight", released on Diesel Only Records in 1990.[5]

Style[edit]

Rigby has been described as "a rare rock drummer with a sound of his own beyond mere beat-keeping." In 2002, Rigby reacted to this quote by saying, "If that’s true, I’m glad", arguing it applied more to his work with the dB's than to his solo work.[5]

Personal life[edit]

Rigby was married to singer-songwriter Amy Rigby; the two later divorced.[2] Rigby has been married to Florence Dore, musician and author, since 2004.[10][11][12] He has three daughters: one with Amy Rigby and two with Dore.[13]

Discography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tucker, Ken (3 July 2012). "The dB's: Still Plaintive After All These Years". NPR. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Hage, Erik. "Will Rigby Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Will Rigby Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. ^ Blackstock, Peter (6 June 2012). "Falling off the Sky". Indy Week. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Cornell, Rick (July 2002). "Will Rigby". No Depression. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  6. ^ Kot, Greg (23 April 1992). "Shams Quilt Review". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  7. ^ "The Db's". Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  8. ^ Marcus, Andrew (3 July 2002). "Paradoxaholic Review". East Bay Express. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  9. ^ Aaron, Charles (March 1993). "Singles". Spin. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  10. ^ Gallucci, Michael (2009-07-16). "Daughter of Singer-Songwriters Turns Out to Be a Singer-Songwriter". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  11. ^ "Florence Dore". Florence Dore. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  12. ^ Drageset, Travis. "Florence Dore Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  13. ^ Klein, Joshua (16 November 2012). "Energized dB's full of passion at Hideout". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 November 2014.