Billy Lee Riley

Billy Lee Riley (October 5, 1933 – August 2, 2009) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. His most memorable recordings include "Rock With Me Baby", "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll" and "Red Hot".

Considered good looking and with wild stage moves, Riley had a brief solo career with his backing band, the Little Green Men. Riley and his Little Green Men were the main Sun studio band. The band consisted of Riley, the guitarist Roland Janes, the drummer Jimmy Van Eaton, the bassist Marvin Monroe Peppers, and Jimmy Wilson, later joined by Martin Willis.

In 1960, Riley left Sun and started Rita Records with Roland Janes. They produced the national hit "Mountain of Love", by Harold Dorman. Years later he played the memorable harmonica solo in Johnny Rivers' version of the same song.

Riley later started two other labels, Nita and Mojo.

In 1962, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician with Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, and Sammy Davis Jr., among others, and also recorded under various aliases.

In the early 1970s, Riley quit music to return to Arkansas and started his own construction business. In 1978 "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll" were covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray, which led to a one-off performance in Memphis in 1979, the success of which led to further recording at Sun Studio and a full-time return to performing.

Riley was rediscovered in 1992 by Bob Dylan, who had been a fan since 1956.

His album Hot Damn! (Capricorn, 1997) was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2001 he joined St. Louis rockabilly band The CrazyBeats as an honorary member and performed with them everytime he came to St. Louis.

He was injured falling on a slippery department store floor in 2005, requiring two surgeries as a result. In 2006, he released a country CD, Hillbilly Rockin' Man.

Selected albums Studio albums Harmonica & the Blues, Crown, 1962 Big Harmonica Special, Mercury, 1964 Harmonica Beatlemania, Mercury, 1965 Whiskey a Go Go Presents, Mercury, 1965 Funk Harmonica, GNP, 1966 In Action, GNP, 1966 Southern Soul, Mojo, 1968; reissued, Cowboy Carl, 1981 Vintage, Mojo, 1978 706 Reunion, Sun-Up, 1992 Blue Collar Blues, Hightone, 1992 Rockin' Fifties, Icehouse, 1995 Hot Damn!, Capricorn, 1997 Shade Tree Blues, Icehouse, 1999 One More Time, Sun-Up, 2002 Hillbilly Rockin' Man, Reba Records, 2003 Still Got My Mojo, 2009

Compilation albums The Legendary Sun Performers: Billy Lee Riley, Charly, 1977 Sun Sound Special: Billy Lee Riley, Charly, 1978 Classic Recordings 1959–1960, Bear Family, 1994 Very Best of Billy Lee Riley: Red Hot, Collectables, 1998