Artist Bios

Don Rigsby & Midnight Call

Born February 18, 1968, Don Rigsby grew up listening to early Ralph Stanley records and to the high lonesome sounds of his cousin Ricky Skaggs, learning from those who went before him and then adding his own personal touches. Also influenced by the late Keith Whitley, another Elliott County native, Don comes from a family and a community of traditional musicians. He has sung since he can remember, started playing guitar at age 12, added the mandolin and fiddle, and plays the dulcimer. From remote Isonville, Ky., to an international following in Bluegrass music, Don Rigsby has remained true to his mountain roots and made his own marks as a powerful tenor and distinctive mandolin player.

Born February 18, 1968, Don Rigsby grew up listening to early Ralph Stanley records and to the high lonesome sounds of his cousin Ricky Skaggs, learning from those who went before him and then adding his own personal touches. Also influenced by the late Keith Whitley, another Elliott County native, Don comes from a family and a community of traditional musicians.

He has sung since he can remember, started playing guitar at age 12, added the mandolin and fiddle, and plays the dulcimer. For his sixth birthday Don was taken to the Paramount Arts Center in nearby Ashland, Ky., to hear his hero, Ralph Stanley, perform “Little Maggie,” and got an unforgettable bonus when Keith Whitley came out to the audience, hoisted young Don on his shoulders, can carried him backstage to meet Ralph for the first time.

Don worked his way through Morehead State University playing music with Charlie Sizemore, emerged onto the national scene as a member of the Bluegrass Cardinals, played with JD Crowe and the New South, and was a member of the award-winning Lonesome River Band. The two-time Grammy nominee and two-time SPGBMA Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year shared two IBMA awards while performing with Longview and sang on a Grammy-winning album by rocker John Fogerty.

Rigsby has released three solo albums. His first, “A Vision,” won the Association of Independent Music’s “gospel album of the year” award and was nominated for an IBMA award. He received the 1999 Bluegrass Now Magazine Fan’s Choice Award for vocal tenor of the year and the 2001 Governor’s Kentucky Star Award. “Empty Old Mailbox,” the title track from his third album, won the 2001 Song of the Year award from SPGBMA. In 2005, Rigsby was awarded two IBMA awards for his role as producer of the Larry Sparks project “40” for Recorded Event of the Year and Album of the Year. He has recorded two albums with Dudley Connell, with plans for a third, and continues to perform and record with Midnight Call and Longview.

Visit Don Rigsby & Midnight Call's website at:
www.donrigsby.com