Riley Green is using his time and talents to help those in need. The "Worst Way" singer just performed at Nashville's legendary Bluebird Cafe, as part of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy's ongoing efforts to raise money for those impacted by Hurricane Helene and the devastating Los Angeles fires.
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Green was joined by Jessie Alexander and Randy Montana for the evening, with surprise performances by Lukas Nelson and Erik Dylan. Marking Green's first performance at the historic venue, the event raised over $9000, with Green matching the amount through his Buford Bonds Charitable Fund.
Riley Green's Songwriting Career
The Bluebird Cafe is a a small, intimate venue that honors songwriters, so it's surprising that his recent show was Green's first. A talented songwriter as well as a singer, Green has written or co-written all of his hit singles, including his "You Look Like You Love Me" duet with Ella Langley.
For Green, his love of songwriting goes back to the first artist who inspired him: Merle Haggard.
"I can remember one of the first songs I ever heard that made me really feel something from the lyrics was 'Sing Me Back Home' by Merle Haggard," Green tells Apple Music. "It was talking about the guy in prison, wanting to hear one last song. Something about that, something I could never comprehend, but that was what the song did. It took me to a place I had never mentally been before."
Green is a a talented singer and performer, but for Green, songwriting will likely always come first.
"I take a lot of pride in writing songs that have a meaning to me, and seem to have a meaning to other people," Green tells Songwriter Universe. "It's cool when you write stuff like 'I Wish Grandpas Never Died,' that are personal to my situation about how I grew up, and my relationship with my granddaddies. And that many people can find a way to relate to it and make it about their own lives. I try to find ways to write songs that are very specific to me, but can also be something that other people can relate to."
