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Billy Lee Riley was born on October 5, 1933, in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and passed away on August 2, 2009, in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was an American Rockabilly singer, renowned for his recordings with Sun Records in the 1950s. Riley performed with "The Little Green Men," the house band at Sun, and was known for his good looks and energetic stage presence. After a brief solo career with his backing band, he left Sun in 1960 to co-found the Rita Record label with Roland Janes, followed by two other labels, Nita and Mojo. In 1962, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked as a session musician for notable artists such as Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, and Sammy Davis Jr., while also recording under various aliases. In the early 1970s, Riley stepped away from music to start a construction business in Arkansas. He was later rediscovered by Bob Dylan in 1992, who had admired him since 1956. Riley's album "Hot Damn!" released in 1997 under Capricorn, earned a Grammy nomination.
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