Riley Green Co-Hosts 5/30-31

The co-host this wknd is Riley Green, who is in our Top 5 with “Change My Mind.” He was just named as a coach for Season 30 of The Voice. He just wrapped up an acting role on TV’s Marshals. He just won the ACM Vocal Event of the Year with “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

Lon began by calling Riley “the busiest man in country music.” Riley responded by saying “I feel that way.  I’ve taken on a lot of new ventures. I wasn’t hurting for things to do already. But it’s been a lot of fun.  I got a taste of it with Marshals.  I thought I was busy before that.”

Lon asked how Riley got the coaching gig on The Voice: “There were mentions that there was interest that I might be a possible candidate. We were in LA and I did a show at the Grammy Museum, and we did a Q&A begore the show.  We had a good rapport, and that got me the job. The personality that Blake had is what they’re looking for.  I also did a spot on Jimmy Fallon, where I got to visit with him and teach him a duck call.  Those two things got me the job.”

Have they started yet? “They haven’t. We start filming in the next couple months. I don’t know what to expect except I know how the chair works.  I haven’t met any of the other coaches yet.  Kelly called me when I got the job. She’s a country fan, and I know she’s covered some of my songs. I’m not sure about any of it, it’s such a different thing.  But I’ve met the team, and I know what they need from me.  It’s helpful to watch Blake & Luke Bryan, because now I know how to go about it, and I’m excited about the coaching part of it.”

Riley just wrapped up a role on the CBS show Marshals: “The acting thing made me nervous because I’d never done any of it. I mainly played myself in music videos.  The character Garrett is a former Navy Seal, extreme PTSD, which I didn’t know anything about.  The main thing is when I do a show, everybody is there to see me.  On the set, I was the new guy.  I was nobody. But I enjoyed the challenge of it.”

As he came in the studio, Riley said he’d spent the night before shooting the video for his next single: “I Ain’t As Think As You Drunk I Am.” It’s a funny song.  It’s gonna be a lot of fun.  We shot the video outside my Nashville bar The Duck Blind. It’s nice to have a bar that you can’t get thrown out of.” 

The new song will be part of a new album: “My Way was a song that was featured in Marshals, and that’s on the album.  So is ‘Think As You Drunk.’ The album’s done. We’re gonna be putting songs out from the album early, and then looking at announcing the album before too long with a date for everybody.” The new album will be titled “That’s Just Me,” and will be released on September 18th.

Riley also has great stories this week about Lainey Wilson, Jon Pardi, Little Big Town, Justin Moore, Ella Langley, and Alan Jackson.

NEXT WEEK: Chris Janson

Tags: featured, riley green

Category: CO-HOST