I was beyond happy to invite Jill Riley into the HPPR studios in downtown Amarillo, making sure folks know about her show tonight at Covenant Recording Studio (5001 Camp Lane, Amarillo). Show starts at 7pm, ends at 8:30p CT. Tickets and info can be found here. This Gruver, TX native grew up around Dumas near her family’s 4th generation cattle ranch outfit, and she’s been in the Yellow City shooting videos for her upcoming album, Common Ground. While this town certainly doesn’t look like the standard dusty landscape with dry grass and dirt-filled lots that she was expecting, the damp expanse of Amarillo afforded her some lush panoramas. The new album should be coming out in October 23rd, as it’s dedicated to her son (so why not put it out the day after his birthday!). Stay tuned to HPPR to hear her first single, “Cowboy Hats & Cadillacs,” due on July 7th.
MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST (from her event listing): Jill Riley was born into the fourth generation of a large Texas cattle ranching family with the ironic last name of Cluck. In a twelve song story album, she tells their important story spanning four generations. Her great grandparents and their children survived both the Dirty Thirties, and the Great Depression out on the High Plains. Jill grew up observing the fitting debates and resulting divisions among the cattlemen of the second and third generations. Her homespun film featuring the stories and songs of this album won Anthem Film Festival 2020 for Best Original Score. The story shares the lessons Jill has learned through digging into the rich soil of her family heritage, how important family is, and her personal conclusion, "What divides a family divides a nation." (PARKING: FEEL FREE TO PARK ALONG THE STREET!) Learn more about Jill and her music on her website.
