Riley Green reflects on his granddaddy-inspired “My Last Rodeo”

Ain’t My Last Rodeo has been a long time coming for Riley Green.

Chatting with ABC Audio recently, the country star explained why having a full-length, cohesive record means a lot to him.

“Even my debut album after I signed a record deal was put out in EPs,” Riley says of 2019’s Different ‘Round Here. “It feels really good to have a full project like [Ain’t My Last Rodeo]. It’s got a lot of different types of songs on it, but still says the same message that I’ve always been saying.”

One song near and dear to Riley is “My Last Rodeo,” which inspired the album’s title.

“My granddaddy Buford, when he was in the hospital back in 2010, said, ‘This ain’t my last rodeo.’ To me, [that] was such a powerful message because it was him trying to help me get through a tough time and losing somebody I was really close with,” shares Riley.

“It’s always really special to write songs like that that are about people that meant so much to you, and those songs get to live out there forever, you know?” he adds.

Coming up, Riley will hit the road on his Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tour with Tracy Lawrence and Ella Langley. Tickets and a full list of dates can be found at rileygreenmusic.com.

Riley and Luke Combs are currently #3 on the country charts with their single, “Different Round Here.”