Puckett, Riley, 1894-1946

Riley Puckett was born May 7, 1894, and was blinded shortly after birth. Despite his condition, Puckett became proficient as a vocalist, guitarist and banjo player, performing with many Atlanta area country groups, including the Hometown Boys String Band, the Skillet Lickers, the Sand Sifters, the Georgia Red Hots and the Georgia Hot Shots. Puckett also recorded over 200 solo records for the Columbia, Decca and Bluebird labels; after Fiddlin' John Carson, Puckett was the most frequently recorded southern singer at the time. Puckett was a fixture at the annual Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers' Conventions, held in Atlanta's old Municipal Auditorium, and was also one of the first performers featured on WSB Radio after the station signed on in 1922. Puckett performed on other Atlanta area stations, most notably WJTL, WGST, WNOX, WGAA and WAGA. Riley Puckett died July 13, 1946. In 1983, Puckett was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.