The music of Appalachia is more than a sound. It's a story—passed from one generation to the next, from front porches and church pews to festival stages and concert halls around the world.
And few people have spent their lives telling that story quite like today's guest.
Don Rigsby grew up in Elliott County, Kentucky, surrounded by the music that would shape his life. As a boy, he listened to the unmistakable mountain sound of Ralph Stanley, and he grew up around two Eastern Kentucky musicians who would become legends themselves—his cousin Ricky Skaggs and the late Keith Whitley.
By the time Don arrived at Morehead State University, music wasn't simply something he loved—it was becoming his life's work. While a student, he played mandolin with TruGrass, and before he even graduated, he was already performing professionally. After earning his degree in 1990, Don headed to Nashville and went on to perform with some of the most respected names in bluegrass and country music—including Vern Gosdin, The Bluegrass Cardinals, J.D. Crowe and the New South, the Lonesome River Band, Longview, and many others.
His powerful tenor voice and mandolin playing have made him one of the distinctive voices in modern bluegrass. He's recorded acclaimed solo projects, performed around the world, and earned major honors—including IBMA awards for his work as producer of Larry Sparks' album 40.
But Don's Morehead State story came full circle in 2001, when he returned to his alma mater to become the first full-time director of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music. There, he helped preserve the music that shaped him while passing it along to a new generation of musicians.
He's a musician, singer, teacher and keeper of a musical tradition that is deeply connected to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
And, most importantly for us, he's an Eagle.
Today on Always An Eagle, we're going to talk about the music, the people who influenced him, the road he's traveled—and why those old mountain songs still matter.
