Category: Bio

I'm David Wright, founding member of Riff Reign. I began playing guitar and bass guitar in 1962 aged 14. My Uncle Ken wanted someone to play bass with his son Jim, and he bought me a Rosetti Lucky 7 bass. I played semi-pro in bands from 1964 until 1981 when my local government career took precedence. At my first gig, aged 16, we took our equipment on the bus! At our second gig girls pulled our hair out! Never happened again though. I resumed playing in 2012 aged 64. In my younger days I'd done some song writing and a couple of my songs were played on the John Peel Show on BBC Radio One, so I thought I'd try my hand again.

I've written around 130 songs in the last eight years. I formed Riff Reign in 2014 to develop and record my songs at Swanyard Music, Retford, England. I've been very fortunate to have brilliant musicians working with me. Musical styles include Americana, blues, country, dance, funk, jazz, pop, rock, hard rock and retro rock ‘n’ roll, plus the band’s own indie rock style. Much of the music has a USA influence - in 1963 my eventual wife, Gwen, joined the Beatles Fan Club and got herself a Yonkers New York pen friend, Danielle. Their friendship, which continues to this day, has led to extensive travels through the USA and Canada. Examples of songs with a USA influence on here are Country Store, Down To The Town, I'm Goin' Home To Tennessee, John Wells, Outlaw and Touchdown London.

I've also played in two rock bands during the last five years. One of them, East Side Rhythm Aces, recorded a song of mine called Rio Grande. I got the idea for the song from witnessing a Seattle bar-room brawl in 1982. The other band was Plain Shame. 

Riff Reign has self-released nine full albums, two Christmas singles, a blues rock EP and a retro rock EP. All are available as CD or digital download at  riffreign.bandcamp.com . All tracks are on Spotify and the other main platforms.  We've been featured many times on BBC Introducing East Midlands and once on BBC Introducing Sheffield.  I have a five-year licensing contract for one song with Heavy Hitters Music Group of Los Angeles.

I'm currently working on a new album which will be released as Dave Wright & Friends.