Will Rigby (The dB’s)

Drummer Will Rigby provided the propulsion, grooves and furious fills for the dB’s, a North Carolina foursome who launched their collective career in New York City yet had their powerfully poppy first two albums released only overseas. Now the dB’s landmark 1981 debut, Stands for Decibels, finally has come out in the U.S. on vinyl and streaming services, with Repercussion to follow, and the classic lineup of singer-songwriters Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, bassist Gene Holder and Rigby will tour for the first time in 12 years. The ever-engaging Rigby recalls the band’s formation with Stamey, the addition of Holsapple, the making of those early dB’s albums, the reasons behind Stamey’s departure and the more American sound of 1984’s Like This. Rigby also discusses his own idiosyncratic songwriting and his work with other artists, such as Steve Earle. (Photo by John Gessner)