Riley Green Is Serving Hits and Cold Drinks

Country music and whiskey? A match made in honky-tonk heaven, and this week on Backstage Country, Riley Green brought both to the show as he co-hosted alongside Elaina Smith. While Green’s currently out on tour, he took some time to kick back with Smith and talk about not just his music, but also his own bar. 

Smith asked Green how’s the bar life going and how involved he is in managing it. Green is the proud owner of Riley Green’s Duck Blind, a bar in Nashville. Green said, “Surprisingly, yeah. One reason I wanted to do it was because that is where I hang out at. And you know, over there in Midtown at what was ‘Winners’, now is the ‘Duck Blind.’ That's where I met everybody I met in town, every songwriter. I've got a relationship with every artist. Everybody's played there, so it was really cool to have that same building. My bar being on that same roof, and now I get to see guys going there and kind of get the same start that I did.” 

Smith asked if he felt strange seeing his name on the place where he started. Green replied, “It's really cool. It's very validating, in a way. But you know it's also just cool because I can go over there, and Al, back in the kitchen, will fix me scrambled eggs for breakfast, and I don't have to pay for anything anymore.” He laughed, “So it was worth doing just for that.” 

Green added that he’s not allowed in the kitchen but that they let him man the bar and pour drinks. 

Since he now owns a bar, Smith asked if celebrating party holidays like St. Patrick’s Day is now different for him. 

Green admitted, “I imagine they will. You know, I hadn't thought about Valentine's Day at the Duck Blind. That's gonna be interesting.” Smith suggested doing romantic dinners. Green thought of a kissing booth, but not with him, but of his dog, who has his own fanbase. “Kisses with Carl. Yeah, you can kiss Carl with a Carl kissing boot. That's a good idea.” 

Green also shared his idea about a “Carl cam": “So, you put a little GoPro on Carl, and just let him walk through the bar. Because his butt wags, it'll shake when he goes through there, just be at people's feet. That'd be great.”  

If you’re ever in Nashville, visit Riley Green’s Duck Blind for some live music, sports, and good food.