The Rifters are Rod Taylor (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Don Richmond (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, pedal steel guitar, dobro, harmonica, vocals), and Jim Bradley (bass, vocals). Putting out more music than it seems should be right for three guys on stage, the Rifters employ a wide range of acoustic and electric instruments, combined with soaring three-part harmonies, to provide a mesmerizing variety of music from driving blue-grama-grass to ethereal desert beauty. The years of playing to the dance crowds in their northern New Mexico homeland has given their music a toe-tapping rhythm that is engaging and undeniable. With a pedigree of bands like Hired Hands, the Rounders, and South by Southwest among them, the Rifters are truly a musical voice of the west, and their region of high desert vistas and mountain majesty.
The Rifters have released 7 CDs – The Rifters, The Great River, Live at the Sagebrush, Architecture of a Fire, Live at Uptop, Passes and Peaks, and The Enchanted World. Their songs include co-writes with legendary writers such as Chuck Pyle and Waddie Mitchell, and have been covered by iconic artists such as Michael Hearne, Shake Russell, and Bill Hearne. The band celebrated their 20th year together in 2022, and as they have been known to say, “We ain't dead yet!”
The Rifters are at home at a barn dance with the hay and the horses, in a mountain town bar or honky-tonk, in a house concert, or on a festival or concert stage. Their choice of moving and powerful material, both original and by others, their impeccable musicianship, and their strong three part vocal arrangements combine to make The Rifters a crowd-pleasing musical experience.