Ragged but Right - RILEY PUCKETT
George Riley Puckett (May 7, 1894 - July 13, 1946) was an American country music pioneer mostly known for being a member of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers. Puckett was born in Alpharetta, Georgia. An accident during infancy left him blind. He had his formal education at the Georgia School for the Blind in Macon, Georgia. He sang and played guitar and banjo. He was first heard on the radio as a part of Clayton McMichen's Hometown Band. His vocalizing was a regular feature at the Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers Conventions. Newspaper reporters covering these events referred to him as the "Bald Mountain Caruso" in admiration of his renditions of such songs as "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" and "Sleep, Baby, Sleep". For several years Puckett played and sang with the Home Town Boys, a string-band ensemble composed of Atlanta-area musicians. They made their debut on Atlanta's six-month-old radio station, WSB, on September 18, 1922. Until going off t...