Riley Lowery took a moment to reflect on his musical journey last Thursday, before taking the stage with Megan Moroney as a supporting act for Kenny Chesney’s Sun Goes Down Tour at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga, Ohio. Only a few nights before, their band was in New York City performing “No Caller ID” on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Lowery has been Moroney’s guitar player for about two years now, touring alongside the singer who rose to stardom with her hit “Tennessee Orange” back in 2022. The band came together in Nashville, where Lowery says he had played for more than 40 different artists as a freelancer before “finding a home” with Megan.
The Portal High School graduate remembers getting a taste for live performance in the Statesboro music scene, playing at Gnats Landing, Dingus MaGee’s, and other bars in the old University Plaza.
Growing up, his mother, local elementary school teacher Donna Lumpkin, enrolled him in guitar lessons. He was a student of Justin Samples and Chris Mitchell at Pladd Dot Music in Downtown Statesboro, where the School of Rock program laid out the basics of navigating the live music industry for him.
“As soon as I graduated high school, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” said Lowery. He started school at Georgia Southern University and found himself making friends with other Statesboro musicians, playing gigs with Daniel Navarro, Joseph Anderson and Skyler Smith, and leaning into lead guitar and backup vocals.
“It may not seem like it, but playing those little bars each day gets you so much experience,” he said.
Lowery also spent time playing with another Statesboro musician, Dylan Marlowe, for about two years. Megan Moroney's drummer, Eric Pritchard, was also playing for Marlowe, and today, he shares the stage with Lowery as a bandmate and friend.
“We’re a very tight knit group… I see these folks more than I see my girlfriend or my own family,” Lowery said. He remembers how in the beginning, the team was smaller and he was working as the production manager on top of playing guitar.
“The way she's going, we’re steadily growing every day,” said Lowery, who now gets to focus on playing and singing backup, which he says has made things less stressful.
Lowery says he and the other band members enjoy getting to take on some creative direction, helping to design the stage setup and what the crowd sees. As lead guitarist, Lowery also helps set the tone of their music. He says he's inspired by country artists that his family introduced to him early on, like Keith Urban who is one of his biggest influences on guitar.
He also mentioned his appreciation of rock music, which plays into the sound of the band: “It's still a country show but it also sounds like a Def Leppard concert at the same time.”
It’s a surreal and sometimes nerve-wracking experience to perform in front of thousands of people he says, “The crowd’s wild, they just scream every lyric back at us, it's crazy.”
This hasn't always been his reality though, and Lowery recalled times in his career where he could barely pay rent while pursuing this dream, adding that life on the road isn't always as easy as everybody makes it out to be. It can be very difficult constantly traveling, losing sleep, and missing family, but he says the opportunities to meet new people and experience the world make him thankful.
His talents have afforded him the fortune of working alongside legendary country names like Luke Bryan and The Peach Pickers, touring with the artists in 2021 and 2022 as the music director and guitarist.
“I’ve been able to put a roof over my head, make my folks proud, and it's just been awesome,” he said.
With the blessings of supportive friends and family, Lowery has been able to nurture a fruitful career, performing across the country and making four appearances so far on national TV. The band has been checking off bucket-list performances including a “home-state” Mercedes Benz Stadium show and a sold-out headliner show at the St. Augustine Amphitheater.
Lowery is also excited for the next big step with the band, embarking on a European tour this September with stops in countries like England, Amsterdam, Switzerland, and Germany.
As Megan Moroney’s fan base continues to grow and the band reaches higher stages in farther places, Lowery reminisces about his hometown fondly. He recalls that some of his favorite times were when he was living in Statesboro, sitting on barstools with other musicians, sharing songs in a writer’s round.
Still, Lowery welcomes his success and appreciates the popularity that Moroney has built recently, as even just last year the band was playing 200 cap rooms.
“Sometimes I still picture us as this little, small group that just randomly happens to be doing this,” said Lowery.
Pursuing a musical career requires devotion and dedication to the craft, and Lowery encourages any aspiring musicians to take every opportunity that they can to gain experience. "Play the bad shows, play the good shows, play em all... It'll get you where you want."
