Mike Riggs


Mike Riggs is a heavy-metal guitarist born April 23, 1971 in Ozark, Arkansas. Highlights in career include his guitar work for Rob Zombie's solo albums and currently his skills as a guitarist, vocalist, and producer for Scum of the Earth.

Career history

Riggs' career as a musician started at the age of 19 in 1990 when he started the band Demiltry in Austin, Texas for whom he played the rhythm guitar and sang lead vocals. The band released only one record, a 4-track demo titled Artist of Misery for which Riggs composed the title song on the album. The band split up soon after the release. He went on after this to play for another Austin band called Skrew which included future Nine Inch Nails guitarist Danny Lohner. He toured with Skrew supporting their first album, Burning in Water, Drowning in Flames, then went on to contribute to the recording of their second release, Dusted. After playing with Skrew for several years, Riggs joined Prong after the release of their studio album Rude Awakening and toured with them for some time.
When Riggs was attending a WWF event, he met Rob Zombie who said he was working on a new album, and had yet to find a guitarist. He played guitar for Zombie on Hellbilly Deluxe and The Sinister Urge before he left the band to begin his own project. He founded the band Scum of the Earth for which he plays guitar and sings lead vocals. After signing to Eclipse Records, the band released their first album entitled Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium on October 26, 2004 produced by famed producer Ben Burkhardt at Belt of Orion Recording in Los Angeles, California. Songs were featured in , on numerous MTV shows, and a slew of action sports DVDs. Riggs is best known for playing his own signature model Fernandes Vertigo with a kill switch and others with a sustainer. He also uses a wah pedal. He's used Marshall G100R CD, Diezel VH4 and Mesa Triple Rectifiers.
He is also known for playing his see-through Fernandes Vertigo guitar that is filled with fake blood that he pours on himself, drinks or spits into the crowd while playing.

Discography

with Rob Zombie