Today, we received the following statement from Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys:

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, David Greely on the right

We would like to announce, with enough solemnity, but not too much, that David Greely will be retiring from the Mamou Playboys, with his final performance with the band on Mardi Gras Day. David co-founded the Mamou Playboys with Steve in 1988, and has spent a fantastic 23 years with the best band he has ever known, but his audiologist has informed him that he must avoid dance hall sound levels. In February and March David will go on his final tours with the band, to the Midwest and Northeast, along with a handful of South Louisiana dates.

This is sad news, particularly coming on the heels of the release of the band’s excellent new album, Grand Isle. He wrote many of the band’s songs including the title cut, and is a first-rate song archaeologist.