Austin Rigsbee (born 4/4/1928) was a prominent Radio Personality and Country Music promoter in the 1960's, 1970's, & 1980's. He first signed on at WTIK Radio in Durham, NC in the late 1950's.
He would later leave WTIK and join WKBQ, an up and coming radio station in Raleigh, NC. It was at WKBQ where he would meet Edward "Pop" Atsinger Sr. After continued success as a radio personality, Austin was confronted by Keith Fowler, a well known promoter in the country music world. Fowler took intrest in Austin's charisma and extraordinary ability to keep a crowd entertained, so he offered Austin a partnership. Austin and Fowler would now go on to bring country music and pop concerts to central North Carolina. Austin would go on to befriend stars such as Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Faron Young, and many other country music legends. With extreme success, the concerts would continue until the early 1980's. In 1982, Austin accepted a co-ownership of WRBX, a country station out of Chapel Hill, NC. After selling his share of WRBX in 1986, Austin would return to WTIK to finish out his career in radio. He retired from WTIK in 1994. Today, Austin and his wife Louise enjoy life with their family and friends in Durham, NC.
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