In 1988 South Bend, Indiana native Riely O'Connor borrowed his brother Kevin's old acoustic guitar and started, as novices do, with G-C-D. In 1994 he wrote his first song and brought it to the rock band that he and Kevin founded. The band liked it and "Dust Devil" still makes it into the band's set list.

In late 2002 Riely headed out to a local open mic to try out his songs as a solo performer. About a year later he was driving down to Nashville, Tennessee to record his first CD, "Workin' On A Memory". In Nashville Riely collaborated with long-time friend, Nashville recording artist/producer, Karen Angela Moore. A first class recording space and top session musicians allowed Riely and Karen to craft a CD with a classic sound to highlight Riely's songs.

"Workin' On A Memory" was released in August 2004 and Riely began booking live music venues to present his "all-original" shows. His performances showcase a songbook known for powerful themes, insightful lyrics, and "hum-able" melodies. Riely delivers the goods with emotion and an energetic stage presence. He often performs with an ensemble of backing musicians and frequently invites guest artists to his stage, but Riely is equally appreciated by audiences for his captivating solo acoustic shows.

In March of 2006 Riely returned to Nashville to record his second CD. Co-producing it with Karen Angela Moore, Riely collaborated with a cast of great musicians to present 12 more original songs, from red-hot rockers to heart-felt ballads. "A Dream Or Two" was released in July of 2006.

In May of 2006 Riely completed work on his Nashville-recorded single, "In The Meantime", which was released as a download single on his myspace page www.myspace.com/rielyoconnor.

Riely is a favorite on songwriter showcase stages, being a regular at Debi Champion's writers night in Nashville, TN and the Bloomington Songwriter Showcase in Bloomington, IN. Riely performs frequently in the Northern Indiana-Southwest Michigan area and travels as far away as Colorado. He also hosts a popular semi-annual songwriter show, Riely O'Connor's Songwriters Spotlight.

In 2007 Riely and partner Molly B. Moon decided to focus their individual musical pursuits into a duo. Since then Riely and Molly have performed throughout the Midwest and South and as far west as Arizona. Their first joint CD project, "Who Knows When" was released in October of 2009.