"John Riley the Shepherd" is an American reel in G Dorian or A Mixolydian (Milliner & Koken). The parts are played AABB.
It is a slow reel from the repertoire of Art Stamper, Knott County, Kentucky.
This is not related to the British ballad "John Reilly".
The banjo tablature is by John Letscher. His note:
This version comes down through the Canote Bros. Adam Hurt plays a sweet version on gourd banjo on his Earth Tones CD.
It was printed in Milliner & Koken's Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes (2011).
It was recorded by Art Stamper on Goodbye Girls I'm Going to Boston (2000) and Adam Hurt on Earth Tones (2010).