[2][3][4] Rigby, born September 3, 1940, grew up in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem, New York, where his neighbors included Johnny Hodges, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, and Kenny Burrell.
His focus switched to the saxophone after hearing John Coltrane and Charlie Parker and he studied privately with Joe Allard, Garvin Bushell, and Anders Paulsson.
He released a record with trumpeter Ted Daniel on his own Homeboy label, and the album Music as a solo artist in 2009.
Also in 2009, on French label Improvising Beings, Rigby released For Harriet with a quartet which included bagpiper player Calum MacCrimmon.
The critic Andrew Hamlin listed the album at #1 in the Village Voice's 2011 Pazz and Jop poll.