He was born in Brookings, Clay County, Arkansas, the second youngest in a family of seven, and grew up there and in St Louis, Missouri, where he lived with his mother after his parents divorced.
He learned mandolin and guitar, and played in country bands with his cousins in Arkansas while working in the lumber industry.
[4] After his discharge, he returned to Memphis and began playing in clubs with pianist Doc McQueen, through whom he met guitarist and engineer Jack Clement.
[4] He was also responsible for "nearly single-handedly invent[ing] many of the engineering methods used in modern recordings, from microphone placement and cabling to board and tape deck tricks.
"[5] In 1960 Janes and Riley formed their own label, Rita Records, and had a hit with Harold Dorman's "Mountain of Love".