Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. nació en Savannah, Georgia, el 17 de julio de 1933, y a la edad de cuatro años se mudó con su familia a la ciudad de Nueva York. ^[1]​

Riley actuó con Randy Weston, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Junior Mance, Kenny Burrell, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Johnny Griffin (1960-1962), Ahmad Jamal, Billy Taylor y Ray Bryant. ^[2]​ Luego pasó de 1964 a 1967 en el cuarteto de Thelonious Monk. ^[2]​ Después de Monk, tocó con Alice Coltrane (de forma intermitente entre 1968 y 1975), Ron Carter (1975-1977), Jim Hall (1981) y las bandas New York Jazz Quartet (década de 1970 y 1980) y Sphere. ^[2]​ También tocó frecuentemente con el pianista Abdullah Ibrahim. ^[2]​

Riley murió de enfermedad pulmonar y complicaciones de diabetes en West Islip, Nueva York, el 18 de noviembre de 2017, a los 84 años ^[3]​ ^[4]​

• Weaver of Dreams (Joken, 1996)^[5]​ – grabado en 1993
• Memories of T (Concord, 2006)^[5]​
• Grown Folks Music (Sunnyside, 2012)

Con Noah Baerman

• Patch Kit (CD Baby, 2006) with Ron Carter

Con Chet Baker

• As Time Goes By (Timeless, 1986)
• Cool Cat (Timeless, 1986 [1989])

Con Bill Barron

• Variations in Blue (Muse, 1983)
• Live at Cobi's 2 (SteepleChase, 1885 [2006])
• The Next Plateau (Muse, 1987 [1989])
• Live at Cobi's (SteepleChase, 1988-89 [2005])

Con Kenny Barron

• Innocence (Wolf, 1978)
• Golden Lotus (Muse, 1980 [1982])
• Imo Live (Whynot, 1982)
• Green Chimneys (Criss Cross Jazz, 1983)
• The Only One (Reservoir, 1990)
• Lemuria-Seascape (Candid, 1991)
• Live at Bradley's (EmArcy, 1996 [2001])
• Live at Bradley's II (Sunnyside, 1996 [2002])
• Minor Blues (Venus, 2009)

Con Gary Bartz

• Episode One: Children of Harlem (Challenge, 1994)

Con Ted Brown

• In Good Company (Criss Cross, 1985) with Jimmy Raney

Con Ray Bryant

• Live at Basin Street East (Sue, 1964)
• Cold Turkey (Sue, 1964)

Con Kenny Burrell

• Listen to the Dawn (Muse, 1980 [1983])
• Groovin' High (Muse, 1981 [1984])

Con Ron Carter

• Yellow & Green (CTI, 1976)
• Piccolo (Milestone, 1977)
• Peg Leg (Milestone, 1978)
• Pick 'Em (Milestone, 1978 [1980])

Con Alice Coltrane

• A Monastic Trio (1968)
• Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)
• World Galaxy (1972)
• Lord of Lords (1972)
• Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972 (BCT, 1972 [2019])

Con Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

• Afro-Jaws (Riverside, 1960)

Con Ricky Ford

• Manhattan Blues (Candid, 1989)
• Ebony Rhapsody (Candid, 1990)
• American-African Blues (Candid, 1991)

Con Red Garland

• Stepping Out (Galaxy, 1978)
• So Long Blues (Galaxy, 1979 [1981])
• Strike Up the Band (Galaxy, 1979 [1981])

Con Benny Golson

• Time Speaks (Baystate, 1983) with Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw

Con Bennie Green

• Glidin' Along (1961)

Con Johnny Griffin

• Battle Stations (Prestige, 1960) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• Johnny Griffin’s Studio Jazz Party (Riverside, 1960)
• Tough Tenors (Jazzland, 1960) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• Griff & Lock (Jazzland, 1960) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• The First Set (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• The Tenor Scene (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• The Late Show (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• The Midnight Show (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• Lookin' at Monk! (Jazzland, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• Change of Pace (Riverside, 1961)
• Blues Up & Down (Jazzland, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• White Gardenia (Riverside, 1961)
• The Kerry Dancers (Riverside, 1961–62)
• Tough Tenor Favorites (Jazzland, 1962) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

Con Michael Franks

• Tiger in the Rain^[6]​

Con Andrew Hill

• Lift Every Voice (Blue Note, 1969)
• Shades (Soul Note, 1986)

Con Hank Jones

• Bop Redux (Muse, 1977)
• The Great Jazz Trio, What's New (Baybridge, 1998)

Con Sam Jones

• Down Home (Riverside, 1962)

Con Junior Mance

• Junior Mance Trio at the Village Vanguard (Jazzland, 1961)

Con Ken McIntyre

• Year of the Iron Sheep (United Artists, 1962)

Con Jay McShann

• Some Blues (Chiaroscuro, 1993)

Con Thelonious Monk

• It's Monk's Time (1964)
• Monk (1964)
• Live at the It Club (1964)
• Straight, No Chaser (1967)
• Underground (1968)

Con Mark Murphy

• One for Junior (1991)

Con Freddie Redd

• Lonely City (Uptown, 1985 [1989])

Con Sonny Rollins

• The Bridge (RCA Victor, 1962)
• What's New? (RCA Victor, 1962)

Con Dan Rose

• Fountains (Midlantic Records, 2002)^[7]​

Con Charlie Rouse

• Moment's Notice (Storyville/Jazzcraft, 1978)

Con Jack Sheldon

• Playing for Change (Uptown, 1986 [1997])

Con Sphere

• Four in One (Elektra/Musician, 1982)
• Flight Path (Elektra/Musician, 1983)
• Sphere On Tour (Red, 1985)
• Pumpkin's Delight (Red, 1986 [1993])
• Four for All (Verve, 1987)
• Bird Songs (1988)
• Sphere (1998)

Con Jeremy Steig

• Flute Fever (Columbia, 1964)

Con Horace Tapscott

• Dissent or Descent (Nimbus West, 1984 [1998])

Con Roseanna Vitro

• Listen Here (Texas Rose, 1984)

Con Larry Willis

• A Tribute to Someone (AudioQuest, 1994)

• Ben Riley en Discogs

• Ben Riley en Internet Movie Database (en inglés).
• Ben Riley interview at All About Jazz