Darryl Worley

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Darryl Worley’s new single, “Tequila On Ice,” is a refreshing summertime hit. Check out our Darryl Worley interview at the 2008 Ride For A Cure.

For the record, there’s no question over what Darryl Worley is - namely, a country music phenomenon, a preacher’s son and the grandson of a moonshiner from Pyburn, Tennessee, who won academic honors in high school and at the University of North Alabama even while blowing off steam singing and partying hard on the honky-tonk circuit. His songwriting skills earned him a deal with Fame Publishing in Muscle Shoals, Alabama ; a number of artists, including George Jones, cut some of his early tunes. After two years EMI Publishing signed him to their songwriting team, and in 1994 Worley moved to Nashville .

Shortly after his arrival he met Frank Rogers, whose production career was just taking off. In years to come Rogers would work with Brad Paisley, Phil Vassar, and other headliners, but from the moment he agreed to help Worley cut his first demo, they formed a creative partnership that’s flourished through four releases on a four-year major-label run.

Success came quickly. The Academy of Country Music nominated Worley for Top New Male Vocalist in 2002. He also earned nominations from the Country Music Association for its Horizon Award in 2002 and ‘03 and Single of the Year and Song of the Year in 2003 for “Have You Forgotten?.” The Tennessee House of Representatives cited him that same year for his contributions to country music. His fan base kept growing and his concerts regularly sold out.

“Hello, sunshine, diddle-diddee, unh-huh , listen to the birds sing ... call it what you want to, ain’t nothin’ but a love thang.”
The beat is stomping. The music rocks, more like what you’d hear from the band at your favorite bar than from a state-of-the-art studio. Worley is savoring the lyric - and, when you see the video, you’ll savor it too. Producer Frank Rogers beams and gives a thumb’s-up. Even the dog has quieted down and tuned in. That’s when it hits home:

Darryl Worley has never sounded so good. Not only that - he’s never sounded so much like Darryl Worley.

Perhaps the high point of this period, though, involved Worley’s visit in 2002 to meet and entertain our troops stationed in Afghanistan , Kuwait , and Uzbekistan . Transformed by the experience, he wrote and recorded “Have You Forgotten?,” one of the most controversial and inspirational records of our time. Worley hasn’t wavered in his support for those who put their lives on the line for democracy; over the past few years he’s repeated his trip and expanded it to include performances in Iraq . On the home front, he played a key role in organizing the annual American Freedom Festival to raise funds for our veterans.

“These are tough times,” he sums up, “so when people pay to see a show, they want above all to have fun. And whether they’re seeing me onstage or listening to HERE AND NOW.

Darryl Worley

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