Redneck musician takes grandfather’s advice as he lets audience get to know him during concert
BURGETTSTOWN – “My grandfather once told me, ‘Don’t just stand up and sing to them. Let them feel like they know you when they leave.'” This is one of the many times Dreamworks Records recording artist, Darryl Worley, related his personal experience to the intimate audience at the Pepsi Roadhouse in Burgettstown during a recent performance.
Recalling his grandfather’s words of wisdom, Worley tries to make audience members leave the show feeling like they’ve known the redneck country singer all of their lives.
Performing to a sold-out crowd, the 6-foot, 6-inch Worley, accompanied country music icon, Trace Adkins, on stage for a crazy, good old-fashioned country show.
Worley, who is best known for his controversial patriotic tune, “Have You Forgotten,” spent the evening highlighting some of his career-changing songs, like “I Miss My Friend,” “Family Tree” and “Tennessee River Run.” He also introduced a few new songs, like “What Makes a Man Do That,” where he poses a question to the world about why men cheat while misleading the one they supposedly love.
Lyrics like “What makes a man lay down with a stranger when the one he loves is laying up at home? Why would he beg her for her trust and tear it up behind her back? What makes a man do that,” were only a few of the lines for one of the most heart-breaking songs country fans have heard in a long time.
Worley travels through his musical journey with a variety of upbeat and sometimes humorous tunes, as well as some soft, acoustical-driven songs that deal with some of the more depressing aspects of our lives, like “I Miss My Friend.”
“I Miss My Friend” was one of the first songs that helped Worley break into the industry several years ago, with a song that touched the hearts of anyone who has broken up in a meaningful relationship. His lyrics, which tell the story of a heartbroken lover that is very lonely because he has lost his best friend, seem to touch the hearts of audience members.
“… The one my heart and soul confided in, the one I felt the safest with, the one who knew just what to say, to make me laugh again, let the light back in, I miss my friend…” is the chorus to the song. The song’s lyrics seem to strike a chord with the audience because at some point almost everyone has felt that way in a relationship.
Closing up his portion of the show, Worley did a slightly newer rendition of “Have You Forgotten,” which instantly sparked an enthusiastic response from the crowd. The song rose to the top of the charts after its appearance on the Grand Old Opry and Worley’s recent return from performances overseas for the troops.
“I literally had soldiers come up to me and say, ‘You know, we’re over here fighting for you and your family, and we need you to go back home and fight for us,'” Worley said in his history of the song. “And I knew exactly what they meant. It became a mission to me, a duty to come back here and do something to honor them. I didn’t even think the song would get recorded – I just had something to say.”
Worley comes from a long line of musicians in his family. He began writing songs in high school, which continued through his college days at Martin Methodist College and the University of North Alabama.
Working through college in a local paper mill and later as a construction worker and commercial fisherman on the Tennessee River, Worley went on to land a regular job singing cover songs of his idols like Merle Haggard and George Jones at a restaurant in Tennessee.
With a degree in biology, Worley worked as a research biologist for a while before returning to his hometown in Tuscumbia, Ala., to work as a teacher and car salesman.
Although Worley’s life now leads him to music city, he still maintains his residence in Hardin County where his wife, Beverly, a native of his hometown, resides.
Worley puts together a show unlike any other musician. While watching him on stage, it’s apparent that he believes what he is singing and his expressions further exemplify that fact with smiles, determination and solemn expressions for the appropriate songs.
Headlining the show was Capitol Recording artist, Trace Adkins. Adkins is well known for such great hits as “Every Light in the House is On,” “Chrome” and his most recent hit, “Hot Mama.”
Adkins also choose the concert to debut several new songs with his fans, including one that seemed to capture the hearts of many who attended. The song titled “Ruff and Ready,” tells the story about a true redneck country fan.
“My daughters all know the words to this song, and boy is my wife (upset),” Adkins said before kicking off the song.
“Ruff and Ready” is a very upbeat, fast-paced, humorous song about being a ruff and ready cowboy, very appropriate for many country fans. The song seems destined to move to the top of the charts.
Of course, Adkins is quite the ham on stage. But what’s a man singing about hot mamas without a true mama on stage to listen to the song. Local country station, Froggy, which sponsored the concert, held a contest a few weeks ago to find the “Hottest Mama.” The winner, a mother named Sandy of Moon Township, had the chance of a lifetime to sit on stage with Adkins while he sang as if the song was written just for her.
Grinning from ear to ear, the two cut it up on stage and seemed to really enjoy each other’s company.
Both Adkins and Worley are great entertainers who seem to enjoy their lives in the music industry. Visit them online at www.darrylworley.com
and www.traceadkins.com
for more information.