Biography
Darryl Worley was born Oct. 31, 1964, in Pyburn, Tenn. As a child, he had
both musicians and moonshiners in his family. When Worley was a child, his
father quit his job of 25 years to join the ministry, hauling the family
away from home. Moving rom town to town, Worley began to excel in sports but
broke his back playing basketball in high school. While in college, he took
on some odd jobs, including diving for mussels, commercial fishing on the
Tennessee River and working in the local paper mill. He earned a degree in
biology from Northern Alabama University with a minor in organic chemistry
and then taught seventh and eighth grade biology.
Later, Worley left a lucrative business to pursue a career in music. He
signed a publishing deal for $150 a week at Fame in Muscle Shoals and often
commuted to Nashville, playing bars. His traditional country music caught
the attention of DreamWorks Nashville, which released his debut single in
2000. Although the album Hard Rain Don't Last earned rave reviews for
its hard country sound, its first three singles stalled just outside the Top
10.
However, the title track to his follow-up album, I Miss My Friend,
climbed to No. 1 in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Worley visited American troops
in Afghanistan and wrote a song about the experience titled "Have You
Forgotten?" Capturing the anger and frustration of many Americans regarding
the war, the song catapulted to No. 1, and Worley quickly released the album
Have You Forgotten? (including material from previous albums) in
2003. He has since become an outspoken advocate of the military and has
toured numerous bases overseas.
Worley released a self-titled album in late 2004.
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