Through five albums and seventeen chart hits, Darryl Worley has produced on… Read Full Bio ↴Through five albums and seventeen chart hits, Darryl Worley has produced one of the most impressive and wide-ranging catalogs in contemporary music. He has for ten years been a mainstay of modern country, a distinctive singer and first-rate songwriter whose music has chronicled life, love and the world situation with equal facility.
He has topped the charts with singles including "I Miss My Friend," "Awful, Beautiful Life" and "Have You Forgotten?" which accomplished the feat for one, two and an incredible seven weeks respectively. He hit the Top 20 with the first three singles from his impressive major-label debut, Hard Rain Don't Last - "When You Need My Love," "A Good Day to Run" and "Second Wind" and followed with smashes like "If Something Should Happen," "I Just Came Back From A War" and the iconic "Tennessee River Run."
Along the way, he has sold nearly two million albums, earned nominations for five major ACM and CMA awards, including "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year," and has written songs for other major artists, including George Jones.
Now, with the release of his sixth album, Sounds Like Life, Worley reasserts himself as one of country’s true creative forces. Sounds like Life showcases Worley as a songwriter of depth and passion and a singer whose versatility and believability have grown stronger through the years. The project is a microcosm of his life and career, with the sometimes rocky, sometimes triumphant road he’s traveled infusing every track, and it bears both the sense of detail and the universality we’ve come to expect from the 6’6“ hit-maker.
The album is at once a reinvention and a return to the people and approach that marked Worley's dramatic entry into the national spotlight a decade ago. Sounds Like Life is a master storyteller’s take on modern life, a project that runs the gamut from show business itself ("Honkytonk Life") to hard-won wisdom ("You Never Know," "Nothing But Money"). It is a journey through love ("Best Of Both Worlds," "Everyday Love," "Tequila On Ice") and loss ("Slow Dancin’ With A Memory"), and from sensuality ("Messed Up In Memphis") to philosophy ("Doin’ What’s Right").
Worley jumped quickly back into the Top 20 with the single "Sounds Like Life To Me," a song as accessible as it is profound. Another of the album’s real high points is "Don't Show Up (If You Can't Get Down)," a groove song that attracted an all-star cast of participants including Jamey Johnson, Bill Anderson, Mel Tillis, John Anderson, Steve Harwell of Smashmouth, John Cowan of the New Grass Revival and Ira Dean.
The album is at once a reinvention and a return to the people and approach that marked Worley’s dramatic entry into the national spotlight a decade ago.
"I consciously made a decision I wanted this record to have the same kind of substance as my very first record," he says. "That album was pretty straightforward country and it had some really great songwriters’ songs on there well crafted, clever, but with substance. I also wanted something uplifting and fun, something that sounded different and had great grooves."
Having left behind two record deals after a corporate restructuring and a label demise, he was free to, as he says, "wipe the slate completely clean." He told his new management team he wanted to use his own money to record a project with his road band and with two long-time friends Jim "Moose" Brown and Kevin "Swine" Grantt producing.
"The guys play these songs every night," he says, "so it only made sense to go in the studio and cut the record just like we play on stage. And it worked. This is a group of people who have hung together for 15 years and there are no duds in there. They’re all very real people with one thing in mind make the best possible music, whether it’s songwriting, producing, or recording as an artist. I felt like we’d capture some cool stuff and that’s what happened. It meant a lot to us as friends to be able to do this, too."
Outside the industry’s parameters or politics, he and that close cohort of musicians put together an album that reflects everything Worley does well.
"We didn’t set out to make the record that would define me as an artist," he adds. "I said, ’Let’s just be more concerned about the music. We don't have anybody breathing down our neck. Let’s go in there and do what we always said we wanted do and just have fun, get all the guys together and when the moment’s right, let’s cut one and keep it.’"
Photo of Darryl Worley Once the album was cut, Worley began meeting with labels and was about to sign a deal when James Stroud, who had signed him to his first deal a decade earlier, called and said he was launching a new label, Stroudavarious Records, with businessman/entrepreneur Ronnie Gilley.
"Ronnie and James and I had been doing business together for eight or nine years," says Worley. "James taught me a lot of what I know about the music business. He and I had a lot of success together and a lot of fun together, and we had gotten to know each other inside and out.
"I wanted a real partnership," he says. "That’s what we’ve got, and that’s why it’s working."
Sounds Like Life launches the latest chapter in one of modern country music’s most amazing odysseys. It began in Hardin County, Tennessee, part of a three-state region where the elements of life included hard work, economic hardship, deep religious conviction and bootleg liquor. It paid to be tough and smart, and Worley was both.
He was also musical his grandfather played old country and bluegrass on the banjo and his mother sang in church. Worley was drawn in both directions, balancing the hellion and the seeker as he grew up. Tall and athletic, Worley might have earned an athletic scholarship to college, but he broke his back playing basketball and lost that opportunity. Still, he earned a degree in biology with a minor in organic chemistry, playing music in honky-tonks and raising hell all the while.
He continued playing as he worked in the chemical business and taught school for a year, torn between the pressure he felt to establish a secure career and his deep-seated need to pursue music. Finally, his preacher father helped him sort it out.
"One day he said, ’If you’re still thinking about that music thing you better do it now’," says Worley, "’because if you don’t, you’ll be trapped by the obligation of the debt and the responsibilities that come with life.’ That was all I needed to hear."
A gifted and hard-working songwriter, he signed a deal with Fame Publishing in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to write songs for $150 a week. Years of playing bars and hard living made their way into his music, and artists like George Jones cut his early work. He was signed to Nashville’s EMI Publishing and in 1994 he made his way to Nashville. After half a decade of sometimes frustrating development deals, in 1999 he earned the label deal that moved his career into high gear.
Worley has not wavered in his support for those who put their lives on the line for democracy It is telling that Worley was quick to turn his celebrity to good purpose. In 2002, he traveled to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan to entertain troops, and the experience was transforming. He wrote "Have You Forgotten?" and began a series of visits here and overseas, including to Iraq, to support those who wear their country’s uniform.
He calls those trips "the best work I’ve done since I’ve been in this business. I’ve never done it for accolades or for publicity. I do it because I want to do it."
Still, accolades have come. He has received the VFW’s Americanism Award and the USO’s Merit Award, and the Tennessee House of Representatives cited him for his contributions to country music.
His experiences overseas helped spur him to launch major charitable efforts back home.
"Coming off some of those trips really made me want to dig in and do more for my home area Savannah, Hardin County, that whole Tri-state area," he says. "My parents said, ’You need to remember where you come from,’ and the Darryl Worley Foundation became the way to do that."
What began as a way to provide assistance to people who might not be able to afford insurance who faced catastrophic losses has expanded over time. His Tennessee River Run, a weeklong festival capped by several major concerts, has raised money for all kinds of projects, including medical facilities.
"I’ve seen friends and family affected by cancer, and at one point I said, ’Can we do something here in the county to help some of them?’ We built this small outpatient chemotherapy wing on the Hardin County Medical Center and we were immediately overwhelmed by the people who just poured in there. They were literally in the hallways getting chemotherapy. Now we’re in the process of planning a cancer treatment center."
Photo of Darryl Worley on a motorcycle For a man whose career single-mindedness and whose wild and restless streak once wrought havoc in his personal life, he has found more peace than ever since his marriage to his wife Kimberly and the birth of his daughter Savannah.
"My wife and my child have put everything in perspective," he says. "I didn’t think it would ever happen to me. For once in my life I feel like I've got my priorities in order."
That sense of perspective has only strengthened his music. His happiness has found its way onto Sounds Like Life, an album whose title is a summation of the reason for his popularity.
"The songs I’d had really big success with are songs that are just a big chunk of reality or a day in the life of somebody," he says. "That's what people expect from Darryl Worley. ’Have You Forgotten?’ ’Awful, Beautiful Life,’ ’If Something Should Happen’ those songs are something somebody went through. It’s real. It’s not contrived, not made up, and there’s a difference. You hear songs every day where you say, ’I love that, but it's a little bit out there. It’s probably not a real thing.’ But this album is about reality. There’s some stuff about the family. There’s some stuff about the new baby. It’s got both really cool grooves and real life."
Such songs have made Darryl Worley a vital part of the fabric of the modern musical landscape for a decade, and Sounds Like Life is convincing proof he will carry that position forward.
He has topped the charts with singles including "I Miss My Friend," "Awful, Beautiful Life" and "Have You Forgotten?" which accomplished the feat for one, two and an incredible seven weeks respectively. He hit the Top 20 with the first three singles from his impressive major-label debut, Hard Rain Don't Last - "When You Need My Love," "A Good Day to Run" and "Second Wind" and followed with smashes like "If Something Should Happen," "I Just Came Back From A War" and the iconic "Tennessee River Run."
Along the way, he has sold nearly two million albums, earned nominations for five major ACM and CMA awards, including "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year," and has written songs for other major artists, including George Jones.
Now, with the release of his sixth album, Sounds Like Life, Worley reasserts himself as one of country’s true creative forces. Sounds like Life showcases Worley as a songwriter of depth and passion and a singer whose versatility and believability have grown stronger through the years. The project is a microcosm of his life and career, with the sometimes rocky, sometimes triumphant road he’s traveled infusing every track, and it bears both the sense of detail and the universality we’ve come to expect from the 6’6“ hit-maker.
The album is at once a reinvention and a return to the people and approach that marked Worley's dramatic entry into the national spotlight a decade ago. Sounds Like Life is a master storyteller’s take on modern life, a project that runs the gamut from show business itself ("Honkytonk Life") to hard-won wisdom ("You Never Know," "Nothing But Money"). It is a journey through love ("Best Of Both Worlds," "Everyday Love," "Tequila On Ice") and loss ("Slow Dancin’ With A Memory"), and from sensuality ("Messed Up In Memphis") to philosophy ("Doin’ What’s Right").
Worley jumped quickly back into the Top 20 with the single "Sounds Like Life To Me," a song as accessible as it is profound. Another of the album’s real high points is "Don't Show Up (If You Can't Get Down)," a groove song that attracted an all-star cast of participants including Jamey Johnson, Bill Anderson, Mel Tillis, John Anderson, Steve Harwell of Smashmouth, John Cowan of the New Grass Revival and Ira Dean.
The album is at once a reinvention and a return to the people and approach that marked Worley’s dramatic entry into the national spotlight a decade ago.
"I consciously made a decision I wanted this record to have the same kind of substance as my very first record," he says. "That album was pretty straightforward country and it had some really great songwriters’ songs on there well crafted, clever, but with substance. I also wanted something uplifting and fun, something that sounded different and had great grooves."
Having left behind two record deals after a corporate restructuring and a label demise, he was free to, as he says, "wipe the slate completely clean." He told his new management team he wanted to use his own money to record a project with his road band and with two long-time friends Jim "Moose" Brown and Kevin "Swine" Grantt producing.
"The guys play these songs every night," he says, "so it only made sense to go in the studio and cut the record just like we play on stage. And it worked. This is a group of people who have hung together for 15 years and there are no duds in there. They’re all very real people with one thing in mind make the best possible music, whether it’s songwriting, producing, or recording as an artist. I felt like we’d capture some cool stuff and that’s what happened. It meant a lot to us as friends to be able to do this, too."
Outside the industry’s parameters or politics, he and that close cohort of musicians put together an album that reflects everything Worley does well.
"We didn’t set out to make the record that would define me as an artist," he adds. "I said, ’Let’s just be more concerned about the music. We don't have anybody breathing down our neck. Let’s go in there and do what we always said we wanted do and just have fun, get all the guys together and when the moment’s right, let’s cut one and keep it.’"
Photo of Darryl Worley Once the album was cut, Worley began meeting with labels and was about to sign a deal when James Stroud, who had signed him to his first deal a decade earlier, called and said he was launching a new label, Stroudavarious Records, with businessman/entrepreneur Ronnie Gilley.
"Ronnie and James and I had been doing business together for eight or nine years," says Worley. "James taught me a lot of what I know about the music business. He and I had a lot of success together and a lot of fun together, and we had gotten to know each other inside and out.
"I wanted a real partnership," he says. "That’s what we’ve got, and that’s why it’s working."
Sounds Like Life launches the latest chapter in one of modern country music’s most amazing odysseys. It began in Hardin County, Tennessee, part of a three-state region where the elements of life included hard work, economic hardship, deep religious conviction and bootleg liquor. It paid to be tough and smart, and Worley was both.
He was also musical his grandfather played old country and bluegrass on the banjo and his mother sang in church. Worley was drawn in both directions, balancing the hellion and the seeker as he grew up. Tall and athletic, Worley might have earned an athletic scholarship to college, but he broke his back playing basketball and lost that opportunity. Still, he earned a degree in biology with a minor in organic chemistry, playing music in honky-tonks and raising hell all the while.
He continued playing as he worked in the chemical business and taught school for a year, torn between the pressure he felt to establish a secure career and his deep-seated need to pursue music. Finally, his preacher father helped him sort it out.
"One day he said, ’If you’re still thinking about that music thing you better do it now’," says Worley, "’because if you don’t, you’ll be trapped by the obligation of the debt and the responsibilities that come with life.’ That was all I needed to hear."
A gifted and hard-working songwriter, he signed a deal with Fame Publishing in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to write songs for $150 a week. Years of playing bars and hard living made their way into his music, and artists like George Jones cut his early work. He was signed to Nashville’s EMI Publishing and in 1994 he made his way to Nashville. After half a decade of sometimes frustrating development deals, in 1999 he earned the label deal that moved his career into high gear.
Worley has not wavered in his support for those who put their lives on the line for democracy It is telling that Worley was quick to turn his celebrity to good purpose. In 2002, he traveled to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan to entertain troops, and the experience was transforming. He wrote "Have You Forgotten?" and began a series of visits here and overseas, including to Iraq, to support those who wear their country’s uniform.
He calls those trips "the best work I’ve done since I’ve been in this business. I’ve never done it for accolades or for publicity. I do it because I want to do it."
Still, accolades have come. He has received the VFW’s Americanism Award and the USO’s Merit Award, and the Tennessee House of Representatives cited him for his contributions to country music.
His experiences overseas helped spur him to launch major charitable efforts back home.
"Coming off some of those trips really made me want to dig in and do more for my home area Savannah, Hardin County, that whole Tri-state area," he says. "My parents said, ’You need to remember where you come from,’ and the Darryl Worley Foundation became the way to do that."
What began as a way to provide assistance to people who might not be able to afford insurance who faced catastrophic losses has expanded over time. His Tennessee River Run, a weeklong festival capped by several major concerts, has raised money for all kinds of projects, including medical facilities.
"I’ve seen friends and family affected by cancer, and at one point I said, ’Can we do something here in the county to help some of them?’ We built this small outpatient chemotherapy wing on the Hardin County Medical Center and we were immediately overwhelmed by the people who just poured in there. They were literally in the hallways getting chemotherapy. Now we’re in the process of planning a cancer treatment center."
Photo of Darryl Worley on a motorcycle For a man whose career single-mindedness and whose wild and restless streak once wrought havoc in his personal life, he has found more peace than ever since his marriage to his wife Kimberly and the birth of his daughter Savannah.
"My wife and my child have put everything in perspective," he says. "I didn’t think it would ever happen to me. For once in my life I feel like I've got my priorities in order."
That sense of perspective has only strengthened his music. His happiness has found its way onto Sounds Like Life, an album whose title is a summation of the reason for his popularity.
"The songs I’d had really big success with are songs that are just a big chunk of reality or a day in the life of somebody," he says. "That's what people expect from Darryl Worley. ’Have You Forgotten?’ ’Awful, Beautiful Life,’ ’If Something Should Happen’ those songs are something somebody went through. It’s real. It’s not contrived, not made up, and there’s a difference. You hear songs every day where you say, ’I love that, but it's a little bit out there. It’s probably not a real thing.’ But this album is about reality. There’s some stuff about the family. There’s some stuff about the new baby. It’s got both really cool grooves and real life."
Such songs have made Darryl Worley a vital part of the fabric of the modern musical landscape for a decade, and Sounds Like Life is convincing proof he will carry that position forward.
Tennessee River Run
Darryl Worley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Worked all week, got it all done
Let's make a Tennessee River run
Hey everybody, I think the time is right
Let's get together down where the catfish bite
Cooped up all winter waitin' on a day like this
It's the way I feel when I'm rockin' on the water
Baby that I can't resist
BBQ grill, summertime jam
Just about a mile above the Pickwick dam
Party on the water, whole lotta fun
Time to make a Tennessee River run
I'll get my bass boat, crank up your party barge
We'll drop these anchors out where the big boats are
Break out a cooler, pass out some ice cold beer
Look at all the people out here on the water
Man I can't believe we're here
Swingin' on a rope, gonna have a ball
Jumpin' off the Yellow Creek waterfall
Checking out the honeys baking in the sun
God bless a Tennessee River run
Doo-doo-n-doo-dee
Oh what a weekend, we've had some time to play
I should be leavin', tomorrow's a work week day
I just might call in, tell 'em that I can't get home
Does anybody want to stay a little longer
Or am I gonna be alone?
Floatin' on a tube, gonna weigh a ton
Cajun sausage on a hot dog bun
B-B-Q grill, summertime jam
Just about a mile above the Pickwick dam
Party on the water, whole lot of fun
Time to make a Tennessee River run
Doo-doo-n-doo-dee
Nothing like a Tennessee River run
I love a Tennessee River run
Whoop up a Tennessee River run
Let's make a Tennessee River run
Hey everybody, I think the time is right
Let's get together down where the catfish bite
Cooped up all winter waitin' on a day like this
It's the way I feel when I'm rockin' on the water
Baby that I can't resist
Just about a mile above the Pickwick dam
Party on the water, whole lotta fun
Time to make a Tennessee River run
I'll get my bass boat, crank up your party barge
We'll drop these anchors out where the big boats are
Break out a cooler, pass out some ice cold beer
Look at all the people out here on the water
Man I can't believe we're here
Swingin' on a rope, gonna have a ball
Jumpin' off the Yellow Creek waterfall
Checking out the honeys baking in the sun
God bless a Tennessee River run
Doo-doo-n-doo-dee
Oh what a weekend, we've had some time to play
I should be leavin', tomorrow's a work week day
I just might call in, tell 'em that I can't get home
Does anybody want to stay a little longer
Or am I gonna be alone?
Floatin' on a tube, gonna weigh a ton
Cajun sausage on a hot dog bun
B-B-Q grill, summertime jam
Just about a mile above the Pickwick dam
Party on the water, whole lot of fun
Time to make a Tennessee River run
Doo-doo-n-doo-dee
Nothing like a Tennessee River run
I love a Tennessee River run
Whoop up a Tennessee River run
The song “Tennessee River” by Darryl Worley is a celebration of the joys of summertime fun on the river. The song speaks to the excitement of escaping the daily grind and heading to the river to unwind and revel in the simple pleasures of life, such as BBQ, cold beer, and jumping off waterfalls. The lyrics paint a picture of a Southern summer with the river as the backdrop, and the anticipation of letting loose and having a good time with friends and family.
The song starts with the singer saying that he worked hard all week, making it the ideal time to take a trip down the beautiful Tennessee River. He invites everyone to join him, proclaiming that it's time to loosen up and party on the river. Worley sings about enjoying barbeques, summertime jams, floating on the water, and having a blast with friends all while admiring the beautiful scenery of the Tennessee River. He's in his element and is savoring every moment of the excursion, telling listeners how much he loves the whole event.
Line by Line Meaning
Worked all week, got it all done
After a long week of working hard, everything is completed and it's time to relax.
Let's make a Tennessee River run
Let's go down to the Tennessee River for a fun and exciting adventure on the water.
We'll drop these anchors out where the big boats are
We'll anchor our boats close to the large boats in the water.
Jumpin' off the Yellow Creek waterfall
We'll take a thrilling leap off a waterfall located near Yellow Creek.
God bless a Tennessee River run
Having a fantastic time on the Tennessee River is a true blessing and something to be grateful for.
Oh what a weekend, we've had some time to play
It's been a great weekend filled with enjoyable activities.
I just might call in, tell 'em that I can't get home
I am considering calling into work to let them know that I won't be able to make it in tomorrow.
Floatin' on a tube, gonna weigh a ton
I'll be lounging on an inner tube and it will feel like I weigh a ton due to being so relaxed.
Cajun sausage on a hot dog bun
I'll be enjoying a hot dog bun stuffed with Cajun sausage.
Nothing like a Tennessee River run
There's truly nothing like an exciting and fun-filled trip down the Tennessee River.
I love a Tennessee River run
I have a lot of love for a thrilling ride down the Tennessee River.
Whoop up a Tennessee River run
Let's have a great time and make some noise on the Tennessee River.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARRYL WORLEY, STEVE LESLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Nice Raptor
Worked all week, got it all done
Let's make a Tennessee River run
Hey everybody, I think the time is right
Let's get together down where the catfish bite
Cooped up all winter waitin' on a day like this
It's the way I feel when I'm rockin' on the water
Baby that I can't resist
BBQ grill, summertime jam
Just about a mile above the Pickwick dam
Party on the water, whole lotta fun
Time to make a Tennessee River run
I'll get my bass boat, crank up your party barge
We'll drop these anchors out where the big boats are
Break out a cooler, pass out some ice cold beer
Look at all the people out here on the water
Man I can't believe we're here
Swingin' on a rope, gonna have a ball
Jumpin' off the Yellow Creek waterfall
Checking out the honeys baking in the sun
God bless a Tennessee River run
Doo-doo-n-doo-dee
Oh what a weekend, we've had some time to play
I should be leavin', tomorrow's a work week day
I just might call in, tell 'em that I can't get home
Does anybody want to stay a little longer
Or am I gonna be alone?
Floatin' on a tube, gonna weigh a ton
Cajun sausage on a hot dog bun
B-B-Q grill, summertime jam
Just about a mile above the Pickwick dam
Party on the water, whole lot of fun
Time to make a Tennessee River run
Doo-doo-n-doo-dee
Nothing like a Tennessee River run
I love a Tennessee River run
Whoop up a Tennessee River run
ERIC SCHLEGEL
2020 still a great song!!
JohnnyCBCS
I'm thinking in 2120 someone will say the same thing
Cody Olson
I sure do miss actual COUNTRY MUSIC.. Darryl Worley you sir have always been my all time FAVOURITE in all of music!! THANK YOU!!
Abby kuhlman
me too ya know
Kim LeBouton
Ironically, you can find similar comments on country music ten to twenty years earlier. There’s always good country music out there but often.not found on the syndicated country stations. If you missed the recent Ken Burns documentary on Country music, it’s a must see.
Jada Morris
I know him personally well my mom does ish and I know were he lives btw my step dad was in this in the water and the girl In the rebel flag bekini saved his life from drowning
Sheri Patin
Love it!!
Joshua Brooks
great summer song. something tells me Darryl has a lot of fun doing this song live.
Beast Mode24
He had a concert recently it was AWSOME. Kalispell is the best. He signed my hat 🤗
Marie Ogden
I LOVE it! I'm ready for the lake and all the parties to be have during the summer every time I hear this song!!! :)