Darryl Worley photo courtesy of Stroudavarious Records.

For the record, there's no question over what Darryl Worley is - namely, a country music star who respects the traditions of the genre, 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 Worley's early tunes. After two years, EMI Publishing signed him to their songwriting team, and in 1994 Worley moved to Nashville.

Success came quickly. The Academy of Country Music nominated Darryl 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.

Perhaps the high point of this period, though, involved Darryl'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. Darryl has not 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.

In 2006, George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey partnered with Darryl as the title sponsor of his tour. Officially named the "Darryl & Dickel Tour," George Dickel sponsored approximately 80 tour dates throughout 2006/2007 and promoted a social responsibility message by Darryl. The relationship continues today, and if you see the Dickel-wrapped bus traveling down the highway, there's a good chance Darryl is on it.

This year marks the seventh for his Tennessee River Run that now spans nine days and includes fishing tournaments, a boat poker run, a motorcycle ride, a 5K run, a talent contest and three concerts covering rock, country and Gospel music and more. While the River Run has raised money for countless worthwhile causes in his native West Tennessee, his main focus now is building a cancer treatment center at the Hardin County Medical Center in Savannah.

Darryl Worley knows his life – and every life – is ever-changing and ever-evolving. Onstage, he will always strive to deliver high-energy, entertaining shows he knows his hard-working fans deserve. He understands how he can use his celebrity to make the lives of his fellow man better – whether it's in the board room of his foundation or entertaining troops on the front lines of war. And the new constant that drives him to climb on a bus and drive hundreds of miles to go out and entertain his fans and come back home again – what makes him give his absolute best on stage and off – is his loving wife and a little girl at home who watches her daddy's every move and sees him as her hero. That's something he never wants to change.