This year's "Tennessee River Run," a benefit event for the Darryl Worley Foundation, was bigger and better than ever. This was the 6th year for this event, which consists of a fishing tournament, golf tournament, 5k road race, motorcycle poker run, arts and crafts show, auction, and concert. It was held on September 14th and 15th at Pickwick Landing State Park right next door to Darryl's hometown of Savannah, Tennessee. Artists at the concert were Cheri Robinson, Jason Michael Carroll, Trick Pony, The Charlie Daniels Band, and of course, Darryl Worley.
With this year's event the Darryl Worley Foundation has now raised a total of over $500,000, which is distributed to charities such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Hardin County Medical Center, where funds are being raised for the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center. In addition to these major charities, the Foundation also helps local people in need in the Hardin and McNairy Counties, as well as the surrounding area. Those of us in Darryl's fan club, The Friends of Darryl Worley, were very proud to be sponsors of this year's River Run, raising more than $7,000 for the Foundation, which was presented to Darryl at his annual fan club party in June.
The line for the concert started forming around 7:00 am outside Pickwick Landing, a beautiful state park on the edge of Pickwick Lake. The organizers were kind enough to hold the auction, which featured many items signed and previously owned or worn by Darryl himself, prior to the concert gates opening at noon, so that all the fans could bid on their favorite items. There was also a silent auction, and a "buy it now" table that features such unique items as signed pieces of the wood flooring from the Moose Hall in Savannah, where Darryl performed in the early days, a treasured item for any hardcore Worley fan.
The gates to the concert opened at noon, and it was a mad rush of fans for the prime locations at the front of the stage. Within hours, there were people covering the grounds of Pickwick Landing for as far as the eye can see, and numerous party boats inching their way to the shore of the lake to hear the concert as well. The festivities started at 4:00 pm with the invocation by Darryl's dad, Tommy Worley. The crowd then was treated to the singing of the national anthem, accompanied by a spectacular fly-over of two Tennessee Army National Guard Apache helicopters, color guard, the playing of taps, and a very moving 21-gun salute.
The first performer to take the stage was Cheri Robinson, a local favorite. She sang a number of great traditional country music songs, the likes of which are hard to come by these days. Next, came one of the hottest new country artists on the scene today, Jason Michael Carroll. Jason performed many songs from his debut album, Livin' in the Country, "Lookin' at You," "Livin' Our Love Song," and of course, the smash hit "Alyssa Lies." With his charming good looks, flowing blonde hair, and incredible voice and charisma, Jason wowed the crowd, and had many a young (and not so young) girl screaming for more.
It's clear to see that Jason loves performing, and interacting with the crowd. He spent a lot of time waving to the crowd, and shows that he cares about his fans. He seemed genuinely surprised that people want to have their picture taken with him, or have him autograph items. With the success of his music so far, and his winning personality, I think this is something that Jason is going to have to get used to , because it isn't going to end anytime soon.
The next act to perform was Trick Pony, consisting of Ira Dean, Keith Burns, and new addition Aubrey Collins. This rowdy trio performed all the favorites like "Pour Me," "Heartbreak," "On a Mission," "On a Night Like This," and a few new songs as well, including "Mama Burned" which they said will be on their new album scheduled to be released in the spring. This group is known for their energy and their performance on this beautiful Tennessee day was no exception. Ira was true to form, climbing the towering stage structure, and "riding" his bass, with its two shining headlights, to the shouts of the crowd. Aubrey has a great voice, and the three of them together make you want to just get up and party, which many in the crowd happily did.
Next up was the Charlie Daniels Band (CDB). It was a real treat to see this icon and how he gets a crowd going. His fiddle playing is second to none, and his straight talking personality is larger than life. Charlie performed many of his biggest hits, including "Drinking my Baby Goodbye," "Rocky Top," a very moving "How Great Thou Art," and of course, no CDB concert would be complete without hearing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." The band was highlighted by doing an incredible rendition of the William Tell Overture, showing us just why CDB continues to be one of the most popular acts in the country today.
