Canton, OH—July 6, 2007—The Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival announced country artist Darryl Worley will be performing on the Terry’s Tire Town Stage Friday, Aug. 3 at the National Ribs Burnoff at the Stark County Fairgrounds. The concert is presented in cooperation with WQXK-K105 and begins at 8 p.m.

 

Free, standing room only viewing will be available, however to accommodate the most fans possible at the concert, chairs or seating of any kind will not be permitted on the track area in front of the stage. Reserved seats in the grandstand can be purchased for $8 each. Tickets for all three concerts will be available at the Chamber office at 222 Market Avenue North from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, beginning Friday, July 13 and at the event each night beginning at 4:00 p.m.

 

In addition to national musical acts, attendees can enjoy activities on the Ohio Lottery Day Stage including the Madden Challenge on Wednesday and free musical entertainment all day on Thursday and Friday.  Additional family activities include an expanded children’s entertainment area including face painting, caricaturists, balloon twisters, Fantasy Football Zone of interactive inflatables, a master sand sculptor, Lowe’s Kids Clinic, Honda Ultimate Garage, U.S. Army Special Forces interactive unit and Coors Light Silver Bullet Train Tour.

 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival National Ribs Burnoff will run August 1 to August 3, beginning at 11 a.m. and concluding at 10:30 p.m. each day. In addition to fantastic ribs, a wide variety of other food will be available, including ice cream, corn on the cob, Buffalo wings, funnel cakes, sweet potato fries, Italian sausage, jambalaya and much more.  Admission to the Ribs Burnoff is free. On-site parking at the fairgrounds will be free each day until 4 p.m. A fee of $5 per vehicle will be charged after that time.

 

For more information, contact Chris Gumpp, event manager, at (330) 458-2054.

 

DARRYL WORLEY INFORMATION

 

Darryl Worley’s name is synonymous with charisma, soulful vocals, American pride and killer live shows.  He is his own man, in control of his music and his life.  He looks the way he wants to look.  He’s writing and singing the songs he wants to sing.  He says he feels “unleashed” and that the music he is performing now gives him a sense of freedom.  Worley is a preacher’s son and the grandson of a moon shiner from Pyburn, Tennessee, who won academic honors in high school and at the University of North Alabama where he earned a degree in biology with a minor in organic chemistry, even while blowing off steam singing and partying hard on the honky-tonk circuit.  He then taught seventh and eighth grade biology.  His songwriting skills earned him a deal with Fame Publishing in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and a number of artists, including George Jones, cut some of his early tunes.  In 1994, he moved to Nashville, and in the years to follow, he worked with Brad Paisley, Phil Vassar and other headliners.

 

His traditional country music caught the attention of Dream Works 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 after, Worley visited American troops in Afghanistan and wrote a song about the experience titled “Have You Forgotten?” which catapulted to No. 1.  Since that time, he hasn’t wavered in his support of the troops, and over the past few years, he has repeated his trip and expanded it to include performances in Iraq.  In 2002, the Academy of Country Music nominated Worley for Top New Male Vocalist, and he also earned nominations from the Country Music Association for its Horizon Award in 2002 and 2003 and Single of the Year and Song of the Year in 2003 for “Have You Forgotten?”