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A revered lyricist in the country music world stopped by Campbell County this weekend for an intimate performance at a Rustburg church.
Singer-songwriter Daryl Mosley performed for a small audience at Rustburg United Methodist Church on Saturday night. His setlist included “Hillbilly Graham”, a Mosley original which won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America’s Song of the Year award in 2018, and other hits he wrote as the title song of his song. 2020 album, “The Secret of Life.”
With only his guitar and his voice, which has been described as “sweet as molasses in winter,” Mosley mesmerized the audience throughout his performance of about an hour.
Mosley began touring professionally in 1989 and has spent much of his career on some of country music’s holiest stages like the Grand Ole Opry and the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee. He has performed with the famous bands New Tradition, the Osborne Brothers and The Farm Hands.
But Mosley changed course in 2019 and started touring solo. These days, he’s more likely to be found performing at a church or songwriter festival, rather than one of his old playgrounds in Nashville.
Mosley has tended to be the primary songwriter for groups he’s played with over the years, and told the Altavista Journal on Saturday that writing high-quality songs only became more important to him as he got older.
“I like it as much as anything I’ve done musically,†he said of his current approach.
Mosley’s default mode during performances is Storyteller. His show is full of personal anecdotes, like his memory of an Elvis movie that inspired him to start playing music. Although he does not remember her name, he said that a scene, in which the king of rock wins a female character by playing her a song on his guitar, has always marked him.
Then there’s “Toad,†a man who worked as a barber in Waverly for decades and inspired the aforementioned “Secret of Life†after giving Mosley a tip with a haircut an after. midday.
“The secret of life is no secret at all,†the chorus says, “just keep going, pick yourself up whenever you fall. Good friends you can count on, an understanding woman and a cup of tea. of freshly chilled coffee is the secret of life.
Mosley has a penchant for exploiting his own education in a small town for minutiae that will stick with listeners.
One song in particular, “Mama’s Bible,” which Mosley performed on Saturday, caught the attention of Betty Cyrus, a parishioner from Rustburg United Methodist Church who came to the show.
“Mama’s Bible†will be featured on Mosley’s latest album “Small Town Dreamer,†which Mosley says is due out on November 5. The song describes a child leafing through the pages of his mother’s Bible, finding elements that tell his story. life as a pressed rose, photos of loved ones and her husband’s obituary.
Cyrus said she recently had an experience similar to the child described in the song when she looked at her grandmother’s Bible.
“It was just like that; very thick, and there were all kinds of cuts in it, â€she said.
Cyrus and her husband Jimmy said they didn’t know Mosley’s name when they first heard he would perform in Rustburg, but decided to see him this weekend after having him. researched and recognized some of his songs.
“I really enjoyed the stories behind the songs,†Betty Cyrus said after the show. “I think it makes a big difference when you know it.”
Reverend Ray McGarr, pastor of Rustburg’s First United Methodist Church, said it’s not uncommon for musicians like Mosley to call to ask to perform at his church, although it doesn’t always work.
“We were just honored that he could come,†said McGarr.
After playing in 49 states, it’s hard for Mosley to remember which cities he played in and when. But Mosley said touring has taken him to many shows in Virginia over the years and that he has always enjoyed performing in the Commonwealth.
“I love the people here, and just the sense of community that this region has,†he said. “I have always felt at home here.
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