Texas singer/songwriter, Darryl Lee Rush, was born in the small town of Markham; a small farming community in south central Texas. He later moved to Austin where he was the lead singer and songwriter for The Big Johnsons. He currently resides in Dallas, where he was the lead singer and songwriter for the popular folk rock band Fast Train. Darryl now works under his own name with bass player and backup singer, Mike McShane, the extraordinary harmonica of long-time sidekick Don Gallia, and Andy Mayer on drums. He is a lively musician and storyteller who develops a strong rapport with his audience.
Like many great Texas songwriters, Darryl's songs reflect the landscapes and the human condition of the places he's lived. In his song A Town Too Tough To Die, he describes growing up in a "town down along the Coastal Bend, where there's miles and miles of milo and cotton, and that warm Matagorda wind." From the perils of picking up women in convenience stores in urban Lakewood in 7/11 to the 69 Chevelle sitting on blocks in the front yard of his White Trash Paradise, Darryl paints a lively, humorous and often irreverent picture of the Texas landscape, urban to rural.
In a career that has given rise to more than a decade’s worth of fine-tuned, highly anticipated and wonderfully received music, the Derailers continue to build the relationship between song, listener and dance floor. Each album has been a mix of well-crafted original songs and cover songs so thoughtfully chosen and so representative of the band, that fans think they are as original as the band themselves. Challenged by their fans to create a sound that mirrors the shuffle of happy boots on a hardwood floor, the Derailers have fed the hungry dancehall crowds with their classic country beats and a 60s pop sensibility. Fans continue to show their appreciation and admiration with requests for encores long after the last drink has been served. In terms of sound, the Derailers have gotten smoother with age. As Hofeldt puts it, “I think we have retained the path we are going for. But we have certainly grown as players and allowed other influences to come in.” Their music celebrates the legacies of Buck Owens, George Jones, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich and the Beatles, while still being on the edge of today’s country music. Hofeldt describes his view of country music as, “finding out what love really is, versus what you thought it was when you were a kid.” For all the fans of the Derailers, love is all you need.
To discover more about Palo Duro' catalog, here is the new compilation "Texas Unplugged, Volume 2"!
