Bluegrass fans will probably recognize Daryl Mosley from his work with New Tradition, The Osborne Brothers and The Farm Hands. Most recently he has also carved out a satisfying solo career, which has seen him release four solo albums over the last five years.
Daryl’s fourth solo album, Long Days and Short Stories, which came out in October, turned out to have an unintended connection between many of the songs, according to the artist: “…I realized there is kind of an underlying theme, about embracing the passing of time and your mortality…I just turned 60 and I think that was probably part of that.”
Of the record’s 11 tracks, Daryl wrote 10 of them by himself. When solo writing he says, “I write a lot while I’m driving.” He finds that the time spent driving allows him to capture and work out the many ideas he has “rolling around” in his head. “I’ve often told people,” Daryl says, “it’s a little bit like trying to remember a song you used to know.” He also feels that writing without a guitar in hand helps him create stronger, more unique melodies.
Daryl still resides in his small hometown of Waverly, Tennessee, about an hour west of Nashville. “I guess our biggest claim to fame is that Loretta Lynn lived here for many years.” When her ranch was a thriving vacation spot back in the 1980s Daryl was hired to do their “campfire show.” He remembers, “They had a little stage, and every night I would get up there and the campers would come down and I would entertain. That was really my first experience of being on stage…” Daryl would go on to have a number of encouraging conversations with Loretta about the music business, and credits her with pointing him toward songwriting early on.
His initial development as a writer was due to New Tradition’s basic need for songs. “We knew we needed material…so I started writing.” A major lesson Daryl learned through this experience was the importance of “craft” along with “gift.” He says “It was up to me to learn how to be the best songwriter I could be. It’s been a life-long process.” This process has led to the artist being considered a “songwriter’s songwriter” who can connect with audiences with his smooth baritone voice, sharing stories about “salt-of-the-earth” people that evoke comparisons to Flannery O’Connor and Norman Rockwell.