Country and western music headliner, Darryl Worley, 42, will take center stage at McCullough Arena to kick off the Pahrump Fall Festival Oct. 4.

The singer/songwriter has six albums to his credit and country and western fans will be thrilled to have an opportunity to see him live.

Worley's music reflects his life experiences. "Have You Forgotten," written after visiting the troops in Afghanistan, was a number one hit, and "Hard Rain Don't Last," is for and about the working class and draws on his own memories of life after his father quit a job he'd had for years to join the ministry, moving Darryl away from a life he'd known for 14 years.

Worley has spent time working in a paper mill during the day and singing in bars at night, earning a degree in biology and a minor in organic chemistry from Northern Alabama University and teaching school, where he had to explain to the school district supervisor that he "played honky-tonks on the weekends." He never truly followed his dreams of a music career until one day his father said, "If you're still thinking about that music thing, you'd better do it now, because if you don't, you'll be trapped by the obligation of the debt and the responsibilities that come with life."

That was all Worley needed to hear -- he signed his first music contract for $150 a week in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and began commuting and playing in bars.

Worley "witnessed life young and lived it hard early," making him find "a way to draw on his life and distill true moments into simple songs that reach deep."

The concert starts at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. Advance tickets are on sale at the Chamber of Commerce, Ace Hardware, and the Pahrump Town Office or online at www.ticketweb.com.

Ticket prices are $15 for general admission seats in the grandstand and $25 for general admission for the arena Floor.