Confederate Railroad never took success for granted

Danny Shirley and the other members of Confederate Railroad take the time to greet fans, take photos and sign autographs after each show.

During those times, fans often share with the country and southern rock band how much certain songs mean to them.

“We had a truck driver out of South Carolina tell us a story about our song ‘When You Leave That Way You Can Never Go Back,’” said Shirley, Confederate Railroad’s founder and frontman. “When he got back from Vietnam, he had some issues which caused him and his dad to have a falling out. Then one night on his way to South Carolina, he said he heard that song on the radio and went and found his dad. They made up after not speaking to each other for 20 years.”

Of course, every encounter isn’t as memorable. However, that doesn’t stop Shirley and the band from wanting to say hello to as many fans as possible.

“I don’t remember everyone I meet, but I want to let all of them know how much I appreciate them for coming to our shows and buying our records,” Shirley said during a phone interview with Land Line.

The band plans to do the same this weekend after Confederate Railroad headlines the Guilty By Association Trucking Show concert on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Joplin, Mo.

“We’ve done several trucker shows in the past,” Shirley said. “It’s going to be fun. They are our kind of people, and we have a long history with Joplin.”

The 10^th annual GBATS, which is presented by 4 State Trucks and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, started on Thursday, Sept. 27 and will conclude with Confederate Railroad’s concert on Saturday night.

The free downtown concert, which is sponsored by OOIDA as part of its 45th anniversary celebration, will feature one of the most popular bands of the 1990s.

Started as a backup band for both David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck,  the group achieved two platinum-selling albums with “Confederate Railroad” in 1992 and “Notorious” in 1994. Four songs off those albums – “Queen of Memphis,” “Jesus and Mama,” “Daddy Was Never the Cadillac Kind,” and “Trashy Women” – reached the top 10 on the U.S. country music charts.

More than 25 years later, Confederate Railroad is still playing about 100 shows every year. The band released its seventh album, “Lucky to be Alive,” in 2016.

“We’ve been lucky to be doing this for so long,” Shirley said. “We’re looking forward to the show in Joplin. It should be a fun one.”