Bio

American singer-songwriter Darryl Purpose is not one to do something half-heartedly. Whether he’s writing music and performing, walking across the country for peace, or playing blackjack professionally, he gives it all. After years away from the singer- songwriter scene, Purpose is back to making music, this time he says, for good.

From 1996 to 2004 Purpose worked the folk circuit becoming well known for his narrative songwriting and impressive fingerstyle guitar. In that time he played roughly 150 shows a year, releasing six critically acclaimed CDs and one DVD in that period. Though Purpose was thrilled to find himself on stage with the likes of Santana, Ellis Paul, James Taylor, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Bonnie Raitt, and Pete Seeger, his wandering soul seems to have distracted him.

Just when Purpose had built his music career to the point where he was headlining venues like McCabes, Club Passim and the Freight and Salvage, he inexplicably bought a house high in the Rocky Mountains and didn’t pick up a guitar for years.  “I don’t know why I stopped, but looking back at it, it seems that I needed to reassess who I was and who I am in relation to the music,” he said. So what was Purpose doing during that time?  “I’ve been climbing these mountains, listening to Thich Nhat Hanh, getting healthy in mind, body and spirit,” he said. He lives in Nederland, Colorado, near the Continental Divide above Boulder.

Along with his mountain adventures, he also made a name for himself in the international gambling world (again). In 2009, Purpose was inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
“It’s unlikely that I’ll ever be recognized as good a songwriter as I am a blackjack player,” he said. “It’s a heady place. But ultimately, I don’t think it’s as meaningful as the music is.” 

After hitting what he considers the apex of his blackjack career this summer, Purpose asked himself if it was time to return to music. “It was an overwhelming yes. I had this physical reaction of just relaxing and being comfortable and happy knowing that music was going to be in my life forever,” he said.

And with that, Purpose is once again devoted to playing and writing and is in the process of recording his comeback album remotely from Nederland.

When he looks back at the hiatus, he feels refreshed. “Seven years is a long time, but it feels like it’s gone by in a blink of an eye. It’s been rich and full. Now it’s time to hit the road and shake it up a little”