Press

“America’s most original narrative songwriter since Harry Chapin” – Q Magazine

“Darryl Purpose’s music hits all the vital areas: the heart, the mind and the gut… Purpose delivers these tales in language that is precise and unflinching, with a voice that rings true from experience. These songs never let go.” – New Orleans Gambit Weekly

Some of the venues Darryl has played:

The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
Bluebird Cafe – Nashville TN
Circle of Friends Coffeehouse – Franklin MA
Club Passim, Cambridge MA
Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse – Berkeley CA
Harris Creek Acoustic – Hampton,VA
Hill Country House Concerts – Bulverde,TX
The Kennedy Center -Washington,DC
Kerrville Folk Festival – Kerrville TX
Live Oak Music Festival – Santa Barbara CA
McCabes – Santa Monica CA
Rose Garden Coffeehouse – Mansfield MA
South Florida Folk Festival – Ft Lauderdale FL
Seattle Folklore Society – Seattle WA
The Turning Point – Piermont NY
Uncle Calvin’s – Dallas TX

Photos

“Purpose takes the almost indescribably intense moments of life and brings them a step closer to comprehension… I quite literally found myself reaching for something to hold onto. “Ring on My Hand” could be “the” next wedding song of the next thousand years or so.” — Mike Devlin, Music Matters Review

A Crooked Line reveals Darryl Purpose as one of the truly under-recognized singer-songwriters on the contemporary scene. –Rich Warren, Sing Out!

“…beautifully crafted literature set to wonderful melodies and presented with an uncommon mix of delicacy and grit. There isn’t a
filler song on this album.” — Dale Barcellos, Bluegrass by the Bay

“A breath of fresh air in an overcrowded market” — Dirty Linen

“Darryl’s fine guitar work is evident throughout, especially on the instrumental, ‘Rootwing,’ which opens and closes the album. Combine that with his hypnotic voice and heartfelt words and ‘Right Side of Zero’ comes close to a perfect ten.”  — The Performing Songwriter

“Much has been written about Purpose’s transition from notorious blackjack player to itinerant folk singer.  But what’s more important about Purpose’s art is his rare dedication to storytelling in song. His new CD, “A Crooked Line,” is his most narrative yet, and with Ellis Paul, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer among the guests, it might be his most attractive.” — Daniel Gewertz, Boston Herald

“Darryl Purpose’s music hits all the vital areas:  the heart, the mind and the gut.  “Traveler’s Code” is a collection of road stories told from the inside out, peopled with characters that live and bleed, undertaking journeys both interior and exterior.  Purpose delivers these tales in language that is precise and unflinching, with a voice that rings true from experience.  These songs never let go.” 
  — New Orleans Gambit Weekly

 “Showing the storytelling influence of Harry Chapin with a bit of Bob Dylan thrown in, Purpose’s third CD, Travelers’ Code, revels in emotional nakedness, smoothly weaving images of love, fear, loneliness and regrets through its 11 tracks.”  — Julie Bowerman, rambles.net

“Potent and soulful words wrapped around beautifully strummed out rhythms serves notice that the musicianship as well as the in depth writing on this recording can be powerful and riveting in equal measure.  It’s destined to be a Folk classic.”  — MuzikMan.com

“Purpose is the kind of musician we all aspired to be at one time.  He can pick up his acoustic in just about any setting and sound
REALLY good.  The songwriting is clever and the musicianship a 10+.” –FQMB

 “There is a quality to his music that touches the heart and the spirit of the listener, an authenticity of emotion is palpable.”  — Lucky Clark, Central Maine Newspapers

“Darryl Purpose once made his living as a professional gambler, and, like all gamblers, he knows how to tell a good tale.  That, plus his sharp eye for detail, his instinctive feel for hard-living, unsentimentalized characters, and his battle-hardened, but ultimately
optimistic view of the world makes “A Crooked Line”  one of the best recent collections of contemporary story songs.”  –Dirty Linen