Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ? - Country Music Meets Compassion: How Artists Are Making a Difference for Autism

Episode Date: April 13, 2025

Send us a text Tony Mantor hosts a special remote podcast from Nashville Palace supporting "An Acoustic Evening for Autism." Country music artists Daryl Worley and Dillon Massengale share their personal connections to autism awareness and how music has become a platform for making a difference. • Daryl Worley explains how friends with an autistic child inspired his commitment to the cause • Worley discusses establishing his foundation and the challenges of fundraising for charitable causes • Finding purpose through helping others becomes a central theme of Worley's career journey • Dillon Massengale shares his story of being diagnosed with high-functioning autism at age four • Despite doctors' predictions of limitations, Dillon became a professional musician • Dillon credits his success to proper treatment, family support, and his faith • Comes from a musical family with deep roots in Branson, Missouri • Has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and worked with notable country music artists Tell everyone everywhere about Why Not Me? The World, the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world.   https://tonymantor.com https://Facebook.com/tonymantor https://instagram.com/tonymantor https://twitter.com/tonymantor https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI) The content on Why Not Me: Embracing Autism amd Mental Health Worldwide, including discussions on mental health, autism, and related topics, is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect those of the podcast, its hosts, or affiliates.Why Not Me is not a medical or mental health professional and does not endorse or verify the accuracy, efficacy, safety of any treatments, programs, or advice discussed.Listeners should consult qualified healthcare professionals, such as licensed therapists, psychologists, or physicians, before making decisions about mental health or autism- related care.Reliance on this podcast's contents is at the listener's own risk. Why Not Me is not liable for any outcomes, financial or otherwise, resulting from actions taken based on the information provided. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to Why Not Me The World Podcast, hosted by Tony Mantor. Broadcasting from Music City, USA, Nashville, Tennessee. Join us as our guests tell us their stories. Some will make your laugh, some will make you cry. Real life people who will inspire and show that you are not alone in this world. hopefully you gain more awareness, acceptance, and a better understanding for autism around the world. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor, and welcome to today's episode of Why Not Me the World. We're recording live at the Nashville Palace for a special remote podcast, unscripted, unedited, and full of heart.

Tonight's episode supports an acoustic evening for autism, a show happening right here this evening. We're thrilled to bring you this country experience and I hope you enjoy it as much as we're enjoying sharing it with you. We've got two fantastic guests join us tonight. This is week number two out of three that I'll be featuring two guests per episode to dive into everything we're covering right here tonight. Thanks for tuning in. Okay, I'm here with Daryl Wurley. Thanks for coming on. Man yeah. I'm glad to be on here and to hear what you What all the good work you're doing. That's awesome.

Well, I appreciate it. So we're here at the Nashville Palace, and we're going to do a concert tonight for autism. What led you to be part of this? Years ago, we had a couple of friends, and they had a child that was born autistic, and that kind of started the whole thing for me. So anything that came along, not too long after that,

I wound up doing this show down on Broadway every year at one of the bars down there, and we would have this big benefit show and bring in all kinds of artists and songwriters for cystic fibrosis. Oh, okay. And because we had a family member who died with that disease, and so it was always close to our hearts. And I did that for years, and I thought to myself, you know, because we, had seen how other lives were affected by autism that if I ever had a chance to do something along those lines that I would jump right in there and that's how that's how this started so I think I've been doing this for several years oh that's great you know we are unfortunately a country

if it doesn't affect our family we don't get involved you know and learning about autism and how it affects people you know it's something that needs to get out there for people to learn and understand that that is something that we all need to help absolutely I think and you know we've mentioned cystic fibrosis and autism and there's a thousand other yeah things that yeah that people are and some some of them I mean I've just I've been close to people with muscular dystrophy and and and yeah it goes on and on and and you know To be perfectly honest, none of the stuff we're talking about is for the faint of heart. It's a difficult thing to deal with.

And in some instances, some are not as bad as others. But it's still a challenge for every person that's involved. And so, you know, whatever we can do to help at the end of the day, that's why we're put here is to love one another and to help out. Exactly. You know, I found that when I first started this podcast about autism, I didn't know anything about it. And now over the last year and a half I've learned so much. And it's just those things that, the stories that you hear from people that are living it, that go through all the challenges. And you sit back and go, you know, we complain sometimes every day, but we don't have to deal with some things.

So it's good that we can help out when we can. Well, I just feel like, you know, people have always even made jokes about, they used to call me Benefit. because because I would just do any body's benefit that came along. And growing up in music, you got people used you like that a lot. They'd say, hey, can you guys come out? Which I'm not saying in a bad way. I'm saying we were thankful to be used in that way. Right.

And then I got to a different level and started doing this on a national scale. and, you know, all of a sudden I'm like, oh my gosh, this is, this is bigger than I ever dreamed it could be with my career and stuff. And the first thing that occurred to me is, man, I'm really going to be able to help people now. Yeah, you know, that was going to be my next question for you, is this one thing when you're doing bars and clubs and across the country. But then when you elevate yourself with hit records and get to the point of where you can go out and do concerts, then all of a sudden your platform can help. so many people just by using your voice, by just telling people you need to help people. Yeah, I mean, we do that in a lot of different ways. I have my own foundation, the Darrell-Wurley Foundation, is alive, well, and active.

Oh, nice. We are really, really making a difference in our region, which would be like West Tennessee, right, North Mississippi, North Alabama, all there. But we help people all over the country. Yeah. And, oh, it has really grown. And we've been so blessed. And we, you know, we look for other smaller startups that are, that we know they're doing good work.

And we try to donate to them and help them, you know, figure it out. Because we went through a lot of time when it was not easy. Those first few years, I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm going to wind up being dead. Yeah. It's a whole different world when you get into helping people like that. That's right. because people don't understand the challenges that you have to go through in order to help. Well, and the bottom line is you've just got to come up with free money somehow.

Yeah. And when you say free money, people go, what is that exactly? And that's, well, where are you giving me money to help people? Yeah, exactly. So for us, it's free money. For those people, it's free money. But it doesn't come free. There's a lot of work that goes into it.

Yeah. But every bit of it's worth it. It's probably, you know, I look back on it all. And I think my travels to the war zones and entertaining our troops and doing all that stuff, that's going to be a huge on the highlight reel.

But leaving the foundation behind, it's a work that will continue long after I'm gone. I know it will because good people are involved. Good people want to be involved in things like that. And I think we're about to start maybe getting some sponsors on the corporate. level. Oh, nice. That'll be huge for us. Yeah. And then the good news is we'll do the right thing with it. Yeah, you know, it's the one great thing about doing this is like, like when I'm doing

when I'm in the studio doing production work and everything, I finish it up. I feel good that, oh, man, this is good. But when I finish an episode on my podcast and I'm talking with autistic people and the challenges and I finish it editing, it feels like I've accomplished something. Oh, yeah. Well, that's because you're helping somebody. I mean, you know, you can, I can sit here and harp on it all day long, but, you know, I'm a spiritual person and I'm a born again Christian. I love Jesus Christ. I don't preach to people. Right.

That was my daddy's job. Sure. He's really good at it, but I said I don't think that's going to work for me. Right. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that my convictions in this area are very, very strong. Yeah. But that's how each of us was designed. Whether we know it or not yet.

You may not know it yet, but that's how you were designed. And you won't feel real accomplishment. You won't feel real effectiveness in your life until you've done that helping someone else. That you didn't have to help. Exactly. Someone that you just thought, that person needs help, I'm going to step in. Whether it be stopping on the side of the road and helping some old lady that's changing the tire, I don't care what it is.

Those acts of kindness and acts that you do out of your heart that you do not have, That's the good stuff. Absolutely. And that's what kind of, my mother always said, those are the things that put the silver lining on the clouds. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, I tell you, I really appreciate you coming on. I'm looking for what you show tonight. Thank you, man.

And I'll have to get you back on my real podcast. Yeah, I'll get you come talk about autism on my podcast. Yeah, I'd love to. Sounds like Life with Darrell Worley. You'll love it, man. Check it out. Yeah. All right.

Well, I appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Okay, we're here with Dylan Massengale. Thanks for coming on. Thank you so much for having me. So tell me a little bit about your story and how you came to be doing this show tonight. Well, about four and a half years old, I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism.

How bad? And doctors told my parents and my family and my friends tell me that I would never be able to perform, never be able to carry a conversation, never be able to carry a job, never, not to be able to do anything. Wow. With right treatments and the right. right detox and with my mom helping me out so much I would not be doing this if it wasn't for her and thanking my good Lord can save her for everything that they've done for me so good good

now where are you originally from I'm originally from Missouri out of the southwest Missouri area okay what um what made you decide to move to national well I actually I mean I come to visit Nashville. Okay. I actually are currently living in Branson, Missouri. Okay, sure. But I actually come to Nashville about once or twice a year. Okay. And I've been a part of this great cause of this show. I was a part of it, the first one last year at the Tripador Nashville. And I was nominated last year for the Josie Music Awards that's held in Tennessee. That's held to Grand Alubbery. Yeah. But yeah, I make a lot of trips to Nashville, and it's good to see a lot of great friends out here. Yeah. So now, what are you doing musically?

Well, musically, I am a bass player. I get to play bass. And the rest of my family, I mean, I could play guitar, but it's not really, really good. Okay. Yeah, yeah. I mean, my brother, he's a drummer himself. Nice. And my dad, he is a fiddle player. Okay.

And my mom is a singer and a fiddle player and acoustic guitar player as well. Okay. And- So it's all in the family. I grew up in a musical family. my dad actually has been in this business now going on for 45 years in Osir Mountain Country there in Branson. He actually started a show what was the third founding show in Branson called the Plumber Family Country Visit Show. That was found. And then after that, he made the move and he got to tour five years and even got to spend his time here in Nashville with the late great Mr. Roy Clerk from out of Tulsa,

and played the Grand Alpary and played the last three seasons. of He-Ha. And after that, he made the move to Branson's. He's been there ever since. And my mom, she actually, both of my parents were born in race in the state of Arkansas. Okay. They were born out of Arkansas. My mom was originally born from out of Desark, Arkansas, on the east part, closer towards Memphis, to the city. Okay. And she actually made the move to Branson about, I would say about early 1990, I think, at the time, and she made the move, and she worked with a group

called the Texas Gold Miners. We're Texas, and they made the move to Prince, and they did a show. Then after that, she worked with different names. She worked with names like Barbara Farshall, Mickey Gilley. She worked with the late great Mr. Joe Diffey as well. And she's been a part of so many different shows, and including a guy that's actually written

some songs for the Laker and Mr. George Jones by the name of Mr. Billy Yates. Okay. Okay. But my brother, on the other hand, he has actually worked with a bunch of different artists. He has worked with the names like Martin Wills, Ronna Vincent, Jeannie Seeley, Mo Bandy, just to name a few. And he has been playing drums professionally at the age of 14 years old. Nice.

And now he's 24 years old. Okay. And he has, he recently was just awarded from the, Terry Music Awards, their Missouri for 2020 Ford's over the year over the last year. I couldn't ask

a more talented and I mean, I'm so blessed to be with my family to be more I'm at. So how many songs you're doing tonight? I am doing two songs tonight. Okay.

All right. Your own songs? I'm actually doing some covers tonight. I'm actually pulling out a Buck Owen song, but my favorite artist who ever did it.

But they actually did a CD released party here years ago and he played here many times was the late great darrell singletary oh yeah darrell singletary he did love's gonna live here and then i'm on to do another cut what he did but it was a cover but it was called i never go around mirrors tonight yeah yeah and that's great well good i'm looking forward to seeing what you do and and uh we're gonna have to get you on to uh onto my normal podcast and and get a full episode in for you absolutely i would love to be uh on there and i'm so grateful for the opportunities, what my Lord and Savior has given to me, my family, and a special thank you to the

artists who have supported me all through these years. Special thank you to Rhonda Vincent. She was the one that actually made my debut at the Grand Al-Lobbery a couple of years ago. Nice, nice. Special thank you to her, Junior Brown. Yeah. Let's see, Leona Williams, Jimmy Fortune from the Staple brothers. And other names like Teague and Brown and Eden. I've known for the longest, but Miss Allison Krauss. Yeah. I've been a privilege to know her. Well, great.

But it's been a fun ride. Yeah. I'm just, I'm enjoying every minute that I love. Well, you need to, and I appreciate you coming on. Thank you so much for having me. All right, thanks. Thank you. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show today.

We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. If you know anyone that would like to tell us their story, send them to tonymentor.com contact then they can give us their information so one day they may be a guest on our show one more thing we ask tell everyone everywhere

about why not me the world the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world Thank you.