BGS 5+5: Darin and Brooke Aldridge

Artist: Darin and Brooke Aldridge
Hometown: Cherryville, North Carolina
Latest Album: Inner Journey

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Vince Gill has certainly influenced Brooke and I both in a big way since we remember hearing him the first time. We’ve admired him as a musical artist and person our whole lives. His songwriting and great stories he loves to tell, musicianship, the way he connects with his fans, and his love for his wife Amy Grant have always been inspiring factors for Brooke and what we set out to do in our own music. So happy opportunities have given us the chance to let Vince know just how much his music and big heart helped shape us to be the artists and people we are today.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Our favorite on stage memory is when we got to play the Grand Ole Opry on our 11th wedding anniversary in 2019. It’s always the most surreal experience to stand there on that sacred stage every chance we get to play it. To think of all the incredible artists we’ve loved and admired who’ve graced that stage and many who still stand there today. It’s also really special to share that moment as husband and wife. Two people who started out with the same goals and ambitions knowing that we once both dreamed of a time that we might get to play the Grand Ole Opry. We’ve had that privilege 25 times now and will be going back for our 26th appearance on November 27, 2020. There’s a picture of us holding hands on the Opry stage that will always hold our hearts. Go look for that on our Instagram page.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

To encourage, uplift and leave people happier than we found them with every note played, song sung, story told and moment when you truly “become one” with the audience.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Music has always been instilled in Darin and me since we were kids. Our families and communities where we were born and raised had a big hand in supporting and encouraging us since they first realized we had musical talent and a connection with people. I always had the natural ability to hear a song just once and know the lyrics. And Darin could pick up just about any instrument, even if he’d never played it before and start creating licks and melodies in just a matter of minutes. Growing up and hearing artists that our parents loved would eventually rub off on Darin and I and give us an even deeper appreciation for the music we loved and the dream of becoming professional artists ourselves one day.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

Every song that Darin and I have ever selected for a record or live show relates to us first in some way. We think it’s important to channel the characters in songs. This makes you sing the song the way it’s intended to be interpreted and allows every listener who hears it to feel that connection too.

Photo credit: Mike Lawson