How Devon Worley went from a Radio Disney competition to the Brown County Fair

It all started with a Radio Disney competition.

Devon Worley was 7 when she told her mother Jamey Worley that she wanted to enter a Radio Disney singing competition. Although hesitant, Jamey Worley agreed.

“She was not your typical kid, and that was very obvious. She has a huge personality,” said Jamey Worley.

Devon would sing wherever they went and, because she was Jamey's first child, Mom did not initially realize that all kids weren’t like that, she said.

Devon went on to win the competition. Jamey recalls seeing her daughter go on stage for the first time. She had never had any stage experience before, Jamey said.

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Devon's first time on stage was 'the craziest thing'

“It was the craziest thing,” said Jamey Worley, who is now manager of the Devon Worley Band.

Devon went on to perform with a band called Jug beginning when she was 11. She eventually started opening for the band, with her sets typically lasting about an hour, Jamey said.

Devon was independent with her ideas and thoughts about music even at a young age, Jamey said, leading the family to help her form her first band when she was just 13.

Now 24, Devon has gone on to play at shows all around the country. She even opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally earlier this month – a move that Jamey said was a good fit for the band.

Lynyrd Skynyrd falls somewhere in between country and rock, which is similar to the Devon Worley Band, Jamey said.

A little bit of country, a little bit of rock'n'roll

“I think fans of country and fans of rock are all kind of in our wheelhouse,” she said.

Some songs lean more country, while others lean more rock, including a cover of a Led Zeppelin song.

Devon does most of her songwriting with the band’s guitarist, Jason Medvec, with Jamey sometimes contributing lyrics. The band also consists of Christian Twigg on bass and Grant Thelen on drums.

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It’ll be the band’s first time playing the Brown County Fair. Jamey said the team is looking forward to meeting people in a new neck of the woods.

Jamey said the band’s shows are special due to the level of talent on the stage.

“We put on a show. We don’t just go up and sing songs, there's a lot of thought that goes into that show,” she said.

The Devon Worley Band performs today at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the NVC Tent. Saturday, the band performs at noon, 3:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Ken's Family Tent. The concerts are free.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Devon Worley Band playing free concerts at Brown County Fair