https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZjPb77Gt4M
“It’s
amazing how music
touches the soul and the
mind and the heart. And
how it can change and inspire people.” Local
musician Tony Irby explains why he’s spent
so much of his life behind a guitar. “That’s
why I keep pushing forward and keep doing
what I’m doing.”
Irby is a staple in the local music scene
playing regular gigs at Cheaha Brewing
Company in Anniston, Little Bridge
Marina in Rainbow City, and Loco Mex in
Jacksonville. If you’ve been to a Tony Irby
show you know that he can play it all from
folk to rock and pop to country and ballads.
“I’m just a lover of music,” he admits, “I just
love people. I love the music, and it’s a joy a
blessing every day to be able to pick up that
guitar and to sing.”
INSIGHT
Shoulder surgery this fall forced Irby to
take a break from music, but he’s back
on stage this month just in time for the
holiday season. See Irby at Cheaha Brewing
Company on Friday, December 28 at 7:30
pm.
Watching Irby perform is like going on a
journey. “I don’t like to take [set] breaks,” he
explains. “That’s just me; thats my personal
preference. I don’t like to see people leave.
As long as I can see somebody’s foot
tapping on the floor or somebody lip-
syncing off in the distance that gives me
energy, and I can feel it. If I can capture the
crowd I’m going to keep playing.”
Originally from Pensacola, FL, Irby moved
to Tennessee to chase his music dreams. “I
spent years in Tennessee trying to make it,
you know in Pigeon Forge and Nashville,
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