“Darren won’t ever speak or talk again, or sing… His music was his life. He comes from a family of singers”
A Liverpool musician who has been tearing up the stage with his favourite country, western and pop hits since the age of eight “will never sing again” after having his tongue and voice box removed in a risky operation. Darren Neild, 55, went under the knife at Aintree Hospital last month after being diagnosed with cancer affecting the soft tissue of his mouth.
After 12 hours of surgery and a further five days in intensive care, Darren pulled through. But the life-saving procedure came at a price, as he is now unable to sing or even talk, and has to communicate through writing on his phone.
His friend, former DJ Stan Byott, 67, said: “We were all so shocked. I’ve known Darren since he was 11 years old. I used to run a country music club on Queens Drive and he would play at the venue with his dad. I’ve known him 45 years; we’re very good friends.
“Sue (his partner) messaged me and I couldn’t believe it. It ballooned out of control. The only thing they could do was remove the full tongue, larynx and voice box. He was under seven surgeons. From 9.30am in the morning until 11.45pm at night they had him in. He was actually in intensive care for five days because of the severity of the operation.”
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Darren noticed the signs of his illness earlier this year, when he found an unusual pimple on his tongue. When a round of antibiotics failed to clear up the problem, he was referred to Aintree Hospital, where he was diagnosed with cancer.
The city’s music scene has now rallied around their fellow musician as they prepare a three-day country music extravaganza in his name. The country music weekend will take place at St. Aloysius Social Club on Crosswood Crescent, Roby, on January 10, 11 and 12 2025.
Stan said: “I’ve been on the country music scene in Merseyside since I was 14. I’ve DJ’d for years and I know a couple of people, so I made a couple of phone calls, because he’s not going to be able to sing again. Within two days we had 28 acts pledging their services.
“Darren is one of the people who, if anyone else needed something, he was there. St. Aloysius used to run a country night for over 30 years and just prior to Covid-19 it died away, and Darren came back around 12 months ago and tried to bring it back on his own. He gave his time up for seven months for the local music scene. Everyone has come together for him and they’re all doing it free of charge.”
The three-day event will feature 34 different artists known on the Merseyside country music scene. These include Gary Mack, The Thornhills, Bob Morgan, Wayne T, Whisky River, Blue Orchid, and Kevin Bowe. Early Preston, one of the original Mersey-Beat legends from the 1960s, is expected to step out of retirement to host the opening night.
Stan said: “Darren won’t ever speak or talk again, or sing. He’s got no voice box. They’ve taken it all from him. His music was his life. He comes from a family of singers. He’s old style country, but he could sing anything.
“He’s very mentally strong. Before the operation the surgeon explained there were only seven people who had the operation in Merseyside. One died, one became a Paralympian, and the other four regretted it because of the mental toll. He said ‘I will be your second success then, because I will survive’.”
The country music weekend for Darren Neil will open at the St. Aloysius Social Club on Friday, January 10, from 7pm until midnight. On Saturday the event will run from 2pm until midnight, and on Sunday it will run from 2pm until 9pm. Tickets cost £10 each and can be purchased at the door. An online fundraiser in support of Darren, organised by Stan, can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/darren-neild
