Country Singer Brian 'Nashville' Duckworth Dies at 56

Brian Duckworth, who went by the stage name Nashville, died at his home on September 7 at the age of 56. The country singer had spent decades balancing two lives that seemed, on the surface, to have little in common: he was a devoted dump truck driver for Wolfe's Excavating, a job that earned him the nickname "Truck Boss," and he was the voice and creative force behind Taylor Made, a family band that scored a Billboard hit and performed at fairs and festivals across the region.

Duckworth grew up singing with his brother Greg and his sister Wendy Williams. The three came together formally in 2008 to form a band they initially called I-79, making their first public appearance at the Colgate Country Showdown. They later renamed themselves Taylor Made and built a following with original songs, most notably "Things You Don't Grow Out Of," which reached number 36 on the Billboard Indicator chart. For Duckworth, music was never something he pursued at the expense of other commitments. His family's obituary noted that he "truly enjoyed" his work as a truck driver because it kept him outdoors, and that he "never passed up an opportunity to share his voice" with audiences.

The dual identity—Truck Boss by day, Nashville by night—seemed to suit him. His family remembered him as someone who found meaning in both the physical work of excavation and the creative work of songwriting. He was married to his wife Tina for nearly 16 years and fathered six children: Zach, Ashton, Logan, Kayla, Michael, and Matt. He also had four grandchildren and five siblings who survived him.

Beyond his immediate family, Duckworth left an imprint on the next generation of musicians. His niece, Brianna Duckworth Kazner, posted a video on Facebook from her wedding—which turned out to be the last time Taylor Made performed together as a unit. In her post, Kazner described growing up watching her father, aunt, and uncle perform at local events, and later, as she began writing her own music, turning to Uncle Brian whenever she felt creatively stuck. "He truly had such a way with song lyrics," she wrote, "that I knew without a doubt Uncle Brian would pull me out of the songwriter's slump." They had recently spoken by phone about a song idea he was working on. "I can't count the number of times we got to sing together," she added, "but it will have never been enough."

His family's obituary captured the fullness of what Duckworth valued: "Above all, Brian treasured his family and the special memories they created together. He also dearly loved his faithful fur family, who were constant companions and brought him great comfort and happiness." A cause of death was not disclosed. Duckworth was laid to rest at Floral Hills Memorial Garden on Monday, leaving behind a catalog of songs, a family band that will continue without him, and a legacy of someone who refused to choose between the work that grounded him and the music that defined him.