Have you forgotten Darryl Worley?

Country music does have a history of political activism and social consciousness, running the gamut from Loretta Lynn’s ‘The Pill’ to Toby Keith’s ‘Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue’.

Darryl Worley had no intention of being part of that tradition when he recorded what turned out to be his biggest hit, 2003’s ‘Have You Forgotten?’

“I never wanted to really be in that arena — I am not a political guy,” Worley said from his home in Nashville, a week before he makes his latest of many visits to Alaska for a pair of shows — Feb. 1 at Spurs Bar and 4 Corners in Palmer and Friday at the Last Frontier Bar in Anchorage. “I got flung into it and I have had to stand up for myself at times and tell people that’s not who I am. I know who I am. The politics of it all, I can leave it all behind and be perfectly happy. Unfortunately, some people take those songs and have their own interpretations. You find yourself having to defend yourself against things that aren’t true.”

‘Have You Forgotten?’, released almost two years after the 9-11 terrorist attacks were roundly received as a pro-war song. But, Worley insists, he never saw it that way. To his mind, it was simply an homage to service and sacrifice of all sorts.

“I came back from our first overseas trip to entertain the troops and I was so inspired by what I witnessed; I wanted to do something for our military,” Worley said of the impetus behind the song. “Also, I was blown away by the selflessness of people in New York City when the towers came down and how the firefighters and police officers responded. I was very impressed by their willingness to lay down their own lives… Have you forgotten what people did for us to preserve our liberty, freedom, happiness… “A lot of people started calling me a ‘war hawk’ and all that stuff. I had to look at that and say you’ve taken it out of context, completely. This is about how much we appreciate these people.”

Much to Worley’s surprise, the song soared to No. 1 on the country charts, and became an Iraq War anthem, and the subject of scorn and derision from the antiwar crowd.

“We played it at the Grand Ole Opry as part of a tribute to vets. It just exploded and killed my other single that was out then,” he said. “Some people said, ‘oh, he planned all this out; it’s a scheme to make money off a tragedy.’ Obviously, those people had no idea how this happened.”

‘Have You Forgotten?’ was one of three No. 1 hits for Worley on the country charts, joined by 2002’s ‘I Miss My Friend’ and 2005’s ‘Awful, Beautiful Life’.

Led by those smashes, Worley is spending much of his time these days preparing a greatest hits album, which, he said, he’ll produce himself. He still spends plenty of time on the road, driven by his latest hit ‘Lonely Alone’, which will appear on that greatest hits album.

On top of that, and he’s working on a Christian album, which shouldn’t stray too far from a devoted fan following he’s held together for going on two decades.

“One thing about my bunch, is we always try to give people not just an album with a couple of decent songs — we wanted every song on there to carry its own weight,” Worley said. “Every album is packed full of good songs.”

At the height of Worley’s fame, country music was already being criticized in many circles for losing touch with its cowboy, outlaw ways in favor of a more pop-friendly sound. That change has only intensified now with the regular hits coming off country radio stations heavily produced pop sounds with lyrics focused on partying barefoot on the beach, and the like. It’s a change that leaves Worley with mixed feelings.

“Each one of those genres has its place, but something really weird has happened to country music,” Worley said. “I’m thankful for the activity because it keeps our business busy and lucrative — but I miss the old sounds. If you haven’t heard ‘Lonely Alone’, when you hear that, you’ll say, ‘wow, that takes me back.’ There’s no formula — just real songs about real life and real people.”

Alaska is a regular stop for Worley, who said the country music fan base here is outstanding.

“That’s what got me to Alaska, and what’s really impressed me is the number of people who are really into it there,” Worley said. “We love it; I could totally see me having a piece of property with a cabin there. I just think it’s an awesome place. I love the climate and the music scene.”