Lead Singer of Fan-Favorite ’90s Country Band Suffers Broken Back

The voice of ’90s country and southern rock band Confederate Railroad revealed on Facebook that he recently suffered a broken back, though details on the situation are scarce. Over on the social media site, the band shared the news about frontman Danny Shirley, explaining the shocking accident had led him to have to be “heavily medicated,” but did not offer any specifics as to how he wound up injured. The statement referred to the incident as is as “a freak accident” that happened at Shirley’s home in March.

“He is currently heavily medicated & under Dr’s care. On a good note, there is no paralysis & the Doctor is optimistic,” the statement continued. “Updates to follow. Danny is not able to answer phone calls at this time and requests privacy as he heals. Prayers are very much appreciated.” On April 9, the band shared an update on Shirley, writing, “He has certainly came a long way in such a short time, but he is doing a little bit of what he loves to do! Thank you all so much for all the prayers because this is a true blessing for him to be doing this well.”

The update also included a photo of the singer, revealing he is currently in back harness of some kind, though it seems not to have impeded his ability to play guitar. The band still has a number of concert dates listed, which made a lot of fans worried about whether or not Shirley could be able to make them. At one point, a fan asked, “How in the world is Danny able to be back on stage this soon after his accident?!”

Shirley replied to the fan himself, using the band’s official Facebook account, and explained that he was not intended to miss any shows. “I’ll probably be on a stool but, I feel like I’ll be okay,” he replied. “Plus I’m gonna try not to dance too much!” On another post, a fans asked if Shirley will “make it” to the respective concert, and the band responded, “Yes he will!!!”

Confederate Railroad was co-founded by Shirley in the late 1980s. They played as a backing band for both David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck until getting their own record deal with Atlantic Records. They were a major country act all through the 1990s, lading big hits with songs such as “Jesus and Mama,” “Queen of Memphis,” and “Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind.” Their most recent album, Lucky to Be Alive, was released in 2016.