Daryle Singletary - Dead At 46

It is with great sadness that I have to report the sudden passing of one of the last true country, Honky-Tonk voices. News services report that Daryle Singletary passed away earlier this morning, 46-years old at his home in Lebanon, Tennessee. Website "Taste Of Country" claims, that he died of a blood clot. His latest album, a duet-collaboration with Rhonda Vincent was featured in my year's Best-Of-List "10 For 2017."

Daryle Singletary arrived in Nashville a tad too late, not because of procrastination, no simply because of his age. When he arrived as a 19-year-old, the sound of Music Town USA started meandering away from singers who actually could phrase and stretch country-lyrics to another dimension. What once defined a great country music singer in the tradition of Lefty Frizzell, George Jones or Vern Gosdin to younger protagonists like Keith Whitley or John Anderson and got to a certain degree a rebirth with the neo-traditionalists who carved their niche in the late 80s and early 90s like Randy Travis or Tracy Lawrence, started to get phased out by radio, megalomaniac arena shows and a switch to lowest common denominator pop-country.

As so many newcomers in town, Cairo, Georgia-born (*3/10/71), Singletary started singing open-mic nights and found work as a demo singer. And it was him singing a demo of "An Old Pair Of Shoes," by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Jerry Foster (with Art Masters and John Morris), that landed in the hands of his idol Randy Travis. Not only did Travis record the single for a Greatest Hits Compilation, he and his management helped Daryle get a contract with Giant Records and Randy helped co-producing the self-titled debut album with James Stroud and David Malloy.

Daryle made his debut in the charts (#39/95) with the Bob McDill - Tommy Rocco composition "I'm Living Up To Her Low Expectations," a lovely play on words Honky Tonker:



He fared better with the Tim Johnson composition "I Let Her Lie" (#2/95) which took him into the Top-Five for the first time; he did so two more times with the uptempo romp "Too Much Fun" (#4/95) by Jeff Knight/Curtis Wright) and "Amen Kind Of Love." (#2/96 by Trey Bruce/Wayne Tester), latter from his second Giant album "ALL BECAUSE OF YOU."

He reached the Top-Thirty one more time, with "The Note," a Buck Moore/Michele Ray composition originally recorded by Conway Twitty a dozen years earlier, and even though the song peaked at #29, it was also the only song that crossed over into the pop singles charts (#90/1998). By then Neo-Traditionalism had found its end and two more singles from his third Giant album "AIN'T IT THE TRUTH" failed to crack the Top-Forty and Singletary was let go.



From 2000 on, Singletary recorded mostly cover albums for a variety of labels, like Audium/Koch, Shanachie, and E1, but due to the changing radio environment, was never able to get enough airplay to chart in the lower Top-40.
But he continued to tour and play to live audiences, who still love traditional country music, like last Friday in Alabama and on Saturday in Louisiana. (A great example is also the included video at the bottom of the blog, offering a whole concert clip.)

On his website, Singletary is quoted: “I’ve been fortunate to be able to always keep it real and not have to compromise.”
Last year he got together with the Queen of Bluegrass, Rhonda Vincent and in the tradition of country-duet albums, they recorded "American Grandstand," a fine album of mostly older cover-songs, I gave 4 1/2 out 5 stars. Even though a pure country album, due to Vincent's association with Bluegrass, the disc entered the Bluegrass Charts and stayed for three weeks on the top position.

Singletary is survived by his wife Holly, and four children: 7-year-old twin boys Mercer and Jonah, 5-year-old daughter Nora Caroline and 3-year-old daughter Charlotte Rose as well as his parents. Our thoughts and prayers are going out to his whole family.

A post shared by Daryle Singletary (@darylesing) on Nov 23, 2017 at 1:51pm PST

Daryle Singletary Live at the Capitol Theater - February 9th, 2017



Sources: Fox News, Variety, Instagram, DaryleSingletary.net, Billboard, BMI

Ray Price - Honky Tonk Hero

 We all knew it would happen. The pancreatic cancer was back and Ray refused to go through another strain of chemo and decided to die peacefully in hospice care in his Texas house in Mount Pleasant. A rushed statement by his son made him die premature, but this afternoon at 4:43pm Ray did pass away. I'm sure there will be many (better and extensive) obituaries covering his six decades in the music scene.

I thought I will just remember him with some anecdotes, trivia and personal experiences.

Ray Price single handedly changed country music a decade before Willie and Waylon started their outlaw waves in the music business. After being a disciple (actually roommate) of Hank Williams, his early albums were pure Hank-influenced, songs right on the edge between sin and salvation. With the emergence of Rock'n'Roll, Ray changed the old solemn sounds with his signature hard driving, jazz-influenced 4/4 shuffle into a highly dance-able Honky Tonk sound which up to this day still exists in every "true" Texas jukebox and dusty dancefloor.
Just listen to "Home In San Antone" from his album "SAN ANTONIO ROSE" - you may have to do that several times to get actually get the different layers - first just listen to the tight rhythm work of drums and bass, add the "classic" fiddlin' by Tommy Jackson, then indulge in the mastery of Jimmy Day on the steel guitar and then give a listen to Ray's vocal acrobatics. Piece the pieces together and the sum is way bigger than it's parts. And please be warned this stuff is addictive.



Yes I'm bluntly honest - some of his next invention, the cosmopolitan Nashville sound turned me off, all the strings were layered so thick and smooth, that at the time it was barely listenable to. I did change my mind in retrospect. And the BS (yes that stands also for a musician) crap that Nashville is now releasing, elevates these tunes like gems in a field of burnt coal pieces.

When he was introduced into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996 I was there at the Grand Ole Opry working the event for several European radio stations and will never forget his quip "Well It's About Time." And right he was, having changed the sound of country music twice. In substance he was the Tony Bennett of Country Music, where George Jones was Frank Sinatra. In 2000 Ray made a trip to SXSW (music fair) to perform a free concert at Waterloo Park. Despite a cold front who dropped the balmy afternoon temperatures 30 degrees into the 40s, there were more than a thousand attending and enjoying that show (which also featured the Derailers and Hank Williams III). Still remember dancing on the lawn of the park - mostly to stay warm - when someone poked me in the back - they were some old friends of mine, members of BR5-49 who also attended the music fair and came out that night to check out and pay tribute to the Cherokee Cowboy.

The medley below of two of his hit singles, even though recorded during a different concert, pretty much explain the experience that beautiful, even so very frosty night.



By 2007 I was struggling, living out of my car - but Ray announced two concerts in Austin, together with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Asleep At The Wheel as part of the "Last Of The Breed"-Tour. Sure glad I was able to work "parking" these two magical nights and seeing that show twice. After the show we all rushed to Poodie's (Willie's former road manager's place - RIP) to see who would show up for the after party, some of the Cherokee Cowboys did, but it never became that much wished for Jam-Session for all the musicians involved. Nevertheless Ray stole the show these two nights. A year later he returned with "TIME" actually touching some of the old shuffle themes who made him so famous. "You Just Don't Love Me Anymore" became an instant favorite.

 

A must have for every true Honky Tonk fan is Ray Price's 10 CD box by Bear Family which chronicles the years from 1950 - 1966.