Daryle Singletary is a contemporary country music artist firmly rooted in the past. An unabashed traditionalist, he can release a rowdy “feel good” song such as "Too Much Fun," but it is the classic country “weepers” that reveal the true emotional power and beauty in his rich, gravelly baritone.

Singletary arrived on the Nashville scene in 1990, competing in singing contests along with the likes of Tim McGraw and Tracy Lawrence. Their subsequent success encouraged Singletary, though he was not signed to a major record label until 1995. His first two singles," Heaven Help the Working Man," and "An Old Pair of Shoes", were released on the independent Evergreen Records label in 1992. It was the latter song that brought him to the attention of Randy Travis and his wife Elizabeth Hatcher Travis. Travis recorded the song for a 1993 hit and Elizabeth took over management of Singletary’s career which resulted in a recording contract with Giant Records.

Singletary’s first single release on Giant," I’m Living Up to Her Low Expectations," caught the ear of the Nashville establishment and his second release, "I Let Her Lie," was a breakout smash, establishing Singletary as an up and coming star.

Singletary’s first two albums yielded numerous radio hits and paved the way for the recording of his latest CD,“Ain’t it the Truth, which Singletary has called the best thing he’s ever been a part of. Producers Doug Johnson and John Hobbs worked painstakingly to capture the true essence of Singletary’s sound and Singletary himself has said, “This is the record I moved to Nashville to do.”

Before his recent performance at the Colorado Professional Rodeo, Singletary agreed to talk about the new album and share some of his views on traditional country music.

“I love traditional country music,” Singletary affirmed, “I’m a big country music fan, and I moved to Nashville to sing country music. The only thing that’s hurt me about the deal is that we don’t get to hear much traditional country music. “

”I would have given anything to have come up in the business when, to be in this business, you had to be a great country singer. It had nothing to do with how you looked in a pair of jeans or if you wore a cowboy hat.”
During the recording of Ain’t it the Truth, Singletary felt he had, indeed, had a chance to go back in time, at least for a short while. He likened his experience in producing the album’s title cut to Tammy Wynette’s creation of one of her classics. “When (Tammy Wynette) wrote "Stand by Your Man," they were in the middle of a recording session and they didn’t have a song. So, she and Billy Sherrill said they were going to take a 20 minute break and go upstairs and write a song for the session. They went upstairs and wrote "Stand by Your Man. “

”We were sitting in the studio and got to talking about great country singers like George Jones and what great country records they’ve had and I made the comment ‘ain’t it the truth’. Doug (producer Doug Johnson) looked over at me and said, ‘there’s the title of the album, now let’s write the song.’ He picked up his guitar and started strumming a waltz and he said, ‘Born in this country, red, white, and blue.’ Thirty minutes later we had this song written. For thirty minutes I got to go back in time and do what Tammy Wynette did when she wrote,'Stand by Your Man.' That’s what it’s all about.”

"The Note," the first single release from Ain’t It the Truth, had been previously recorded by country greats Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, and Gene Watson. The song, a tortured lament about a good-by letter, drew critical raves from such varied country artists as Joe Diffie, John Anderson, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs and Lorrie Morgan and George Jones.

"Miracle in the Making," another cut off the new CD, is a duet with wife, Kerry. “We’re thinking about that being our next single. We went looking for songs and didn’t find this song until the end and I thought it was a great overview of what was gonig on with us. Anybody, when you’re in love, can see yourself that way.”

“Doug Johnson and I...both teared up”, Singletary noted, when speaking of another track on the album, "You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet". The song is eerily reminiscent of Vern Gosdin’s"Chiseled in Stone" and “is a great country record, one of the premier songs on the album.”

The current single release," My Baby’s Lovin’" is a musical departure for Singletary. “It’s actually a Delbert McClington song. (He’s) a great bluesy, soulful singer. When I heard that song, I’m thinking how am I ever going to cover something like this? My producer said, ‘just trust me, take my word on this one’ and I did and it worked out. It’s a really neat record, very different for us.”

Daryle Singletary stands on solid ground not only as a singer but as a person. “My priorities are first, the Lord, then my family, and then, my career. If I keep that in sight everything else will be fine. If I can continue, a long time from now, to sing country music and be happy, that’s all I’d ask for. I’d like to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry, that’s a dream of anybody that’s a country singer, but I am definitely...loving what I do, I could be out here 365 days a year.

Singletary’s latest CD, Ain’t it the Truth is currently available in music stores, and if you haven’t seen him in concert, you’ve missed something special. This engaging Georgian, is a honky-tonk stylist who can spiritually transport listeners to another place and time. His infectious smile, and fun-loving stage presence enable him to keep a crowd jumping. Make sure to take in one of Singletary’s live shows the next time you’re wanting to hear some soulful, traditional country music, or just plain want to have fun.

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