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Few children at the age of nine can truly describe what they hope to accomplish when they become an adult. In reality, few adults can say their childhood dreams have come true at all. But for Daryle Singletary, he is living his childhood dream, and embracing every second! He knows that he is “one of the fortunate few” to be where he is today.
Daryle comes by his love of traditional country music honestly. A native of Whigham, Georgia, his great-grandmother was a fiddle player and his parents were part of a gospel group. Through growing up in a family that sang Southern Gospel music, Daryle developed a deep passion for the great singers from the gospel music genre. As with many great vocalists, the gospel influence created a solid foundation for traditional country singers and music, which has been the cornerstone of Daryle’s career. "I grew up singin' gospel music, but always was a big fan of traditional country music.” Daryle won his first talent show in fifth grade, and he was winning them regularly in high school. He had his own band in 9th grade, which was about the time the older girls on choral bus trips were asking him to sing for them. Daryle was quickly sold on singing as a career possibility.
A local print shop worker named Allen Baggett heard him and urged him to move to Nashville. Daryle was doing odd jobs for a tractor company and playing in a band in Camilla, Georgia, when he finally called Baggett and told him, "I've swept enough of this shop. I'm ready to come to Nashville."
After working for a brief interim as a roadie for Tanya Tucker, Daryle got work singing demos and began entering the talent shows that dot the Music City landscape. One, at a club called ‘Broken Spoke Saloon’, paid $100 to the winner, and Daryle took that money home for 10 weeks in a row. By this time, Baggett was working for Randy Travis, and that led to a chain of events that found Daryle being managed by Travis' wife/manager Lib Hatcher. "Both were big supporters who also helped me keep my feet on the ground," says Daryle. "They made me work a little bit harder and dig a little deeper."
Following a time of answering phones in Lib's office, selling merchandise for Randy on the road, and singing demos on the side, in 1994 Daryle landed a deal with Giant Records. Through Daryle’s great voice and working with producers James Stroud, Doug Johnson, Randy Travis, David Malloy, John Hobbs, Greg Cole and Chuck Rhodes, as well as the ‘who’s who’ of Nashville “A-Team” musicians, hit songs like the #1 "I Let Her Lie,” "Too Much Fun" and “The Note” have developed an ongoing enthusiastic Daryle Singletary following and fan base, and have made him a real presence on record and in video.
Daryle frequently performs on the Grand Ole Opry stage. He has also shared the stage with many great country music artists, and several have joined Daryle on his own recordings to include; George Jones, Merle Haggard, Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, Charlie Daniels, John Anderson, Dwight Yoakam, John Wesley Ryles and Johnny Paycheck.
‘Billboard’ magazine quotes; “Daryle Singletary is arguably, the best country singer of his generation.” ‘USA Today’ quotes; “ Daryle Singletary is one of a vanishing breed of singers, truly schooled in the George Jones-Lefty Frizzell style.”
He is currently on tour, promoting his upcoming seventh album release, “Rockin’ In The Country.” One song from this album, “She Sure Looks Good In Black,” is already being played in heavy rotation, on ‘Sirius’ and ‘XM’ radio. “I spent a lot of time on this project, because I wanted it to be the very best representation of who I am vocally and lyrically. I invited a few of my friends that I’ve always admired, to come into the studio with me” says Daryle. The combination of Daryle’s voice, with special guests Rhonda Vincent, and legendary award-winning fiddler and country artist Charlie Daniels, produces a sound that will have listeners setting this entire album on repeat!
Daryle attributes his fresh attitude and sound to the changes he has personally made and experienced while creating this album. “Without my wife Holly, I don’t know where I would be at this point in my life”. They now happily reside in South Georgia.
Daryle is also excited about his new relationship with ‘Toyota’. He will be performing shows in 2009, for their ‘Central Atlantic Region.’ “I am very excited about the many new friends I have made at Toyota, and look forward to working closely with them in the years ahead.”
Now on his sixth release, obviously Daryle is not a musical Johnny come lately nor is he a slave to the ever-changing musical trends. He continually wows his audiences at shows because not only is he a great singer, he is an equally fine entertainer. He remains true to himself, his traditional roots, and that is conveyed with all heart through his music.