They're a dime a dozen -- young starry eyed singers who express their admiration for the legends who've helped pave their way. There are plenty who talk the talk, but few of them walk the walk, and put the words into action.

While others are a walking contradiction to the loyalties they profess, Daryle Singletary remains a straight shooter; his music, words and actions echoing his sentiments and commitment to country music and it's legacy.

His allegiance to country music's past is no more apparent than his latest album: 'That's Why I Sing This Way' (Audium Records) which covers classic tunes from the repertoire of some of country music's most notable icons. While almost every song on the album captures and celebrates the essence of everything that was ever right with country music, there's one that's a chillingly accurate portrayal of the opposite: Old Violin. Sung by Daryle alone the song would tell a compelling parable as it places a magnifying glass to the way country music dims the spotlight on our living legends -- but this version of the song is more than that. It's the personal story of Johnny Paycheck written by the legend himself in the early nineties, as he faced the twilight years of a memorable career head on in the mirror. Johnny's voice, in all its frailty, rasps out the last few lines:

And just like that, it hit me,
That old violin and I were just alike.
We'd give our all to music, 
And soon, we'd give our life.

A chilling and powerful recitation from a man who's favorite song would also be his final. It was the last recording Johnny Paycheck ever made.

You don't have to talk to Daryle Singletary too long before realizing that its not just how the story ends but also how it begins that's important to him. That includes the moments that his paths crossed with those of Johnny Paycheck. He recalls the first time he met him and the recollection of how 'real' Paycheck was despite his legendary status.

"I met Johnny back in 1997 in Florida, it was at a county fair and we worked together. I had a guitar that I wanted to have signed by Paycheck, Haggard, Jones and Vern Gosdin. I had gotten Vern, Jones and Haggard to sign it and Paycheck was the one that was left at the time." he recalls "So I’d taken the guitar with me because I knew I was working with him and went over to his bus and was standing out there waiting to meet ‘the man’. I walked up and here he’s in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, his hair is standing pretty much straight up, just getting out bed and his false teeth were are out." The pair talked like old friends before parting to get ready to perform their respective shows. Daryle left with an unrivaled memory and his treasured guitar signed and in hand.

There are many lessons to be learned from Johnny Paycheck's life and music and Daryle was an ardent student. It's the emotive  passion that encompassed Johnny's music that separated the act from the artist. "Someone asked me do I try to emulate, imitate or sing like Johnny Paycheck or George or Haggard," Daryle says of a recent interview, "I said I try to sing like all of them because they sing so great. Anyone in this town who says they don’t want to try and sound like them don’t know what good music is when it comes to traditional country music for one thing, and they are probably telling a lie. The people that brought me to this town are some of the greatest artists in the business."

"Johnny Paycheck told me one time, we were talking about being stylists and being emotional. He said 'You know son, there’s not a night that Johnny Paycheck walks on stage and sings the same, because there are some nights I’m happy and there are some nights I’m sad. When I sing a sad song on a night when I’m sad it’s going to feel that much more sad. When I’m happy I’m going to sing the song different.' he shares, "It goes back to Vern and it goes back to George, all of them and I can see it now as it’s come to pass and I’ve been able to be a singer and perform 200 shows a year. If you’re in a bad mood and you sing it’s going to show. If you’re an emotional singer, a soulful singer it’s going to affect the way you perform your songs."

Aside from his musical legacy are life lessons Johnny taught just by watching him. "You make mistakes to learn in life. That’s how you go through life. You skin your knee and you say I won’t do that again because I’m going to skin me knee last time. You don’t have to learn everything like that ‘cause you can learn from what other people have experienced. You don’t have to learn things first hand. Johnny led a rough life, there’s no two ways about it, he was a rough guy. Little things like that, the drinkin’ and the druggin’, all the wild things, you learn from that. Some of it you have to experience for yourself but for a lot of it you just have to look and say I don’t want to do it that-a-way."

Say what you want about Johnny Paycheck's notorious life, there would be few standing up to argue with you, but his track record for pulling himself up to make yet another mark on country music is a mile long ,and along with Daryle - he does it one last time with Old Violin.

It wasn't a song that was unearthed while selecting songs for his album, it's been a favorite of Daryle's for a long time and one he performs often. He recalls one performance in particular. "I had done Old Violin on the Opry a few times and one of the times I did the Opry, Marty Martel, who was Johnny’s manager, was standing off to the side of the stage. And when I got done I was walking off the stage and he handed me his cell phone and said ‘Here, someone wants to say hi." I was like ‘Hello’ and it was Paycheck. He said "Hey boy, it’s Paycheck. I just wanted to let you know I’m down in Atlanta. I just listened to you on the Opry and you sounded great. You did the song wonderful." I was like Wow! How flattering was that?"

When it came time to pull together songs for his latest album he says Old Violin was the first song he suggested to Nick Hunter. "It was just a given. I love the song. I thought it said so much." Except for Rhonda Vincent's vocals on After The Fire Is Gone, the songs were down on tape before the inclusion of the guest artists was even considered or suggested.

"Paycheck was the first one." Daryle says of the albums guest musicians. "Nick Hunter had worked with Johnny back at the Little Darlin’ and he said what would you think about getting Paycheck? I had known Paycheck as gotten very sick, had gotten very ill and had been in the hospital pretty much and didn’t want to come out. He was content. I said 'Yeah, if you can do that it’ll be great but I don’t see it happening.'"

Nick Hunter placed a call to Johnny's manager Marty Martel who in turn went to the hospital to see if Johnny was interested. "Marty always referred to Johnny as ‘the old man’." he continues, "He called Nick back and says "Nick, I tell you haven’t seen the old man as excited about something since he’s been in the hospital."

Johnny Paycheck had already spent close to two years under nursing care and the invitation to participate in the project helped pull him out of an extended period of depression. He'd been asked to do many things while in the hospital but he'd turned everything else down. "I was just flattered and honored that he would be a part of the record. When we asked him to be on this record, he knew my heart. I’d been doing this song way before Johnny got sick and it’s an unfortunate thing that he had to get recognition after he’s passed because he’s always been a great singer, a great artist as well as a great songwriter."

Arrangements were made for Greg Cole (producer), Nick Hunter and Chuck Rhodes to go over to the hospital and get Johnny's vocals on tape. In December of 2001 the same group with the addition of Marty Martel and Daryle went back with the finished project in hand. 

"They brought him down to a little conference room where we’d set up a tape recorder and we told him 'We have something we want you to listen to' and we put it on. He was very feeble, I was very taken. That was the first time I’d seen him since he’d been in the hospital and I am thinking ‘Golly, Bless his heart’" he recalls "We played the song, there wasn't a dry eye in the room, including the nurses that were in there."

"Johnny was laying there with big tears rolling down his face. At the end of it, when it was all said and done he still had his way of singing, and he still had his sense of humor. He had a comment to make. I wish I could quote him word for word but it was something to the effect: "You did it good but you didn’t do it as good as I did."

Daryle acknowledges that there are those who would like to see the song be a radio single but he's extremely cautious about giving the appearance of trying to cash in on Johnny's name. The fact that Johnny participated on his album and the fact that his inclusion made his friend and hero happy is enough for him. "I don’t want to commercialize it. I don’t want to capitalize off Johnny Paycheck." he says adamantly, "I’m happy with the effort we’ve got because you know this is something I can be proud of the rest of my life and something I can have that no one in this world has got – and that’s enough for me. I don’t care for this song to be a single, simply because I don’t want to look like I’m trying to capitalize on the situation. By all means because I think that would be the most disrespectful thing I could do."

"We knew the inevitable when we went into record this, we were doing it out of respect and reverence to him because I’m such a huge fan. I was genuinely taken, and excited and genuinely flattered that he would be on the project knowing how sick he was and knowing he turned down so many other things. I was just very honored. That’s one memory I can have. I was in there the day we played the record and I know how he felt about doing this project. I know how he felt about, he was genuinely excited his music was being carried on. I can’t imagine me, years from now, hopefully someone will say would you sing on this song with me. Anyone in this business would be very flattered no matter what state of physical shape they're in. It’s paying homage to them or remembrance, I think that’s a very flattering thing, a respectful thing. "

While there inevitably will be many a new country music fan to come along that will not know the name Johnny Paycheck, thanks to the spark he lit in the next generation of country music honky-tonkers like Daryle Singletary, they'll learn soon enough. "I can’t say enough how excited about I am about being able to carry on Johnny Paycheck’s music and his memory. That’s my main concern and my main goal out of all of this. I don’t care about being recognized as having the last recording or anything I just want people to know he was a great singer and songwriter and a great person."