Country music star Daryle Singletary's biggest collection of hits may have happened from 1995 to about 2001 or so but that doesn't mean that he isn't still actively making music. Completely independent for the first time through his own record label (TMFx4 LLC), Daryle has collected a strong batch of songs with a handful of the songs written by him and others written by writers like Buddy Hyatt, Jimmy Richey, LOCASH's Preston Brust, Roger Springer, Carson Chamberlain, Lee Thomas Miller, Monty Holmes and the Peach Pickers. No matter who wrote the songs, you can bet that you're getting a record that's straight up, good 'ol country music.
In our conversation with Daryle Singletary we discuss the one time he cut a song that didn't really fit him or his style (at his label's request), staying true to himself, the new record, being around for 20 years and much more.
Matt Bjorke: Six Years of having kids and making music…
Daryle Singletary: We had our first kid in 2010, right after our last record came out and [every 2 years after that we had little girls (3 kids in all)] and we started working on the new record in 2012 and figuring out how we were going to make this work.
Matt: Is this one completely independent?
Daryle: Yeah, we’re doing this one totally ourselves, so we can move it or back it whenever we want without asking anyone.
Matt: Yeah, I recently talked to the Bellamy Brothers about that and thy’ve been doing that for 23 years.
Daryle: Yeah, That’s why it makes sense. And I’ve had a record deal or major indie deal since I started in 1995.
Matt: And in your case it’s been 20 years…
Daryle: That’s right…
Matt: Can you believe it’s been that long?
Daryle: No I really can’t but it doesn’t seem like 20 years either. It seems like yesterday. I’m really proud that I’m still here doing this but it doesn’t feel like that long of a time either…
Matt: Yeah and this business, including anyone who works in the business, isn’t for the weak of heart or stomach:
Ain’t no doubt about that. If you carry your feelings on your shirt sleeve, you don’t need to be in this business…
Matt: Absolutely…
Matt: Who did you work with on the project?
Daryle: Greg Cole...
Matt: Your longtime collaborator….
Daryle: Yeah, we’ve worked together on every independent record I’ve had. We were making demos together long before I had a record deal and he’s played drums for me for all these years and he knows my every move in the studio and I, the same with him. It makes for a night combination…
Matt: Something about drummers becoming producers….
Daryle: Yeah, that’s right, there is something to that…
Matt: How did you go about choosing the songs for There's Still A Little Country Left?
Daryle: I guess The same way we’ve always found the songs. I wrote some of ‘em but the songs we found outside, either they fell on our laps or I went back to my songwriting buddies who were familiar with me and I asked them to play me songs they wrote 15 years ago and they all just seemed to fall into place.
Matt: I guess ond of 'em, “Spilled Whiskey,” is the one that hasn’t been around that long and I demoed it and liked it and my wife heard it and loved it so we had to cut it.
Daryle: Then there’s “Say Hello To Heaven,” a song which has been cut a bunch of times.
Matt: Yeah, when I listened to the record in the car, I noticed it right away because I had recently heard it on a Collin Raye record and then I noticed it was recorded by Jamie Slocum and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver...
Daryle: I think David Frizzell did it and, actually, the track I first heard of it was by Kenny Rogers. He’d cut it but never released it…
Matt: Well Buddy Hyatt [the songwriter] produced Collin Raye’s record so that’s how that likely came about there…And I remember you recording a song called “I Knew I Loved You” back then…
Daryle: That’s probably been the only time, I’ve ever recorded a song that was done to chase radio.
Matt: And back then the song was denied but radio but a song like that might have been a hit today…
Daryle: And Mark Wills was having success with remake stuff and the record label talked me into it. It was stupid. Radio was like, “This ain’t Daryle Singletary.” It wasn’t me. I hate it. And the funny thing is people still request it all the time. And I said I don’t do that song….
Matt: It’d be funny if you put a couple notes of it into a song intro before breaking into a really hardcore country song instead, a sort of bait and switch...
Daryle: Yeah… (laughs)
Matt: It seems there’s an overall theme about the record…
Daryle: I think this is a record of opinions. The fact that we’ve got a song on there called “Get Out of my Country” which talks about posers, for a lack of a better word, and we were just talking about the way we felt the business was and all the TV shows are and you get on there and the next thing you know you’ve got millions of fans and don’t know know anything about the business or the actual fans.
Matt: Yeah, and The Voice hasn’t really turned out any huge stars yet…
Daryle: and that was our whole opinion when writing that with “Hey, if you came to this town for money, buddy, you better pack it up.
Matt: Yeah and that correlates to any job…
Daryle: Yeah you have to go down into the valley before you can get on the top of the hill and if you do it makes getting on the top of the hill a lot more rewarding.
Matt: Yeah and hopefully country radio will keep creeping its way back to the roots a little bit and I’m sure you feel that way too…
Daryle: Yeah, and it’s not necessarily just for me to play. I don’t begrudge anyone being successful one bit, and I have no problems with their success, I applaud it. But there should be room for the greats of the past and other artists.
Matt: I think that one thing fans love about your music is that you sing the stuff that fits you and you’ve only ever been who you are, save for that one time the label had you chase the radio…
Daryle: Yeah, I can honestly say, except for that one time, that my music has integrity and I have integrity. And I think if I did anything else, I’d be compromising the music’s integrity and myself so to do anything else would be wrong for me. Not to mention that after 20 years, the people, they expect to hear exactly what is on this record. I think when I announce a new record, the fans aren’t questioning what will be on it. Instead, they just wanna know when it’ll come out and that’s the most flattering to me and I’m thankful for that. And that just goes to show that i’ve stuck to my guns and and I’ve never second-guessed anything and I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
Click the album cover below to head to iTunes to purchase your own copy of the album digitally or visit his website for a physical cd copy!
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