The Real Mr. Heartache: The Little Darlin' Years
The years have been unkind to the former Donald Eugene Lytle, who seems destined to be remembered for his legendary travails with drugs, liquor, and the law rather than his vital musical contributions. By the time the first of these 24 songs was cut for Hilltop in 1964, Johnny Paycheck had already: run away from home at 15; hopped endless freight trains to sing in dive bars across the country; received a court martial from the navy for fracturing an officer's skull; escaped twice from military prison; toured alongside George Jones, Ray Price, Porter Wagoner, and Faron Young; and been fired by all of them for excessive drinking and a hot temper. Impressive credentials indeed for a honky-tonk singer. He formed the Little Darlin' label with producer Aubrey Mayhew in 1966 and created some of the world's most impudent, painfully genuine honky-tonk, distinguished by Lloyd Green's pedal-steel pyrotechnics and his own agony-ridden vocals. His emotive pronunciations will immediately call to mindGeorge Jones, who he toured with on and off for six years (and who, according to the liner notes, actually copped his inimitable vocal style from Paycheck). Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Paycheck's talent is his songwriting, which shows a knack for turning a classic country phrase. He reprises hits he wrote forTammy Wynette("Apartment #9") andRay Price("Touch My Heart") and offers such startling titles as "(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone to Kill," "It Won't Be Long (And I'll Be Hating You)," and "If I'm Gonna Sink (I Might as Well Go to the Bottom)." Playthisat your next dinner party.--Marc Greilsamer