Daryle Singletary

Neo-traditionalist singer Daryle Singletary was among the brightest new stars to arrive on the contemporary country scene of the mid-'90s, winning fans with his simple, honest songcraft and distinctively gravelly vocals. Born and raised in Cairo, GA, he grew up singing gospel alongside his cousins and brother, and while attending high school enrolled in a variety of vocal classes; after graduation, he worked at a tractor dealership before relocating to Nashville to pursue a career in music. In Music City, Singletary frequently shared open-mike stages and amateur showcases alongside fellow up-and-comers like Tracy Lawrence and Tim McGraw; he eventually found work as a demo singer, recording the track "Old Pair of Shoes" for an independent label. The song made its way to Randy Travis, who decided to record it himself while recommending Singletary to his management team. In short time, Singletary signed to Giant Records, and in 1995 he released his self-titled debut LP, scoring the smash hit singles "I Let Her Lie" and "Too Much Fun." The follow-up, All Because of You, appeared in late 1996 and generated the hit "Amen Kind of Love." Singletary's third album, Ain't It the Truth, was released in early 1998, followed by That's Why I Sing This Way on Audium Records in 2002. It would be five years before his next release, Straight from the Heart, appeared in 2007 from Shanachie Records. Rockin' in the Country was released by Koch Records in 2009.

from Wikipedia:

Daryle Bruce Singletary (born March 10, 1971) is an American country music singer. Between 1995 and 1998, he recorded for Giant Records, for which he released three studio albums: Daryle Singletary in 1995, All Because of You in 1996 and Ain't It the Truth in 1998. In the same timespan, Singletary entered the top 40 of the Hot Country Songs charts five times, reaching number two with "I Let Her Lie" and "Amen Kind of Love", and number four with "Too Much Fun".

In 2000, Singletary switched to Audium Entertainment (a division of Koch Entertainment), where he released the albums Now and Again (2000) and That's Why I Sing This Way (2002), both of which were largely composed of cover songs. A third album of covers, 2007's Straight from the Heart, was issued on the independent Shanachie Records label. He returned to Koch (now renamed E1 Music) in 2010, to release Rockin' in the Country.

Early life

Daryle Singletary was born March 10, 1971 in Cairo, Georgia. His father was a postal worker and his mother was a hair dresser. At an early age, he sang gospel music with his cousins and brother. Later on, in high school, he began taking vocal classes as well. By the early 1990s, he had moved to Nashville, Tennessee in pursuit of a record deal.

In Nashville, he found work singing during open-mic nights at various venues, before finding work as a demo singer. One of the demos that Singletary sang was "An Old Pair of Shoes", which Randy Travis eventually recorded. Travis recommended Singletary to his management team, who helped him sign to a recording contract with Giant Records.

Career

1995-1996: Self-titled album

Singletary's self-titled debut album was released in 1995. The lead-off single, "I'm Living Up to Her Low Expectations", spent one week in the Top 40 on the Billboard country charts, peaking at #39. It was followed by his biggest hit, the #2 "I Let Her Lie". This album also produced the #4 "Too Much Fun" and finally "Working It Out" at #50. Despite the two Top Five hits it produced, the album sold poorly and reached #44 on Top Country Albums. The album was produced by David Malloy, James Stroud and Randy Travis.

1996-1997: All Because of You

A second album for Giant, All Because of You, was released in 1996. Although its lead-off single "Amen Kind of Love" became his second #2 hit that year, the album's other two tracks — "The Used to Be's" and "Even the Wind" — both fell short of Top 40, peaking at number 48 and 68 respectively.

1998-1999: Ain't It the Truth

Ain't It the Truth, his third and final album for Giant, produced a minor hit in "The Note", which peaked at #28 on the country charts and #90 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite this song's minor crossover success, however, this album also saw its second and third singles miss the Top 40, and Singletary was dropped from Giant's roster.

2000-2001: Now and Again

In 2000, Singletary signed to Audium/Koch Entertainment to release his fourth album, 2000's Now and Again. This album's lead-off single was a cover of Savage Garden's 1999 pop single "I Knew I Loved You". Following it were "I've Thought of Everything" at #70, and the album's title track, which failed to chart.

2002-2003: That's Why I Sing This Way

His second album for Audium/Koch, That's Why I Sing This Way, was mostly a cover album save for the title track. Both "That's Why I Sing This Way" and a cover of Conway Twitty's "I'd Love to Lay You Down" were released from this album, respectively reaching #47 and #43.

2003-present: Later years

After Audium/Koch closed its country division, Singletary signed to Shanachie Records. His first project for the label was a second album, 2007's Straight from the Heart, which was also largely composed of cover songs. Its singles, "I Still Sing This Way" and "Jesus & Bartenders", both failed to chart.

In 2009, Singletary returned to Koch under the label's new name of E1 Music. He released his next single, "Love You With the Lights On" in February. The single was the lead-off single to a new album, Rockin' in the Country, released in June 2009.