Johnny Paycheck

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Donald Eugene Lytle (May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003), better known by his stage name Johnny Paycheck, was an American country music singer, multi-instrumentalist and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greatest success in the 1970s as a major force in country music's "Outlaw Movement" popularized by artists such as David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, and Merle Haggard. In the 1980s, his music career slowed for drug, alcohol and legal problems. He served a prison sentence in the early 1990s and his declining health effectively ended his career in early 2000.

Early career

Born in Greenfield, Ohio, Donald Lytle was playing in talent contests by the age of 9. He took a job with country music legend George Jones for whom he played bass and steel guitar. He later co-wrote Jones' hit song "Once You've Had the Best." Paycheck was a tenor harmony singer with numerous hard country performers in the late 1950s and early 1960s including Ray Price. Paycheck, along with Willie Nelson, worked in Price's band the Cherokee Cowboys. He is featured as a tenor singer on recordings by Faron Young, Roger Miller, and Skeets McDonald. In 1960, he reached Top 35 status in Cashbox magazine's country charts as Donny Young with the tune "Miracle Of Love". From the early to mid-1960s, he also enjoyed some success as a songwriter for others, with his biggest songwriting hit being "Apartment No. 9", which served as Tammy Wynette's first chart hit in December 1966.

Johnny Kemp

Jonathan Kemp (August 2, 1959 – April 16, 2015) was a Bahamian singer, songwriter and record producer. Beginning his career as a songwriter in late–1979, Kemp is perhaps best known for his solo work including his 1988 R&B/New Jack Swing single Just Got Paid which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1989.

Biography

Early life and career

Kemp began singing in nightclubs in the Bahamas at 13. He moved to Harlem, New York in 1979 with the band Kinky Fox. In the early 1980s, Kemp became a successful session musician and songwriter, singing backup for the B. B. & Q. Band on their 1982 album All Night Long (on which he co-wrote several tracks) and for Change on their 1982 album Sharing Your Love (on which he co-wrote "Take You To Heaven").

Solo career

Kemp solo landed a solo recording contract with Columbia Records and his eponymous debut album came out in 1986. It charted in the U.S. on Billboard′s Top Black Albums chart reaching No. 36 on 28 June of that year. He scored a minor hit single from the album with "Just Another Lover" (co-written by Kashif), which peaked at No. 14 Billboard′s Hot Black Singles chart on 21 June 1986 and hit the Hot Dance/Disco charts reaching No. 26 in Club Play and No. 35 in 12 Inch Singles Sales that same month.

David Allen

David Allen, Dave Allen, David Allan, or Dave Allan may refer to:

Acting, entertainment and broadcasting

Music

Johnny

Johnny and Johnnie refer to:

People

Rhinestone Cowboy

"Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written by Larry Weiss and most famously recorded by American country music singer Glen Campbell with instrumental backing by the Wrecking Crew, L.A. session musicians. The song enjoyed immense popularity with both country and pop audiences when it was released in 1975.

Background and writing

Weiss wrote and recorded "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1974, and it appeared on his 20th Century Records album Black and Blue Suite. It did not however, have much of a commercial impact as a single. In late 1974, Campbell heard the song on the radio and, during a tour of Australia decided to learn the song. Soon after his return to the United States, Campbell went to Al Coury's office at Capitol Records, where he was approached about "a great new song" — "Rhinestone Cowboy."

Several music writers noted that Campbell identified with the subject matter of "Rhinestone Cowboy" — survival and making it, particularly when the chips are down — very strongly. As Steven Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic put it, the song is about a veteran artist "who's aware that he's more than paid his dues during his career ... but is still surviving, and someday, he'll shine just like a rhinestone cowboy."