Daryle Singletary, Nineties Honky-Tonk Singer, Dead at 46

Singer-songwriter Daryle Singletary, whose stone-country vocals paired with unapologetically traditional tunes earned him a string of hits in the mid-Nineties, including “I Let Her Lie” and “Too Much Fun,” died Monday morning at his home in Lebanon, Tennessee, east of Nashville. An official cause of death has yet to be determined. Singletary was 46.

Born in Cairo, Georgia, Singletary, whose father was a postmaster and mother a hairdresser, performed gospel music in his youth alongside his brother and cousins. Relocating to Nashville in 1990, Singletary played local clubs and signed a deal with independent Evergreen Records in 1992, issuing a pair of singles. Members of Randy Travis’ band heard the singer and, at their urging, Travis would soon align himself with Singletary, co-producing his debut LP for Giant Records in 1995. The album generated his first hits, “I’m Living Up to Her Low Expectations,” followed by the Number Two single “I Let Her Lie,” and a second Top Five tune, “Too Much Fun.” A year later, he released his best-charting hit, “Amen Kind of Love.” In 2002, he recorded what would be his last Top 30 hit, “The Note,” delivering a chilling cover of a song previously cut by Conway Twitty, as well as Tammy Wynette.

Singletary’s devotion of the traditional sound endeared him not only to the general public but to fellow artists with whom he would collaborate, releasing various projects that teamed him with George Jones and Johnny Paycheck, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, John Anderson and Vince Gill. His most recent LP was 2017’s American Grandstand, a duets collection with bluegrass legend Rhonda Vincent.

“There are still people out there who want to hear traditional country music,” Singletary is quoted as saying on his official website. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to always keep it real and not have to compromise.”

Singletary, who was also an avid hunter, is survived by his wife, Holly; two sons, Jonah and Mercer; two daughters, Nora and Charlotte; his parents, Roger and Anita Singletary; and brother Kevin Singletary. A fund has been created to benefit Singletary’s family.