46-Year-Old Country Traditionalist Daryle Singletary Dies Unexpectedly

Saving Country Music has confirmed that country traditionalist and beloved performer Daryle Singletary unexpectedly passed away at his home in Nashville on Monday, February 12th. Singletary was not suffering from any known chronic ailments acknowledged publicly, nor had recently canceled any shows due to illness. Singletary had just played a show on in Lafayette on Saturday. Details on his unexpected death are still being determined as fans, family, and friends process the death of one of the men most devoted to keep the roots of traditional country alive.

Born Daryle Bruce Singletary on March 10, 1971 in Cairo, Georgia, he first showed interest in music singing gospel songs beside his brother and cousins in Georgia. During high school, Singletary took numerous vocal classes that would eventually create the foundation of one of the most sought-after voices in country. After high school, Singletary briefly worked at a tractor supply company before moving to Nashville to pursue a music career. When first arriving in town, Singletary would perform at open mics alongside other country hopefuls such as Tim McGraw and Tracy Lawrence, eventually finding work as a demo singer for his smooth delivery and perfect pitch.

After singing the original demo for “Old Pair Of Shoes” eventually recorded by Randy Travis, Singletary was able to sign a recording contract with Giant Records with Randy’s help. By the mid 90’s, Daryle Singletary became a popular country singer, earning three Top 5 hits in the mid 90’s with “I Let Her Lie,” “Too Much Fun,” and “Amen Kind Of Love.”

Later into the 90’s and into the 2000’s as the radio hits stopped coming, Singletary became a perennial favorite of traditional country fans for holding onto his staunch traditional sound. He would regularly make appearances on RFD-TV shows such as Larry’s Country Diner. His 2015 album There’s Still a Little Country Left was well received, including the song “Too Late To Save The World,” which became an unofficial theme song of SavingCountryMusic.com. In 2017, he released a beloved duets album with Rhonda Vincent called American Grandstand.

Singletary is survived by his wife Holly, and four children: 7-year-old twin boys Mercer and Jonah, 5-year-old daughter Nora Caroline and 3-year-old daughter Charlotte Rose.

“Might be too late to save the world, it may be already gone
So what say we shift our attention, to a good old 3-chord song
Now maybe I’m just talking crazy, I think together we can do this
It may be too late for the world, but can’t we still save country music?”

….from the song, “Too Late to Save The World.”

 

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