The Steel Guitar Forum

Jones' former steel player Tom Killen told me that he considers Singletary to be the best singer in country music, bar none. Tom played a few gigs with him and evaluated him to be easily on par with Jones in his prime.

I don't know if he is the best, but he is really, really good. Probably in my top 10 list of male country singers. I wish he would come out here.

The big problem with him is that he is too good for the general radio listening public these days. Really sad.

I don't hear anyone else with half his chops - maybe George in his prime, but that's it. Joe Diffie runs him a close second though.

Joe Diffie is another. Looks like I am in for a long afternoon of You-Tubing Daryle and Joe and listening to some good, real country music.

I would give my left... uhmmm, uhhh, ... handed screwdriver to play 1 gig with either of them.

Daryle does use steel on the shows that pays enough to have one. I did play with him in Vegas during the NFR, and he asked me to go to Japan in October, Daryle is truly one of the most underrated vocalists in Country music today and a nice guy to boot. I enjoy working with him every chance I get.

Vic,
You are right! You also played your tail off at cotton club. Nice to meet you in person finally.
JG

Thanks Justin! Good to meet you too! Maybe we will be back in your neck of the woods soon.

What you can take from this is. Don't go to Singletary gig thinking he will always have a Steel Player. He won't.

I went up to a fair concert in central Illinois to hear him last august. He did not have a steel player. NONE of his music has the same affect on us without the the steel involved. He is a great singer one of the best but it was like drinking flat beer, just not the same.

I told him so. He said it was purely economics. I told him i understood but it still was NOT the same without the steel.

Oh well. Try listening to Mirrors or She sure looks good in black with out MJ and see if it ain't like flat Beer.

Fred

I can't help but be impressed by some of the guest vocalists on That's Why I Sing This Way:

Merle Haggard
Johnny Paycheck
George Jones
Dwight Yoakam

Artists of this calibre would not be lending their talents to his album if they weren't impressed by his voice. It seems he's generally regarded by his peers as the pinnacle of traditionalist country singers - at least of his generation.

I watched him for two nights running with no steel - it didn't spoil my enjoyment of his extaordinary abilities one way or the other.

A great singer is just that - a fine communicator of a song who has honed his technique; Ray Charles comes to mind. I could listen to either of them with no band at all and their special gifts would still shine through. There aren't many vocalists who move me in this way and I'm a little surprised that one of the 'few' is a country singer as it's not my favourite genre - but there it is.

I'd also pick out Joe Diffie and Randy Travis - two country singers who have stood out from the rest over the last thirty years.

NONE of his music has the same affect on us without the the steel involved. He is a great singer one of the best but it was like drinking flat beer

I hear you Fred. I don't know all of Singletary's material but I've listened lots to his biggest successes. He is definitely a great singer but if he doesn't recognize how important pedal steel is to his own sound there's a problem with his judgement. My take on it is that he would be better off without a full-time lead guitar player than to tour without a steel player for his stuff. Maybe find someone who doubles on fiddle and lead guitar...I dunno, but for me the steel is elemental to his sound. It's a bit like Ray Price with no fiddle player.