Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003)[1] was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It".

He achieved his greatest success in the 1970s as a force in country music's "outlaw movement" popularized by artists Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, and Merle Haggard.

[3] He was a tenor harmony singer with numerous hard country performers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Ray Price.

[citation needed] In 1960, he reached Top 35 status in Cashbox magazine's country charts as Donny Young with the tune "Miracle Of Love".

But with the popularity of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings in the mid-1970s, Paycheck changed his image to that of outlaw, with which he was to have his largest financial success.

[citation needed] His producer Billy Sherrill helped revive his career by significantly changing his sound and image.

[citation needed] A member of the Grand Ole Opry, Paycheck is best remembered for his 1977 hit single, "Take This Job and Shove It", written by David Allan Coe, which sold over two million copies and inspired a motion picture of the same name.

"Colorado Kool-Aid", "Me and the IRS", "Friend, Lover, Wife", "Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets", and "I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)" were other hits for Paycheck during this period.

The label was able to sign Bobby Helms, Ronnie Dove, Clint Eastwood, Pozo-Seco Singers (as Pozo Seco), and Paycheck.

[8] In the late 1990s, after decades ignored, Little Darlin' recordings received recognition by country music historians for their distinctive and sharp-edged sound, considered unique in their time—Paycheck's in particular.

[9] Members of Paycheck's band told police that the singer had numerous problems with allegations because of his celebrity status.

I looked forward to mail call every day.In 1990, he filed for bankruptcy after tax problems with the Internal Revenue Service, including a $300,000 lien.

Contracting emphysema and asthma[3] after a lengthy illness, Paycheck died at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2003, aged 64.

Produced by Robbie Fulks, the album features George Jones, Marshall Crenshaw, Hank Williams III, Al Anderson, Dallas Wayne, Neko Case, Gail Davies and Fulks himself covering some of Paycheck's best-known songs.

An episode of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus features an account of Paycheck's life and rise to fame during the Outlaw country movement.