Eric Huff
Country music legend Johnny Paycheck passed away in 2003 following a long and successful – and sometimes controversial – career that brought him national recognition.
Ten years later, Paycheck’s legend lives on and classic country radio stations still play “Take This Job and Shove It,” “She’s All I Got,” “I’m the Only Hell (Momma Ever Raised,” “Old Violin” and other classics recorded by the Greenfield native.
Once again the Greenfield Rotary Club reached out to Stephen Lake, who helped organize a very successful Paycheck tribute in 2003, and he is putting together a show paying tribute to the music and times of Johnny Paycheck that will feature four singers and a five-piece band, plus stories and recollections about the man who started as a singer of country and honky tonk music and later embraced the “outlaw” movement over a career that spanned half a century.
The show is scheduled from 8-10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 20 during the Greene Countrie Towne Festival and will feature vocalists Wyatt McCubbin, Eric Huff, Rhett Sims and Greenfield’s own Richard Martin.
These singers are fans of Paycheck’s music and will also perform some other music from the period by contemporaries of Paycheck’s such as George Jones, who passed away April 26 of this year, Johnny Cash (who died in 2003, the same year as Paycheck), and Merle Haggard. The addition of Rhett Sims shows the staying power of traditional country music, as Rhett is just 16 years old and now carrying the torch for the style of music that will be heard at the Paycheck tribute.
In addition to the music, storyteller extraordinaire Chubby Howard of Classic Country Radio will share some stories about Johnny Paycheck and his impact on country music. Howard, a noted steel guitar player in addition to his duties on WBZI, WKFI and WEDI out of Xenia, Wilmington and Eaton respectively and Classic Country Radio on the Internet, knew Paycheck well and is a walking museum when the subject is country music, so his commentary should be interesting and bring back many memories to fans of Johnny Paycheck.
The Greenfield Rotary Club, which sponsors the Greene Countrie Towne Festival, is expecting a big crowd for the festival July 19-21, and especially so for the Johnny Paycheck Tribute on Saturday, July 20.
Other activities at the Greene Countrie Towne Festival will include “Blue Friday” featuring popular regional bands The Blues Merchants and Blue Steel, games and contests, antique tractors and classic cars, a parade and the Lip Sync Contest.
For more information about the festival visit the Greenfield Rotary Club’s website:
www.greenfieldrotary.org.