Take This Grave and Fill It - Johnny Paycheck

 

"I'm a man who believes that right is right and wrong is wrong.  Treat me right, and I will give you my all.  Treat me wrong, and I will give you nothing.  They don't like me for that, but that's the way I am."

Johnny Paycheck was born Donald Eugene Lytle in Greenfield, Ohio on May 31, 1938.  He is remembered as one of the pioneers of outlaw country music, most famously remembered for his 1977 signature hit Take This Job and Shove It, an anthem still played on radio stations every Friday afternoon at 5:00.

He started playing the guitar when he was only six and was performing professionally by 15.  It was then that he picked up stakes and hit the rails as a drifter, performing in clubs under the stage name the "Ohio Kid."  

After an unsuccessful tour of duty with the United States Navy, resulting in a court martial and dishonorable discharge, Paycheck made his way to Nashville, where he worked with such artists as Portner Wagoner and George Jones (more on him later).  It was during this time that he adopted his now famous stage name, in honor of a former heavyweight champion from Chicago.

Over the course of his career, Paycheck released 70 albums, spawning dozens of hit singles, only one of which made it to number one.  Unfortunately, his legal problems continued during this period as well.  In 1985, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for a shooting a man in Ohio.  Paycheck claimed self defense and was ultimately released just two years into his sentence.  He became a born-again Christian while in the joint, giving up many of the vices of his former life.

Years of smoking took their toll however, and Paycheck died of emphysema and asthma on February 19, 2003.  He was just 64 years old.  He was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

Location: Chapel Garden

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Johnny Paycheck, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Paycheck was broke at the time of his death.  Country music legend George Jones covered all of the funeral expenses and donated a spot in his family plot.  Now that's a good ol' boy.
  
  
• Early in his career, Paycheck used the stage name Donny Young, even recording songs under that name.  Take a listen to Shakin' the Blues on YouTube.
  
  
• Paycheck was one of the many country music stars to portray themselves on The Dukes of Hazzard when he found himself snared in Boss Hogg's celebrity speed trap.  You can watch him sing his signature hit, much to the disdain of Boss himself, on YouTube.
  
  
• Speaking of that signature hit, it inspired a movie of the same name starring Robert Hays and Barbara Hershey.  Paycheck even had a small role in the film and is credited as "Man with Hamburgers."  You can check out the trailer for Take This Job and Shove It on YouTube.