Born in Ohio on This Day 88 Years Ago, the Outlaw Country Legend Who Inspired a Mass Workforce Exodus

He was the only hell his mama ever raised. Born May 31, 1938, in Greenfield, Ohio, Donald Eugene Lytle—better known as Johnny Paycheck—experienced turmoil and triumph in equal measure throughout his 64 years. He battled substance use, prison time, and numerous legal conflicts—but he also recorded one of the most enduring country hits of all time. On what would have marked his 88th birthday, we’re taking a look back at the complicated life and legacy of the “Take This Job and Shove It” singer.

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Johnny Paycheck’s Winding Path to Country Stardom

Growing up in a working-class Ohio neighborhood, the boy who would become Johnny Paycheck learned to play guitar after receiving one from his mother at age 6.

By age 9, he was playing in local talent shows. And by the time he was 15 years old, he had left home and was riding the rails as a drifter, performing in bars and clubs across the U.S. as the “Ohio Kid.”

Donald Lytle later joined the U.S. Navy, but ended up in the brig for two years after hitting a superior officer. This story is one of many stranger-than-fiction flourishes in his outlaw country lore.

After his discharge, Lytle moved to Nashville and linked up with producer Buddy Killen. Under the names Donny Young and Donald Young, he made several unsuccessful recordings for Decca and Mercury.

Having struck out as a singer, Lytle instead lent his talents to some of the top bands in country music including those of Porter Wagoner, Ray Price and Faron Young. In 1962, he began a four-year stint at the helm of George Jones’ band, the Jones Boys.

During this time, he legally changed his name to Johnny Paycheck, borrowing from a top-ranked Chicago boxer.

After forming the Little Darlin’ record label with producer Aubrey Mayhew, Paycheck scored a string of charting singles in the 1960s. However, Little Darlin’ folded by the end of the decade, sending him spiraling into substance abuse and homelessness.

A Career Revival

In 1971, Johnny Paycheck received an assist from iconic producer Billy Sherrill, who offered to work with him if he got clean. One of their first projects, “She’s All I Got”, reached number two on the Hot Country Songs chart.

[RELATED: Johnny Paycheck Once Allegedly Shot a Man Over Deer Meat and Turtle Soup]

A steady stream of hits followed, culminating in 1977’s “Take This Job and Shove It”. Penned by equally notorious outlaw country legend David Allan Coe, the song spent two weeks at number one and became a rallying cry for blue-collar workers.

After a long battle with emphysema and asthma, Johnny Paycheck died of respiratory failure on February 19, 2003, at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was 64 years old.

Featured image by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images

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