Two young artists paying tribute to a legend.
If you don’t know who Johnny Paycheck is, I feel sorry for you. I can’t begin to describe how much better your day-to-day and overall life would be if you cued up a little Paycheck periodically. Johnny, whose real name was Donald Eugene Lytle, was a huge part of the outlaw country movement in the 1970’s. His biggest contribution to the genre was undoubtedly when he recorded the David Allan Coe song “Take This Job And Shove It.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that song is about, and the masses loved the song’s straightforward, stick-it-to-the-man message. When you say Johnny Paycheck, that’s the one song that will always stick out from his catalogue. Why? Because it’s the essential example of a song being timeless, since all of us have probably thought about telling off a boss the way that Paycheck alluded to in the hit song.
And speaking of timeless, two mega-stars in country music right now, Lainey Wilson and Zach Top, know that the song can still connect to the everyday man and woman. That’s why Top decided to let it fly when Wilson brought him out on stage during her 2024 Country’s Cool Again Tour. To be transparent, Zach Top and his vintage-sounding voice could do justice to just about any country song that’s ever been brought to life.
But it’s really cool hearing him do this Johnny Paycheck classic alongside Lainey Wilson:
@tiguinadon Country’s cool again tour @Lainey Wilson @Zach Top ♬ son original – Tigui blais
I mean… how can a 27-year-old in 2024 sound like they are straight out of the golden age of country music? Obviously, I’m not upset about it, but I just need some sort of answer. Shoutout to Lainey Wilson for featuring Zach as an opener on her tour and letting country music fans in on one of the most talented upcoming artists out there.
And I’d imagine that some young fans are hearing “Take This Job And Shove It” for the first time thanks to Zach, and I’m all for that. The more Johnny Paycheck in 2024, the better…
While we’re at it, you might as well listen to the version that made the song famous: