Johnny Paycheck / Donny Young

[Jeff Keyton]

Agree ^^^. Paychecks influence on Jones has probably been overstated but there seems to be some back and forth influence going on at some point in the early sixties. But some other things happening, too. At the time Paycheck and Jones meet up, Jones has moved out of his early era singing (and lets not forget Lefty's influence on stretching out vowells)and so his mature style is developing, and he's mastering working the microphone. The pedal steel had been out a few years and could be that Jones and Paycheck are both mimicking some of the steel sounds they both loved. Maybe Buddy Emmons influenced them !
Here's a recording, much later than the era being talked about in this thread, but is a great duet anyway. It seems like they're almost goading each other into stretching out. They know they are kings of this territory. Parts of the rest of the album that's from show that they coulda been a great vaudeville duo, had they lived in that era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOaMBp6eytE

[Darrell Criswell]

What happened to the style of singing exemplified by Paycheck and Jones, did it just die? Or is it practiced widely today?

[Erv Niehaus]

I've heard it said the Paycheck influenced Willie Nelson and he's still singing.
Erv

[Jimmy Youngblood]

"Check" played my steel at The Shy Clown Casino Sparks, Nevada.