James Paycheck
James Paycheck has had an up and down career, had a good marriage for a while and four precious daughters, but the entertainer admits he could have fallen into a whole different direction in life. James grew up in what he characterizes as a dysfunctional family, with a father that was a musician and whose alcoholism contributed to an unstable and many times scary home.
"I had two choices," the Ohio native tells The Star. "I could have easily been an alcoholic and my early years started out that way, or I could learn from examples of what not to do, and that's what I chose to do. I knew early on that my life wasn't going to be like the one I saw around me. I made a very conscious and dedicated decision that wasn't going to resemble what I grew up with and learned to despise."
James describes life with ex-wife Cheryl and their three daughters, Tabitha, Sabina and Rebecca, as normal, saying, "We struggled to make the bills and somehow found times to enjoy life a little bit ... Despite what we do for a living, we tried to keep it as normal as we could. It's was not perfect by any means; I have had disappointments and I have disappointed my family, but everyone does. If you expect to be perfect you will be disappointed."
The singer says he and his wife at the time, who grew up in western Canada, take the lessons they learned as youngsters and try to pass them on to their daughters. "My ex-wife and I grew up poor, in lower class households on small farms far apart from each other. Although our parents worked hard and tried their best, we didn't have a lot," he says. "I believe one of the best educations you can give a child is to travel the world, and we were not capable of doing that back then even though we tried to give them all the knowledge we had gained through lifes experiences."
But James also cautions that as poor as they were at that time he tried to provide as much joy as he could under the circumstances and that they also tried to teach appreciation what they have and what they've been able to do in life.
"I tried to instill in them a sense of humility that everyone doesn't have these opportunities and chances. You can't take them for granted, you have to take advantage of them and try to learn something," he insists. "I told my girls that there will always be someone smarter, prettier, or more talented, but they'll never have the opportunities you have based on your special talents and God given gifts, and if you don't take advantage of it then you are disrespecting that other child who wishes they had them."
James is getting ready to tour with his duet partner Deanna Cash with the the highly-anticipated album, 'One More Night,' released earlier last month. The future looks good for the singing duet and the chemestry between them is translated into an experience on stage that is very appreciated and respected by the fans of all ages.
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