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Diamond Rio is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
band from
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. The band consists of Marty Roe (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Olander (lead guitar, banjo), Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams (bass guitar, vocals), Micah Schweinsberg (drums), and Carson McKee (fiddle, mandolin, vocals). The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the
Opryland USA Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and colloquially known as Opryland) was a amusement park, theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The park was located between the Cumberland River and Tennessee State Route 155, Briley Pa ...
theme park in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was founded by vocalists Matt Davenport, Danny Gregg, and
Ty Herndon Boyd Tyrone Herndon (born May 2, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys, a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio. Herndon quit the band early on ...
, the last of whom became a solo artist in the mid-1990s. After undergoing several membership changes in its initial years, the band held the same membership from 1989 to 2023, which consisted of Roe, Olander, Truman, Williams, Brian Prout (drums), and Gene Johnson (fiddle, mandolin, vocals). After the latter two retired in 2022, they were respectively replaced by Schweinsberg and McKee. Diamond Rio was signed to
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks ...
in 1991 and debuted with the single "
Meet in the Middle "Meet in the Middle" is a song recorded by American country music band Diamond Rio. It was released in February 1991 as their debut single, and served as the first single in the album ''Diamond Rio''. The single reached number one on the U.S. ''B ...
", which made them the first band ever to send a debut single to No. 1 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
charts. The band charted 32 more singles between then and 2006, including four more that reached No. 1: "
How Your Love Makes Me Feel "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" is a song written by Trey Bruce and Max T. Barnes, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio that reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was released in May 1997 ...
" (1997), " One More Day" (2001), " Beautiful Mess" (2002), and " I Believe" (2003). Diamond Rio has recorded nine studio albums, four Greatest Hits compilations, and an album of Christmas music. Three of the band's albums have achieved
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
platinum certification in the United States. In addition, Diamond Rio has received four Group of the Year awards from the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...
, two Top Vocal Group awards from the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
, and one
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
. The band is known for its vocal harmonies, varied instrumentation, and near-exclusive use of only its own band members on recordings instead of
session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
s. Their sound was originally defined by mainstream country, bluegrass, and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
influences, but later albums drew more influence from Christian country music and
country pop Country pop (also known as urban cowboy or even urban country) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends g ...
.


Beginnings

In 1982, Matt Davenport and Danny Gregg founded a band at
Opryland USA Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and colloquially known as Opryland) was a amusement park, theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The park was located between the Cumberland River and Tennessee State Route 155, Briley Pa ...
, a former country music-based
amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. The band was first named the Grizzly River Boys, after a new
river rafting ride A river rapids ride (or river rafting ride) is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting. History The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall (general manager of AstroWorld in Houston) and developed by Intamin. AstroW ...
at the park, but quickly changed names to the Tennessee River Boys due to its members disliking the original name. Originally intended to promote the park through a one-time television special, the band proved popular enough that it became one of many regular performers there. Davenport, Gregg, and
Ty Herndon Boyd Tyrone Herndon (born May 2, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys, a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio. Herndon quit the band early on ...
alternated as lead vocalists, with Davenport also playing bass guitar and Gregg on rhythm guitar; completing the lineup were Larry Beard (lead guitar, fiddle, banjo), Mel Deal (steel guitar), Al DeLeonibus (piano), and Ed Mummert (drums). The group "swapped lead voices, told jokes, and balanced old-school country concert shtick with a contemporary sound". Herndon left the group in 1983 to compete on the talent show ''
Star Search ''Star Search'' (later known as ''Ed McMahon's Star Search'') is an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./ Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 29 ...
'', and became a solo artist for
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
between 1995 and the early 2000s. Herndon was temporarily replaced by
Anthony Crawford Anthony Crawford may refer to: *Anthony Crawford (bass musician), American musician, producer and songwriter *Anthony Crawford (musician), American musician *Anthony Crawford (lynching victim), African American man who was killed by a lynch mob in ...
and then Virgil True before his role was taken over by Marty Roe, who had originally toured nationally with the Christian band Windsong, and worked in the park by doing impersonations of
Larry Gatlin Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country ...
. Following Herndon's departure, DeLonibus and Mummert quit as well, with Dan Truman (who had previously played in
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
's
Young Ambassadors __NOTOC__ The Young Ambassadors are a song and dance performing group from Brigham Young University (BYU). Consisting of 20 performers, 10 male and 10 female, they were founded by Janie Thompson in 1969. Since their first international performanc ...
) and Jimmy "J. J." Whiteside taking their places. Beard quit shortly afterward and ultimately became a
session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
, and former
Mel McDaniel Melvin Huston McDaniel (September 6, 1942 – March 31, 2011) was an American country music artist. Many of his top hits were released in the 1980s, including " Louisiana Saturday Night", " Big Ole Brew", " Stand Up", " Baby's Got Her Blue Jean ...
sideman Jimmy Olander took his place. The band, through the assistance of
Bill Anderson James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television host. His soft-spoken singing voice earned him the nickname "Whispering Bill" from music critics and writers. As a songwriter, hi ...
's drummer Len "Snuffy" Miller, submitted
demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...
to various Nashville record labels with no success. By 1985, the Tennessee River Boys had quit working at Opryland. According to Roe, while the band enjoyed playing at the park, they also felt that their status as a theme park attraction discredited them as "real musicians" to those in the Nashville community. For the next few years, they played at small venues, such as high school auditoriums, and usually worked no more than four concerts a month. They also competed on ''Star Search'', but were eliminated in the first round. Frustrated by the sporadic touring schedules, Whiteside quit the group and was replaced by Brian Prout, who previously performed in Hot Walker Band and Heartbreak Mountain. Around 1986, Deal and Gregg both left the group, the latter due to health complications from a serious illness he had developed as a teenager. They initially chose to operate as a quintet, with Davenport as the sole lead vocalist and Roe and Prout singing harmony; when this arrangement proved unsuccessful, they found mandolinist Gene Johnson, a former member of the bluegrass group Eddie Adcock's IInd Generation, which Olander was a fan of as a child. Johnson debuted at a concert in
Clewiston, Florida Clewiston is a city in Hendry County, Florida, United States. Its location is northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic coastal plain. The population was 7,327 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 7 ...
, in May 1987. Also at this point, the band members supplemented their incomes with outside jobs: Johnson continued to work in
carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. C ...
, Olander and Roe mowed lawns, and Prout drove tour buses. In 1988, the band caught the attention of
Keith Stegall Robert Keith Stegall (born November 1, 1955) is an American country music recording artist and record producer. Active since 1980, Stegall has recorded two major-label studio albums: 1985's ''Keith Stegall'' and 1996's ''Passages'', although he ...
, a singer-songwriter who would later become known primarily for his work as
Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...
's record producer. Stegall produced demos for the Tennessee River Boys, but noted that Davenport could not record the lead vocal and bass parts at the same time, as they would be difficult to separate in the control room. As a result, Stegall had Roe sing a "scratch" vocal track live with the other musicians, which would then be replaced by Davenport's voice in post-production. Upon hearing Roe sing the "scratch" track, Stegall successfully convinced the other members that Roe should be the lead vocalist instead. Due to his discomfort outside the lead role and his wife's dissatisfaction with his career, Davenport quit in late 1988, becoming the last founding member to leave. The group quickly had to find a replacement, as they were scheduled to appear on the talk show ''
Nashville Now ''Nashville Now'' is an American talk show that focused on country music performers in the style of ''The Tonight Show''. The show aired live on weeknights on TNN from 1983–1993. The program was hosted by Nashville TV/radio personality Ralph ...
'' on January 23, 1989. Alan LeBeouf, who had just left
Baillie & the Boys Baillie & the Boys were an American country music group. They were founded in 1987 by Kathie Baillie (lead vocals, guitar) and her husband, Michael Bonagura (background vocals, guitar), along with Alan LeBoeuf (bass guitar, background vocals). No ...
, expressed interest in replacing Davenport but ultimately declined due to other commitments. They finally chose Dana Williams, a nephew of the bluegrass group
Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (December 7, 1931 – June 27, 2023), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably ...
and former sideman for
Jimmy C. Newman Jimmy Yves Newman (August 29, 1927 – June 21, 2014), better known as Jimmy C. Newman (the C stands for Cajun), was an American country music and Cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry. Early life Newman was born nea ...
, who had been a fan of the Tennessee River Boys since Herndon was a member.


1990: Signing with Arista Nashville

Williams officially joined before the ''Nashville Now'' appearance, but the band still did not have a record deal at this point. They continued to record demos in Prout's garage with assistance from
Monty Powell Monty Powell (born June 1, 1961) is an American country music songwriter best known for collaborating with Keith Urban, and for producing albums by Diamond Rio. Powell's first songwriting credit was a jingle for an Allstate commercial. After movi ...
, who had previously hired Roe and Olander for recording jingles, but wanted to produce commercial music. Powell was a friend of
audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...
Mike Clute, who would later become one of the band's producers, and songwriters
Tim DuBois James Timothy DuBois (born May 4, 1948) is an American accountant, songwriter, and recording industry executive based in Nashville. He has headed both Arista Records and Universal South Records, and as a songwriter, he has written five No.1 co ...
and
Van Stephenson Van Wesley Stephenson (November 4, 1953 – April 8, 2001) was an American singer-songwriter. He scored three US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits in the 1980s as a solo artist, and later became tenor vocalist in the country music band BlackHawk in th ...
. DuBois was talking with record executive
Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...
about creating a country music branch of
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
called
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks ...
; Stephenson would later sign to the label in 1993 as a member of
Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urubitinga'' * Mangrove black hawk, ''Buteogallus (anthracinus) s ...
. Initially, DuBois was hesitant about signing the Tennessee River Boys, as he felt that there were too many popular bands in country music, and he was about to sign both
Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music, Western swing music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, released over 20 albums, and has charted more t ...
and
Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
. He expressed interest in signing Roe as a solo artist, but at Powell's insistence, he agreed to see the band open for
George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...
at a May 1989 concert, and officially signed them to Arista Nashville in 1990. The band members also decided to choose a new name, as they thought that Tennessee River Boys sounded more suitable for a bluegrass or gospel group than a country one. Among the names they had chosen were Kilroy and T-Town Mavericks, the latter of which was rejected by Arista executives. Prout suggested Diamond Rio, after the
truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
manufacturing company
Diamond Reo Trucks Diamond Reo Trucks was an American truck manufacturer. In 1967, Diamond T and REO Motor Car Company, Reo Trucks were combined to form the Diamond Reo Trucks Division of White Motor Corporation. Reo dated back to 1904 when Ransom E. Olds, fou ...
. The name had been previously rejected by another country band, Shenandoah, whose lead singer
Marty Raybon Marlon "Marty" Raybon (born December 8, 1959) is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of the country band Shenandoah, a role which he held from 1985 to 1997, until he rejoined the band in 2014 ...
(also a former member of Heartbreak Mountain) gave Prout permission to use the name even though Shenandoah "conducted business" under that name. Shortly after the band received its record deal, the band underwent a series of misfortunes when Olander, Johnson, and Williams came down with health problems. On August 9, 1990, Johnson was injured in a carpentry accident in Arkansas a day before his 41st birthday, severely cutting his left thumb. Robert Bolin substituted for Johnson during the band's tour in
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
with
Kevin Welch Kevin Stephen Welch (August 17, 1955) is an American country music artist. He has charted five singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts and released eight studio albums. He is also one of the cofounders of the Dead Reckoning Rec ...
and
Jann Browne Jann Browne (born Jana Lynn Stebner; March 14, 1954) is an American country music singer. She moved to Southern California in 1978 where she performed in a number of Orange County country bars. From 1981 through 1983, before her solo career, she w ...
. On September 6, four weeks after Johnson's accident, Williams was water skiing with his family in
Cookeville, Tennessee Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's Cookeville micropolitan area, mic ...
, as his boat came forward at high speed when his wife was picking him up. The propeller slashed Williams' legs, and he was rushed to a hospital for his injuries. Brian Helgos and Paul Gregg (Danny Gregg's brother, and a member of
Restless Heart Restless Heart was an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band's longest-tenured lineup consisted of Larry Stewart (singer), Larry Stewart (lead vocals), John Dittrich (drums, vocals), Paul Gregg (bass guitar, vocals), Dav ...
) substituted for Williams. Meanwhile, Olander discovered that he had a lemon-sized tumor that was pressing against his esophagus. The tumor was never successfully diagnosed, although it ultimately vanished.


Musical career


1991–1992: ''Diamond Rio''

After Olander, Williams, and Johnson had recovered, the six musicians set to work on their debut album. In doing so, Johnson soon discovered that the injuries to his hands had altered his dexterity on the mandolin, and threatened to walk away after Powell offhandedly remarked that he would have Roe dub in his own tenor harmonies instead of having Johnson sing them. The band also had commitments to finish as the Tennessee River Boys, to the point that they occasionally had to promote themselves under both names in the same day. Arista Nashville released Diamond Rio's debut single, "
Meet in the Middle "Meet in the Middle" is a song recorded by American country music band Diamond Rio. It was released in February 1991 as their debut single, and served as the first single in the album ''Diamond Rio''. The single reached number one on the U.S. ''B ...
", on February 6, 1991. As the lead single to their self-titled debut album, "Meet in the Middle" went on to spend two weeks at No. 1 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
charts, making Diamond Rio the first country music group ever to send its debut single to the top of that chart. Following its release, the band performed its first official concert as Diamond Rio on May 4, 1991. They shared the bill with Wild Rose, whose membership included Prout's then-wife, Nancy Given Prout. Released three weeks later with DuBois and Powell as producers, ''Diamond Rio'' was met with positive critical reception from critics such as
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'', and ''
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'', which praised the band's vocal harmonies, instrumentation, and song choices. Four more singles were released from ''Diamond Rio'', all reaching top 10 on the ''Billboard'' country singles charts: " Mirror, Mirror", " Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me", " Norma Jean Riley" (which was previously the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of "Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me"), and " Nowhere Bound", the latter two of which were co-written by Powell. Roe and Prout had found both "Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me" and "Mirror, Mirror" by attending shows at the
Bluebird Cafe The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...
in Nashville, a popular spot for performances by aspiring songwriters. Truman and an employee of Arista had found "Norma Jean Riley", which was originally titled "Pretty Little Lady" until DuBois remarked that the lady in the song should have a name: "It could be 'Norma Jean Riley', anything!" Johnson spoke positively about "Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me", which was written and originally recorded by
Larry Cordle Larry Cordle (born November 16, 1948) is an American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter . Cordle is most famous for his song " Murder on Music Row", which was recorded by George Strait and Alan Jackson and received the Country Music Asso ...
, and the impact that it had on fans. He recalled a letter sent to him by a female fan who had run away from home and chose to return after hearing that song, and said that "We already didn't wanna do the drinkin' songs and stuff ... if you're gonna touch someone, touch them with something that's positive." ''Diamond Rio'' was later certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for shipping one million copies in the United States. In addition, the band won the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
's Top Vocal Group for 1992, an award they would receive again in 1993, 1994, and 1997. They were also nominated for Top New Vocal Duet or Group by the same association in 1992. A cut from the album, the instrumental "Poultry Promenade", gave the band its first
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nomination.


1992–1995: ''Close to the Edge'' and ''Love a Little Stronger''

''
Close to the Edge ''Close to the Edge'' is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released in the UK on 8 September 1972 and in the US on 13 September 1972, by Atlantic Records. It is their last album until '' Union'' (1991) to feature ori ...
'', the group's second album, was released in 1992. Certified gold by the RIAA for U.S. shipments of 500,000 copies, the album produced the Top 5 country hits " In a Week or Two" and " Oh Me, Oh My, Sweet Baby", the latter of which was originally recorded by
George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...
on his 1989 album ''
Beyond the Blue Neon ''Beyond the Blue Neon'' is the ninth studio album by American country music artist George Strait and 12th overall. It was released by MCA Records on February 6, 1989. It is certified platinum by the RIAA, and it produced the singles "Baby's G ...
''. The next singles, " This Romeo Ain't Got Julie Yet" and " Sawmill Road", both failed to reach top 10. Roe considered ''Close to the Edge'' a weaker album than their debut because the band only had one month to pick the songs for it; in a 1994 interview with ''New Country'' magazine, he stated: "There aren't ten great songs out there for everybody, certainly not that you could find in a 30-day period of time." Olander was also critical of the novelty factor of "This Romeo Ain't Got Julie Yet", which he co-wrote, saying that it was "by far not my favorite Diamond Rio recording – but that's at the time when I'm thinkin', 'Oh, this is easy, let's write this. It's kinda cute.'"
Brian Mansfield Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist. Early life and education Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School. In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...
of Allmusic was also critical of the song, but described the rest of the album with favor, saying that its "strongest material emphasizes the virtues of God, family and honest living – traditional stuff, no doubt influenced by the members' bluegrass background", while Jack Hurst of the ''Chicago Tribune'' thought that "In a Week or Two" and "Sawmill Road", "which is about the diverse trails some rural schoolmates follow in adulthood", were the strongest tracks. In 1994, the band released its third album, '' Love a Little Stronger''. The album was recorded on a more relaxed schedule than the previous album; as a result, they did not have a single on the charts for three months after "Sawmill Road" fell off the charts. For this album, Clute joined DuBois and Powell as co-producer, a role that he has held on all of the band's subsequent releases. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
(co-written by Billy Crittenden, later a member of the vocal group
4 Runner 4 Runner (sometimes stylized as 4Runner) is an American country music vocal group founded in 1993 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The group initially consisted of Craig Morris (lead vocals, piano), Billy Crittenden (baritone vocals), Lee Hil ...
), reached a peak of No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' country singles charts, and No. 1 on the country singles chart published by ''
Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
''. It was followed by the No. 9 hit " Night Is Fallin' in My Heart",Whitburn, p. 124 originally recorded by J. P. Pennington in 1991. Next were the Top 20 hits " Bubba Hyde" and " Finish What We Started". Because the band had taken a longer period of time to choose songs for ''Love a Little Stronger'', they considered it a superior album to its predecessor; Mansfield shared a similar opinion in his review of the album, stating that "Spurred by the relatively lackluster performance of ''Close to the Edge'' ... Diamond Rio explored the musical possibilities of its talents rather than digging for easy commercial success." Bob Cannon of ''New Country'' was more mixed, saying that "the production on ''Love a Little Stronger'' is so sparkling clean it could've been recorded in an operating room." This album also earned the band its second platinum certification.


1996–1999: ''IV'', ''Greatest Hits'', and ''Unbelievable''

'' IV'', Diamond Rio's fourth album, was released in 1996. It was the "first country release recorded entirely on a digital console"; specifically, a
Fairlight Fairlight may refer to: In places: * Fairlight, East Sussex, a village east of Hastings in southern England, UK * Fairlight, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia * Fairlight, Saskatchewan, Canada In other uses: * Fairlight (company), ...
console which recorded the album directly to a
hard drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...
. Produced by DuBois, Clute, and the band itself, it was also their first album not to have Powell as a co-producer. According to DuBois, Powell left this role on good terms, as he "saw a need to go in a certain direction, and the guys saw a need to go in a different direction." Roe thought that the album benefited from a new label policy that allowed label personnel to respond more quickly to pitches from songwriters. He recalled to ''Billboard'' that the label's head of
artists and repertoire Artists and repertoire (or A&R for short) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for scouting, financing, and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists and songwriters. It also acts as a l ...
(A&R) recommended the lead single " Walkin' Away" while co-writer
Craig Wiseman Craig Michael Wiseman is an American country music songwriter and producer, and the owner/founder of the Big Loud enterprise. He has been writing since the late 1980s, and his songs have been recorded by Lorrie Morgan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesn ...
(who co-wrote "Bubba Hyde") was still recording its demo, and the band was able to record the song in the same day that the demo was completed. "Walkin' Away" peaked at No. 2 on the country charts in early 1996. Three more singles were released from the album: the top 10 hits "
That's What I Get for Lovin' You "That's What I Get for Lovin' You" is a song written by Kent Blazy and Neil Thrasher, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio. It was released in April 1996 as the second single from their album ''IV (Diamond Rio album), IV''. It ...
" and "
Holdin' "Holdin'" is a song written by Kelly Garrett and Craig Wiseman, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio. It was released in December 1996 as the fourth and final single from their album '' IV''. It peaked at number 4 in the Uni ...
" (also written by Wiseman), with the top 20 " It's All in Your Head", co-written by Van Stephenson, in between. The music video for "It's All in Your Head" featured
Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...
and
Ramon Estevez Ramón Luis Estévez (born August 7, 1963), sometimes billed as Ramón Sheen, is an American actor and director who runs Estevez Sheen Productions. Early life Estevez is the second of four children born to actor Martin Sheen and artist Janet T ...
, the former playing the part of a
snake handling Snake handling may refer to: * Snake handler, a person who professionally handles snakes * Snake handling in Christianity, the religious practice involving handling snakes {{Disambiguation ...
preacher. A year after ''IV'', Diamond Rio released its first ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' package, which included eleven of the singles from their first four albums, plus the album cut "She Misses Him on Sunday the Most" from ''IV'' and two new songs: "
How Your Love Makes Me Feel "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" is a song written by Trey Bruce and Max T. Barnes, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio that reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was released in May 1997 ...
" and " Imagine That". "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" became the band's second No 1 on Hot Country Songs, as well as their longest-lasting at three weeks, making it the biggest chart hit for any country group that year. "Imagine That", co-written by
Bryan White Bryan Shelton White (born February 17, 1974) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Asylum Records in 1994 at age 20, White released his self-titled debut album that year. Both it and its follow-up, 1996's '' Between Now ...
, reached Top 5 by early 1998. ''Greatest Hits'' became the band's third platinum album. Diamond Rio was inducted into the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
in April 1998, becoming the first band in fourteen years to be inducted. Later in the year, the band released its fifth studio album, '' Unbelievable''. Contributing songwriters to the album included
Paul Williams Paul Williams may refer to: Authors * Paul Williams (Crawdaddy) (1948–2013), American music and science fiction journalist; founder of ''Crawdaddy'' and the Philip K. Dick Society * Paul Williams (Irish journalist) (born 1964), Irish journalis ...
, former
NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed circa 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...
member Al Anderson,
Robert John "Mutt" Lange Robert John "Mutt" Lange ( ; born 11 November 1948) is a South African record producer. He is known for his work in rock music as well as co-writing and producing various songs for Shania Twain, his ex-wife. Her 1997 album ''Come On Over'', whic ...
, and
Huey Lewis Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American actor and former singer-songwriter. Lewis sang lead and played harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, until being forced into retirement due ...
. The lead single was the ballad " You're Gone", which reached top 5 on the country charts. After it was the
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
, which peaked at No. 2 on the country charts and became the band's first entry on the
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...
, where it reached No. 36. The third and final single was "
I Know How the River Feels "I Know How the River Feels" is a song written by Steven Dale Jones and Amy Powers. First recorded by Ty Herndon, it has been released as a single by both Diamond Rio and McAlyster. History The song was originally recorded by Ty Herndon on his 19 ...
", originally recorded on Herndon's 1996 album ''
Living in a Moment ''Living in a Moment'' is the second studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon. The album was released in 1996 (see 1996 in country music) via Epic Records. Like his debut album '' What Mattered Most'', the album has been certified ...
'' and later released as a single by
McAlyster McAlyster was an American country music group founded in Pensacola, Florida. Its members comprised Cody Collins, Josh Walther, Leigh Usilton and Valerie Gills. They were signed to MCA Nashville Records in 2000. Their debut single, "I Know How the ...
in 2000. Diamond Rio's rendition peaked at 33 on the country charts, their lowest chart peak at the time. In 1998, Prout began dating
Mary Bono Mary Bono Oswald (née Whitaker and formerly Mary Bono Mack, born October 24, 1961) is an American politician, businesswoman, and lobbyist who served Palm Springs and most of central and eastern Riverside County, California, in the U.S. House of R ...
, the widow of singer and politician
Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono ( ; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and politician. In partnership with his second wife, Cher, he formed the singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republican Pa ...
. The two became engaged but later ended their relationship in 2001. On December 28 of the same year, Prout married singer-songwriter
Stephanie Bentley Stephanie Kay Bentley (born April 29, 1963) is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 1996 as a duet partner on Ty Herndon's single "Heart Half Empty", which peaked at No. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Track ...
, best known for co-writing
Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American Country music, country singer. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide ...
's 1999 single " Breathe".


2000–2002: ''One More Day''

Diamond Rio released its twenty-third official chart single, "
Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional c ...
", in May 2000. The song was originally intended to be the title track to their sixth studio album, which would have been released on August 22 of the same year, but according to Truman, "Certain radio stations, for some reason, didn't want to play 'Stuff'." As a result, "Stuff" was withdrawn after peaking at number 36 on the country charts, and the album was delayed until February 2001. Following this song's failure, the band released " One More Day" later in 2000. The song was written by Steven Dale Jones and Bobby Tomberlin, the same two writers who wrote "She Misses Him on Sunday the Most". "One More Day" went on to spend two non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the country charts, with the album, by this point re-titled '' One More Day'', having its release date moved up to February 6, 2001. The song also peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to reaching top 10 on the
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
charts (the band's first appearance on that chart). Regarding the song's popularity among fans who have used the song to cope with personal losses, Prout said, "Actually, 'One More Day' was recorded as a love song. Then one of Oklahoma State's basketball team's plane went down, then in early 2001 we lost Dale arnhardt/nowiki> in Daytona, and then of course,
9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
came after that. And every event of that year, the song took on a different meaning to different people ... We hear quite often in e-mails and people talking to us in shows. If you're asking how it makes us feel? Pretty darn special ... to know that you had that impact on someone's life and helped in a tough time of healing and hope." The third and fourth singles from ''One More Day'' were less successful: " Sweet Summer" made Top 20, while "That's Just That" failed to make Top 40. The album featured a guest vocal from
Chely Wright Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American Activism, activist, author, and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the numb ...
on "I'm Trying", making for the band's first ever duet with another artist on one of their own albums. It also included a cover of "Hearts Against the Wind", originally recorded by
JD Souther John David Souther (November 2, 1945 – September 17, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was "a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters". Souther wrote and ...
and
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
for the ''
Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy ( Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spurri ...
'' soundtrack. Chris Neal of ''
Country Weekly ''Country Weekly'' (known as ''Nash Country Weekly'' from 2015–16) was an American magazine about country music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site Nash Country Daily. O ...
'' thought that the album showed a greater musical variety than its predecessors, specifically noting the "spoken-word verses" of "Here I Go Fallin'", the "Hearts Against the Wind" cover, and the Wright duet as standout tracks. Rick Cohoon of Allmusic cited the album's singles and the Wright duet as the album's best tracks, adding that "If any flaw can be found here it would be the band's choice not to experiment with new sound, but then again, why tamper with a good thing?" Starting in 2001, the other members had noticed that Roe was having difficulty maintaining proper pitch in concert. Although they did not want to confront him about it for fear of "bruis nghis ego", they eventually convinced Roe of his problems by listening to concert recordings together. Roe also consulted unsuccessfully with vocal coaches and throat doctors at the
Vanderbilt University Medical Center The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains a ...
. The band attempted to cover up Roe's problems by removing certain songs from concert set lists, lowering the key on others, having Truman sometimes take the lead vocal, and using
pitch correction Pitch correction is an electronic effects unit or audio software that changes the intonation (highness or lowness in pitch) of an audio signal so that all pitches will be notes from the equally tempered system (i.e., like the pitches on a piano) ...
software, but even these did not fully correct the issues. Finally, they consulted vocal coach Diane Sheets, a friend of Johnson's son-in-law. She determined that Roe was over-compensating for a small degree of
hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...
typical of musicians who have performed live for long periods of time, thus tightening muscles in his throat and diaphragm and causing him to lose pitch. Although Roe was initially "cynical" toward Sheets's coaching, she was ultimately successful in restoring his voice.


2002–2007: ''Completely'', ''Can't You Tell'', and ''Greatest Hits II''

In 2002, Diamond Rio released its seventh studio album, '' Completely''. The band originally conceived it as a double album, featuring traditional country on one disc and more pop-oriented country on the other, but according to Prout, this concept did not fully materialize because "country music has blinders on as far as what's acceptable – and what isn't", although Olander and Williams noted that the idea allowed them "more leeway in choosing songs". In addition to earning a gold certification, it produced two consecutive No. 1 singles in " Beautiful Mess" and " I Believe", the latter being the band's last single to top Hot Country Songs. Third single "
Wrinkles A wrinkle, also known as a rhytid, is a fold, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface, such as on skin or fabric. Skin wrinkles typically appear as a result of ageing processes such as glycation, habitual sleeping positions, loss of bo ...
" made Top 20, while the last single, "We All Fall Down" (also written by Steven Dale Jones), failed to reach top 40. Two of the album's tracks were previously recorded by other artists: "Make Sure You've Got It All", written by
Bill Anderson James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television host. His soft-spoken singing voice earned him the nickname "Whispering Bill" from music critics and writers. As a songwriter, hi ...
and
Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late ...
, was originally recorded on
Collin Raye Floyd Elliot Wray (born August 22, 1960), known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut ...
's 1998 album '' The Walls Came Down'', and "If You'd Like Some Lovin'" by its co-writer, David Ball, on his 1996 album ''
Starlite Lounge ''Starlite Lounge'' is the third studio album from American country music singer David Ball. It was his second album for Warner Bros. Records and was released in 1996. The album produced the singles "Circle of Friends" and "Hangin' In and Hang ...
''. Rick Cohoon of Allmusic praised the album for its musical variety, saying, "With artists as well anchored in the business as Diamond Rio, the musical quality is a given. The real challenge is outdoing yourself and coming up with fresh concepts. The selections on this album seem to be the fruition of that search for musical renewal". He cited "Beautiful Mess" and "I Believe" as standout tracks. Ray Waddell of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' also thought that the singles were among the best tracks on the album, while highlighting the instrumental track "Rural Philharmonic" (which Olander had originally intended to record for a solo album) as an example of the band's strong musicianship. Chrissie Dickinson of the ''Chicago Tribune'' was less favorable, commending the "masterful musicianship" and Roe's "light vocal timbre", while criticizing the song selections as "mostly a paint-by-numbers trip around the musical block, from the predictable power balladry of 'I Believe' to the saccharine sentiments of 'We All Fall Down.'" A seventh album, tentatively titled ''Can't You Tell'', was recorded in 2003, but it was cancelled after its first two singles – the title track and "One Believer" – both failed to make Top 40 upon their releases in late 2004 and early 2005 respectively. Diamond Rio's second Greatest Hits package, '' Greatest Hits II'', was released in 2006. Like their first Greatest Hits album, this compilation included several new songs as well as the band's greatest hits; one of these new songs, "God Only Cries", was released as a single, peaking at No. 30. Shortly after the album's release, Diamond Rio parted ways with Arista Nashville.


2007–present: New record label, ''The Reason'', and ''I Made It''

On August 31, 2007, Diamond Rio signed with
Word Records Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records). History In ...
, a
Christian music Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...
label based in Nashville. Their first album for Word was a Christmas album entitled '' A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines'', which they recorded in Olander's basement studio. Roe said in an interview with CMT that "we just didn't try to copy anybody else. We tried to make up our own arrangements." The group released its first
contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
album, '' The Reason'', on September 22, 2009. It earned the band three
Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
nominations: Song of the Year for "God Is There", Country Song of the Year for the title track, and Country Album of the Year. In 2014, Olander told ''
The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...
'' that the group was no longer signed to Word Records and planned to release new material independently. "I will say that I was proud of the material, but maybe it's not the best version of Diamond Rio," Olander told the publication. "We were kind of in a no-man's land. We didn't fit in with country radio and we didn't fit with Christian radio. It was something that wasn't fully realized." The band began releasing records independently, starting with a live album in 2014 and following in 2015 with the studio album ''I Made It''. Prout and Johnson both retired from the band in 2022. Micah Schweinsberg filled in on drums, and Carson McKee on harmony vocals, mandolin, and
fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...
, for a series of concerts in 2022. Said tour, focused on songs from their 2007 Christmas album, was the band's first since before the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Schweinsberg and McKee both became official members of the band in mid-2023, making McKee the band's first female member. The first single following their addition to the lineup, an instrumental called "The Kick", was released soon after.


Outside contributions

Diamond Rio has been featured on several projects featuring multiple country artists, including three
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
s released between 1993 and 1994. The first was a cover of the
Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
' 1975 hit "
Lyin' Eyes "Lyin' Eyes" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded in 1975 by the American rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, with Frey singing lead vocals. It was the second single from their album ''One of These Nights'', reaching No. 2 on ...
" for '' Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles'', an album released in late 1993 via Giant Records which featured various country musicians covering that band's songs. Diamond Rio had originally wanted to record the song for ''Love a Little Stronger'', but DuBois rejected the idea because he felt that they were not yet well-established enough to record a cover song on one of their own albums. The second was '' Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album'', to which they contributed a cover of
Keith Whitley Jackie Keith Whitley (July 1, 1954 – May 9, 1989) was an American country music and bluegrass singer and songwriter. During his career, he released only two albums, but charted 12 singles on the ''Billboard'' country charts, and seven more af ...
's 1986 hit " Ten Feet Away", and the third was a cover of
Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...
's " Workin' Man Blues" for a tribute album entitled '' Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard''. This rendition, which featured guest appearances from
Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music, country and blues musician. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Cou ...
and
Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late ...
(both of whom were also signed to Arista Nashville at the time), was credited to "Jed Zeppelin". The song peaked at No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' country charts from unsolicited airplay, and was made into a music video. In 1996, the band covered "
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
" for the multi-artist compilation ''
The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney ''The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney'' is an album featuring country music artists singing Disney songs. It was released on September 10, 1996 by Walt Disney Records. The album peaked at number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums ...
'' and contributed the original song "Christmas Spirit" (which Powell and Roe co-wrote) to ''Star of Wonder: Country Christmas Collection'', a Christmas album featuring various artists on Arista Nashville's roster. A year later, Diamond Rio contributed a recording of the gospel standard "Walkin' in Jerusalem" to a compilation entitled ''Peace in the Valley: A Country Music Journey Through Gospel Music''. Diamond Rio and
Collin Raye Floyd Elliot Wray (born August 22, 1960), known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut ...
also sang backing vocals on
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
' 2000 single " He Will, She Knows". In 2002, the band was featured on country parodist
Cledus T. Judd James Barry Poole (born December 18, 1964) is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and ...
's "Man of Constant Borrow", a parody of "
Man of Constant Sorrow "Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. It was titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook by Burnett dated t ...
" on his album ''
Cledus Envy ''Cledus Envy'' is a 2002 album released by country music parodist Cledus T. Judd, released on Monument Records. It features "Leave You Laughin'", Judd's first serious song. Phil Vassar contributes a spoken line to the end of "Just Another Day ...
''.
Jerrod Niemann Jerrod Lee Niemann (born July 24, 1979) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released one single for Category 5 Records (2006); three albums for Sea Gayle Music/Arista Nashville: '' Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury'' (2010), ' ...
's late-2017 album '' This Ride'' features Diamond Rio on the song "I Ain't All There". Some of the individual members have also contributed to songs by other artists. Roe sang duet vocals with then-labelmate
Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...
on "Love Is Only Human", a cut from her 1992 album ''
Homeward Looking Angel Homeward Looking Angel is the third studio album by American country music artist Pam Tillis. The album was a #23 album on the Billboard charts. This album produced four singles for Tillis on the Hot Country Songs charts: the Top Five hits "Shake ...
''. Olander was featured along with bluegrass musicians
Carl Jackson Carl Eugene Jackson (born September 18, 1953) is an American country and bluegrass musician. Jackson's first Grammy was awarded in 1992 for his duet album with John Starling titled ''Spring Training''. In 2003, Jackson produced the Grammy Award ...
and
Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player, composer, guitarist, and mandolinist whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Mu ...
on the track "Hap Towne Breakdowne" from Steve Wariner's 1996 instrumental album '' No More Mr. Nice Guy''. He also co-wrote
Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, '' In My Wildest Dreams'', in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles tha ...
's 2001 single " I Lost It",
Marshall Dyllon Marshall Dyllon was an American country music group formed in 2000, comprising vocalists Daniel Cahoon, Jesse Littleton, Michael Martin, Paul Martin, and Todd Michael Sansom. These five members were recruited by country music artist Kenny Rogers ...
's 2001 single "You", and the track "The Night Before (Life Goes On)" from
Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005, returning as a judge beginning with the twenty-third season. Underwood's f ...
's 2005 debut album ''
Some Hearts ''Some Hearts'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood, released on November 14, 2005, by Arista Nashville. The album contains the number one country singles " Jesus, Take the Wheel", " Don't Forget to Re ...
''. Truman co-wrote
Shane Minor Shane Allen Minor (born May 3, 1968) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 1999, Minor released his self-titled album that year, and it produced three hit singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles ...
's 1999 single " Ordinary Love"; Minor would later co-write the band's hit "Beautiful Mess". In 2003, Truman and songwriter
Jason Deere Jason Todd Deere (born December 19, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and music executive. He has written memorable songs for acts like Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, Cory Marks, Jim Brick ...
co-founded the
Nashville Tribute Band The Nashville Tribute Band is a Nashville-based Christian group founded by Jason Deere and Dan Truman, the pianist of the popular country group Diamond Rio. Background In 2003, songwriter and record producer Jason Deere began teaching the Old and ...
, which has recorded three albums for missionaries of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
, of which Truman is a member. Roe, Johnson, and Williams sang backing vocals on
Josh Turner Joshua Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his Long Black Train, debut album's title t ...
's 2006 single "
Me and God "Me and God" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Josh Turner, recorded as a duet with Ralph Stanley, with backing vocals from Marty Roe, Gene Johnson, and Dana Williams of Diamond Rio. It was released in November 2006 a ...
" (from the album '' Your Man''), which also featured a guest vocal from bluegrass musician
Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. He began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of The ...
.


Musical stylings

In the country music industry particularly, record producers hire mostly
session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
s to record instrumental tracks for an album for both solo artists and bands, as opposed to
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
bands who record their own instrumental and vocal tracks on their albums. Diamond Rio has been one of few self-contained country bands to have followed the practice of each member playing their own instruments and singing their own vocals on all their albums themselves, without any additional input from outside musicians. The sole exception has been the inclusion of
string section The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...
s on some of their later work, starting with "I Know How the River Feels" and continuing through certain tracks on ''One More Day'' and ''Completely''. According to Prout, other labels had rejected the band prior to their signing with Arista Nashville due to the band members' insistence that they play all their own instruments. Their early music blended neotraditionalist country with occasional traces of
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
, primarily in the song's prominent
rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm ...
s. A bluegrass influence has also been shown, primarily in the three-part harmonies among Roe (lead), Williams (baritone), and Johnson (tenor). Bluegrass influences are also shown in the band's prominent use of the
mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
, as well as in the instrumentals featured on many of their earlier albums. The band's later material has tended towards pop-oriented ballads, such as "I Believe" and "One More Day" – songs which received critical acclaim for their often religious-themed messages, but were considered departures from the more traditional material of their first four albums. Another trademark of Diamond Rio's sound is the custom-built
B-Bender A B-Bender is a guitar accessory that enables a player to fluidly alter the pitch of a guitar's B-string. This works by mechanically bending the B-string through the use of a series of levers and/or pulleys attached to an external lever that is ...
guitar played by Olander. He refers to this instrument as the "Taxicaster" because of its yellow body and black-and-white checkered
pickguard A pickguard (also known as a scratchplate) is a piece of plastic or other (often laminated) material that is placed on the body of a guitar, mandolin or similar plucked string instrument. The main purpose of the pickguard is to protect the guita ...
, which give it the coloration of a
taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
.


Awards

Diamond Rio received the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
's award for Top Vocal Group in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997, they also received the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...
's award for Vocal Group of the Year (an award for which they received fifteen total nominations, more than any other country music group). In addition, Diamond Rio has received thirteen
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nominations. In 2010 they received three nominations for the GMA Dove Awards, and on April 22 won the award for Country Album of the Year. In 2011, they received their first Grammy Award in the
Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album The Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to artists, producers, and engineers for qualit ...
category for ''The Reason''.


Personnel


Members

;Current members *Dan Truman – (born August 29, 1956; piano, keyboards) *Marty Roe – (born December 28, 1960; lead vocals, rhythm guitar) *Jimmy Olander – (born August 26, 1961; lead guitar, banjo) *Dana Williams – (born May 22, 1961; bass guitar, baritone vocals) *Carson McKee – mandolin, fiddle, tenor vocals *Micah Schweinsberg– drums ;Former members *Larry Beard – lead guitar, fiddle, banjo *Al DeLeonibus – piano *Matt Davenport – bass guitar, lead vocals *Danny Gregg – rhythm guitar, lead vocals *Ty Herndon – vocals *Ed Mummert – drums *Jimmy "J. J." Whiteside – drums *Anthony Crawford – vocals *Virgil True – vocals *Brian Prout - drums *Gene Johnson – mandolin, fiddle, tenor vocals


Discography

* ''
Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Marty Roe (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Olander (lead guitar, banjo), Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams (bass guitar, vocals), Micah Schweinsberg ( ...
'' (1991) * ''
Close to the Edge ''Close to the Edge'' is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released in the UK on 8 September 1972 and in the US on 13 September 1972, by Atlantic Records. It is their last album until '' Union'' (1991) to feature ori ...
'' (1992) * '' Love a Little Stronger'' (1994) * '' IV'' (1996) * '' Unbelievable'' (1998) * '' One More Day'' (2001) * '' Completely'' (2002) * '' A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines'' (2007) * '' The Reason'' (2009) * ''I Made It'' (2015)


''Billboard'' number-one hits

*"
Meet in the Middle "Meet in the Middle" is a song recorded by American country music band Diamond Rio. It was released in February 1991 as their debut single, and served as the first single in the album ''Diamond Rio''. The single reached number one on the U.S. ''B ...
" (2 weeks, 1991) *"
How Your Love Makes Me Feel "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" is a song written by Trey Bruce and Max T. Barnes, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio that reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was released in May 1997 ...
" (3 weeks, 1997) *" One More Day" (2 weeks, 2000-2001) *" Beautiful Mess" (2 weeks, 2002) *" I Believe" (2 weeks, 2002-2003)


References


Notes


Sources

* *


External links

* {{Authority control Country music groups from Tennessee Grand Ole Opry members Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee Word Records artists Arista Nashville artists Grammy Award winners 1982 establishments in Tennessee