Diamond Rio

by Steve Huey
 
Diamond Rio found major commercial success in the 90s by playing an eclectic hybrid of modern country, traditional bluegrass (especially in their harmony singing), and a hint of rock & roll. The band was composed of Marty Roe (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Olander (guitar, banjo), Gene Johnson (mandolin, vocals), Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams (bass), and Brian Prout (drums). Roe had already been touring professionally since age 12, when he was a member of Windsong, and Olander had previously worked with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Foster & Lloyd. The band first got together at Nashvilles Opryland theme park, and spent the first part of the 80s performing bluegrass music there under the name the Tennessee River Boys. The future members of Diamond Rio joined one by one, and in 1986, they left Opryland to try their luck as a touring band. Dana Williams was the last official member to join in 1989, upon which point the band changed their name to Diamond Rio (taken from the side of a truck) and landed a contract with Arista.
 
Although the band had some initial health issues to deal with, they pulled through, and Diamond Rios self-titled debut album was released in 1991 and quickly became a platinum-selling smash. Its lead single, Meet In the Middle, went all the way to the top of the country charts, making them the first ever country group to have their debut single also be a #1 hit, and it also spun off a stunning four additional Top Ten hits — Mirror Mirror, Mama Dont Forget to Pray for Me, Norma Jean Riley, and Nowhere Bound. By the time that run ended, the group had already recorded a follow-up, Close to the Edge, which appeared in late 1992. The Top Tens In a Week or Two and Oh Me, Oh My, Sweet Baby continued the groups incredible run of success, helping the album go gold, while This Romeo Aint Got Julie Yet just missed the Top Ten, their first single to do so. 1994s Love a Little Stronger produced a number two hit in its title track, but since the album was more of a showcase for the groups musicianship and eclectic tastes, it wasnt as commercially successful as its predecessors. The group took a similar approach for 1996s IV, but this time it slowly caught fire; Thats What I Get for Lovin You and Walkin Away both went Top Five, and a re-release of the albums first single, Holdin, did likewise.
 
With their commercial momentum restored, Diamond Rio issued Greatest Hits in 1997; both of the compilations two new songs — How Your Love Makes Me Feel and Imagine That — went Top Five, and the former became their second number one hit. The all-new Unbelievable followed in 1998, and landed two more Top Five hits in Youre Gone and the title cut, the latter of which inched into the pop Top 40 as well. The group kept going strong on their sixth album, 2001s One More Day, whose title song gave them a third number one. 2002s Completely ran that total to four with the chart-topping Beautiful Mess, and added another Top Ten hit in I Believe. In 2006, after 15 years together as a band, Diamond Rio issued Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, which contained their first single, Meet in the Middle, songs that were on records released after the first Greatest Hits, as well as four new tracks.