Diamond Rio
1056464
225574023
2008-07-14T11:14:15Z
Rjwilmsi
203434
no 'of' between a month and a year per [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_%28dates_and_numbers%29#Longer_periods|MOS]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]]
{{otheruses4|the country music band|the line of digital audio players players by [[Diamond Multimedia]]|Rio (digital audio players)}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name = Diamond Rio
| Img = Diamond Rio USAF.jpg
| Img_capt = Diamond Rio performing live
| Img_size = 200px
| Background = group_or_band
| Origin = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], [[USA]]
| Genre = [[Country music|Country]]
| Years_active = 1984-present
| Label = [[Arista Records|Arista]] ([[Arista Nashville]])<br />[[Word Records|Word]]
| Associated_acts = Heartbreak Mountain<br />Hot Walker Band<Br />Jed Zeppelin<br />[[Nitty Gritty Dirt Band]]<br />[[Osborne Brothers]]
| URL = http://diamondrio.com
| Current_members = Gene Johnson<br />Jimmy Olander<br />Brian Prout<br />Marty Roe<br />Dan Truman<br />Dana Williams
}}
'''Diamond Rio''' is an [[United States|American]] [[country music]] band formed in 1984 in [[Nashville, Tennessee]].<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="gac"/> Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson ([[mandolin]], [[guitar]], [[fiddle]], [[tenor]] vocals), Jimmy Olander ([[lead guitar]]), Brian Prout ([[drum kit|drums]]), Marty Roe ([[lead vocals]]), Dan Truman ([[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[organ (instrument)|organ]], [[synthesizer]]), and Dana Williams ([[bass guitar]], [[baritone]] vocals).<ref name="oldies"/>
Diamond Rio was signed to [[Arista Records]] in 1988. Due to a series of health issues affecting three of its members, however, the band did not make its debut until 1991, with the release of the single "[[Meet in the Middle]]". It reached Number One on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now [[Hot Country Songs]]) charts, making Diamond Rio the first country music group in history to top the charts with its debut single.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="gac"/> "Meet in the Middle" was followed by thirty-two more chart singles throughout the band's career, including four more Number Ones: "[[How Your Love Makes Me Feel]]" (1997), "[[One More Day (Diamond Rio song)|One More Day]]" (2001), "Beautiful Mess" (2002), and "[[I Believe (Diamond Rio song)|I Believe]]" (2003).
To date, Diamond Rio has recorded seven studio albums, two Greatest Hits compilations, and an album of Christmas music. Three of the band's albums have achieved [[RIAA]] platinum certification in the United States. In addition, Diamond Rio has received four Group of the Year awards from the [[Country Music Association]], two Top Vocal Group awards from the [[Academy of Country Music]], and thirteen [[Grammy Award]] nominations.<ref name="gac"/>
==Beginnings==
Most of the members of Diamond Rio had previous experience in music. Marty Roe, who was named for country music artist [[Marty Robbins]], began singing country music at the age of three; Gene Johnson had previously played with [[David Bromberg]]; Jimmy Olander was a former member of the [[Nitty Gritty Dirt Band]] (another country music band); and Dana Williams was a nephew of the [[Osborne Brothers]].<ref name="oldies"/>
In 1984, Truman and Roe met for the first time at [[Opryland USA]], a theme park in [[Nashville, Tennessee]].<ref name="gac">{{cite web |url=http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_artists_a-z/article/0,,GAC_26071_4735998,00.html |title=Diamond Rio Biography |accessdate=2007-09-10 |work=[[Great American Country|GAC.com]]}}</ref> The two soon formed a bluegrass group, which was first named the Grizzly River Boys, and later changed to the Tennessee River Boys.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url=http://wm05.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifixql5ldae~T1 |title=Diamond Rio biography |accessdate=2007-09-10 |last=Huey |first=Steve |work=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref><ref name="oldies"/> Olander and Johnson, who previously worked with [[Keith Whitley]], joined a year later, followed by Prout and Williams. The band's name was finally changed to Diamond Rio, because others had thought that the previous name made the group sound like a [[gospel music]] band. The name Diamond Rio came from the names of two [[List of American truck manufacturers|truck manufacturers]], [[Diamond T]] and [[REO Motor Car Company|REO]] (the latter of which became misspelled in the band's name).<ref name="oldies"/>
After assuming their new name of Diamond Rio, the band was discovered by Tim DuBois (a record executive at [[Arista Records]]) in May 1989. DuBois, who had just opened the label's Nashville division, signed Diamond Rio to a record deal that same month.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="gac"/> Shortly after the band received its record deal, however, three members came down with health problems. Olander had discovered that he had a [[tumor]]; Williams was seriously injured while [[boating]]; and Johnson was also injured in a [[carpentry]] accident.<ref name="gac"/>
==Musical career==
===First two albums===
In 1991, after Olander, Williams, and Johnson had recovered, the six musicians set to work on their first album. Its first single, "[[Meet in the Middle]]", was released early that year; peaking at Number One on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Songs|Hot Country Singles & Tracks]] chart, the song made Diamond Rio the first country music band in history to reach Number One with its debut single.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="gac"/> The song served as the lead-off to their debut album, also titled ''[[Diamond Rio (album)|Diamond Rio]]''. In addition to "Meet in the Middle", it produced the Top 10 hits "Mirror, Mirror", "Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me", "Norma Jean Riley" and "Nowhere Bound". Also included on the album was a bluegrass instrumental track entitled "Poultry Promenade", which earned the band its first Grammy nomination.<ref name="luck">{{cite web |url=http://www.luckmedia.com/diamondrio/biography.html |title=One More Day Set To Release February 6th |accessdate=2008-04-11 |work=Luck Media & Marketing}}</ref> ''Diamond Rio'' was later certified platinum by the [[RIAA]] for selling more than one million copies in the United States.<ref name="oldies"/>
''[[Close to the Edge]]'', the group's second album, was released in 1992. Although the album was certified gold for U.S. sales of 500,000 copies, only two of its four singles reached the Top 10.<ref name="allmusic"/> According to Marty Roe, ''Close to the Edge'' was a weaker album than its predecessor 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."<ref name="new">{{cite journal |last=Oermann |first=Robert K. |year=1994 |month=July |title=Diamonds & Gold: Nashville's "Perfect" Group Returns Wiser and a Little Stronger |journal=New Country |pages=44–49 |issn=1074-536X}}</ref> Also in 1992, lead singer Marty Roe recorded a duet with [[Pam Tillis]] entitled "Love Is Only Human" on her album ''[[Homeward Looking Angel]]''.<ref>{{cite album-notes |title=Homeward Looking Angel |albumlink=Homeward Looking Angel |bandname=Pam Tillis |year=1992 |publisher=Arista Records |publisherid=07822-18649-2}}</ref>
In 1993, Diamond Rio also contributed to ''[[Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles]]'', a tribute album to the [[Eagles]], on which various country music acts performed covers of the Eagles' songs; Diamond Rio performed a cover of "[[Lyin' Eyes]]" on this compilation.<ref name="luck"/> ''Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles'' went on to earn a 3× Multi-Platinum certification for sales of three million copies.<ref name="luck"/>
===''Love a Little Stronger'' and Jed Zeppelin===
''[[Love a Little Stronger]]'', Diamond Rio's third album, was released in 1994.<ref name="allmusic"/> 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" (the last single from ''Close to the Edge'') fell off the charts.<ref name="new"/> The title track to ''Love a Little Stronger'' (also its lead-off single) reached a peak of #2 on the ''Billboard'' country singles charts; it was followed by the #9 hit "Night Is Fallin' in My Heart" and 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'', it was considered by critics to be a superior album to its predecessor.<ref name="new"/> This album also earned the band its second platinum certification.
Later in 1994, Diamond Rio teamed up with country guitarists [[Lee Roy Parnell]] and [[Steve Wariner]]. Crediting themselves as Jed Zeppelin, the eight musicians recorded a cover of [[Merle Haggard]]'s "[[Workin' Man's Blues]]" for a tribute album entitled ''Mama's Hungry Eyes'', which featured other country artists' renditions of Haggard's songs.<ref name="oldies"/><ref name="jed">{{cite journal |last=Sweid |first=Nancy |date=1994-09-27 | title=Steve Wariner, Lee Roy Parnell, and Diamond Rio Gather to Make a Video Tribute to Merle Haggard |journal=[[Country Weekly]] |volume=1 |issue=25 |pages=12–15 |issn=1074-3235 |accessdate=2007-09-10}}</ref> In addition to peaking at #48 on the ''Billboard'' country charts,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=357&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Country+Songs&ci=3019405&cdi=6911703&cid=02%2F04%2F1995 |title=Hot Country Songs: "Workin' Man Blues" |accessdate=2008-04-11 |work=Billboard}}</ref> Jed Zeppelin's rendition of "Workin' Man's Blues" was made into a [[music video]], which aired on the television networks [[Country Music Television|CMT]] and TNN (now [[Spike TV]]).<ref name="jed"/>
===''IV'', ''Greatest Hits'', and ''Unbelievable''===
Titled ''[[IV (Diamond Rio album)|IV]]'', Diamond Rio's gold-certified fourth album was released in 1996. It produced four singles in "Walkin' Away", "That's What I Get for Lovin' You", "It's All in Your Head", and "Holdin'", all of which except "It's All in Your Head" were Top Ten hits. The music video for "It's All in Your Head" featured [[Martin Sheen]] and [[Ramon Estevez]] (the former playing the part of a snake-handling preacher).<ref name="snake">{{cite web |url=http://countrymailbag.com/bios/diamond_rio_bio.asp |title=Country Mailbag - Country Music's Top Interactive Radio Show |accessdate=2007-10-23}}</ref>
In 1997, 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''.<ref name="luck"/> That same year, they released their first ''[[Greatest Hits (Diamond Rio album)|Greatest Hits]]'' package, which included four new songs as well as the greatest hits from their first four albums. One of these new songs, "[[How Your Love Makes Me Feel]]", was released as a single in 1997; it went on to become not only the band's second ''Billboard'' Number One, but also the biggest chart hit for any country group that year.<ref name="snake"/> "Imagine That", also included on the Greatest Hits package, was a Top 5 hit in early 1998. ''Greatest Hits'' became the band's third platinum album.
''[[Unbelievable (Diamond Rio album)|Unbelievable]]'' was the title of the band's fifth studio album. Released in 1998 and certified gold, the album produced consecutive Top Five country hits in the ballad "You're Gone" and the title track. An up-tempo song co-written by [[Jeffrey Steele]], "[[Unbelievable (Diamond Rio song)|Unbelievable]]" peaked at #2 on the country charts and crossed over to Top 40 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], giving Diamond Rio its first appearance on that chart; however, its followup ("I Know How the River Feels") peaked at #33 on the country charts. By the end of 1998, Diamond Rio was inducted into the [[Grand Ole Opry]], becoming the first band in fourteen years to be inducted.<ref name="cmt">{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/diamond_rio/bio.jhtml |title=Diamond Rio: Biography |accessdate=2007-09-10 |work=[[Country Music Television|CMT.com]]}}</ref> In 1999, the television network TNN (now known as [[Spike TV]]) also filmed a television special about the band, entitled ''The Life and Times of Diamond Rio''.<ref name="luck"/> [[Kenny Chesney]] charted in 2000 with the Top 10 single "I Lost It", which band member Jimmy Olander co-wrote with [[Neil Thrasher]].
===''One More Day'' and ''Completely''===
''[[One More Day (album)|One More Day]]'', Diamond Rio's fifth studio album, was released in 2001. Although "Stuff", its first single, barely made Top 40, the album's title track went on to become a Number One single. "One More Day" first went into rotation in February 2001, shortly after the death of [[NASCAR]] driver [[Dale Earnhardt]]; a radio station in [[New York]] began playing the song as a tribute, and other stations soon followed suit.<ref name="about">{{cite web |url=http://countrymusic.about.com/library/bldriobio.htm |title=Diamond Rio Biography |accessdate=2007-09-10 |work=[[About.com]]}}</ref> "One More Day" also gained heavy rotation after [[9/11]] as a tribute song to the victims of the attacks.<ref name="gac"/><ref name="cmt"/> Overall, the song also peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to reaching Top Ten on the Adult Contemporary charts (the band's first appearance on that chart). The song's success helped boost ''One More Day'' to gold certification, making it the band's fourth album to achieve that certification. The third and fourth singles from ''One More Day'', however, were less successful, however; "Sweet Summer" made Top 20, while "That's Just That" failed to make Top 40.
In 2002, the band released its studio album, entitled ''[[Completely]]''; later that same year, Brian Prout married singer-songwriter [[Stephanie Bentley]], a one-time solo singer who co-wrote [[Faith Hill]]'s 1999 crossover single "[[Breathe (Faith Hill song)|Breathe]]" and charted four singles of her own between 1996 and 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1451674/20020105/bentley_stephanie.jhtml |title=Diamond Rio's Prout Marries Hit Songwriter Bentley |accessdate=2007-09-10 |date=2002-01-05 |work=CMT.com}}</ref> (Prout had previously been married to Nancy Given Prout, drummer for [[Wild Rose (band)|Wild Rose]], an all-female country band from the late 1980s-early 1990s.)<ref name="oldies"/> ''Completely'', which was certified gold as well, produced two consecutive Number One singles in "Beautiful Mess" and the [[Skip Ewing]] co-write "[[I Believe (Diamond Rio song)|I Believe]]",<ref name="allmusic"/> the latter being the band's final Number One. As with its predecessor, however, ''Completely'' produced less successful hits in its third and fourth singles (the Top 20 hit "Wrinkles" and "We All Fall Down", which peaked outside Top 40.)
===2005-present: ''Can't You Tell'' and ''Greatest Hits, Volume 2''===
A seventh album, tentatively titled ''Can't You Tell'', was recorded in 2003; however, it was cancelled after its first two singles — the [[Latin music|Latin]] flavored, [[minor key]] title track and "One Believer" — both failed to make Top 40. Diamond Rio's second Greatest Hits package, ''[[Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (Diamond Rio album)|Greatest Hits, Volume 2]]'', 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 #30. Shortly after the album's release, Diamond Rio parted ways with Arista Nashville, marking the end of a fifteen-year relation with that label.<ref name="cmt"/> Roe and Williams, along with [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] musician [[Ralph Stanley]], were also featured on [[Josh Turner]]'s 2006 single "[[Me and God]]" (from Turner's ''[[Your Man]]'' album).
On August 31, 2007, Diamond Rio signed with [[Word Records]], a [[Christian music]] label based in Nashville.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1568674/20070830/diamond_rio.jhtml |title=Diamond Rio Signs With Word Records |accessdate=2007-09-10 |date=2007-08-30 |work=CMT.com}}</ref> Their first album for Word was a Christmas album entitled ''A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines''.
==Awards==
Diamond Rio received the [[Academy of Country Music]]'s award for Top Vocal Group in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997, they also received the [[Country Music Association]]'s award for Vocal Group of the Year (an award for which they received fifteen total nominations, more than any other country music group).<ref name="gac"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/diamond_rio/awards.jhtml |title=Diamond Rio: Awards |accessdate=2007-09-10 |work=CMT.com}}</ref> In addition, Diamond Rio has received thirteen [[Grammy Award]] nominations.<ref name="gac"/>
==Musical stylings==
Since its inception, Diamond Rio has been a self-contained band, playing all the music on their albums by themselves; starting with ''One More Day'', however, some of their songs occasionally featured accompaniment from a [[string section]].<ref name="cw">{{cite journal |last=Scarlett |first=David |date=2006-06-19 |title=Bravo Rio! |journal=[[Country Weekly]] |volume=13 |issue=13 |pages=51}}</ref> Their early music blended [[neotraditionalist country]] with occasional traces of [[country rock]], primarily in the song's rhythm sections.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="oldies"/> A [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] influence has also been shown, primarily in the three-part harmonies among lead vocalist Marty Roe, baritone vocalist Dana Williams and tenor vocalist Gene Johnson. Bluegrass influences are also shown in the band's prominent use of the [[mandolin]], as well as in the bluegrass instrumentals featured on many of their albums.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="oldies">{{cite web |url=http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Diamond-Rio.html |title=Diamond Rio biography |accessdate=2007-08-12 |work=oldies.com}}</ref> 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.<ref name="cw"/>
Another trademark of Diamond Rio's sound is the custom-built B-Bender guitar played by Olander.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/artists/details.asp?AID=2101 |title= Jimmy Olander: From Banjo to B-Bender |accessdate=2008-04-11 |last=Lee |first=Guy |date=2002-07-29 |work=Vintage Guitar}}</ref> He refers to this instrument as the Taxicaster because of its yellow body and black-and-white checkered pickguard, which give it the coloration of a [[taxicab]].<ref name="new"/>
==Prior projects==
Several of the members of Diamond Rio had experience in other bands before Diamond Rio's foundation. Lead vocalist Marty Roe was previously a member of a band called Windsong, which toured nationally in the early 1980s.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="new"/> Dana Williams, the band's bass guitarist, is a nephew of the [[Osborne Brothers]], a bluegrass group which is a member of the [[Grand Ole Opry]]; Williams also played in a bluegrass band, and served as a backing musician for [[Cal Smith]], [[Vassar Clements]] and [[Jimmy C. Newman]].<ref name="new"/> Dan Truman is a classically-trained pianist who had previously toured with [[Brigham Young University]]'s Young Ambassadors musical troupe.<ref name="new"/> Gene Johnson, the oldest member of the group, plays mandolin, fiddle, and guitar, had previously worked with [[David Bromberg]], [[Keith Whitley]] and [[J. D. Crowe]] before joining Diamond Rio in 1985.<ref name="new"/> Drummer Brian Prout was previously a member of the Hot Walker Band, before joining Heartbreak Mountain, a band whose lineup also included [[Marty Raybon]] (who would later become the lead singer of the band [[Shenandoah (band)|Shenandoah]]). Jimmy Olander had previously been a member of [[The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band]].
==Discography==
{{main|Diamond Rio discography}}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.diamondrio.com/ Diamond Rio official website]
[[Category:1990s music groups]]
[[Category:2000s music groups]]
[[Category:American country music groups]]
[[Category:Grand Ole Opry members]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1984]]
[[Category:Sextets]]
[[Category:Tennessee musical groups]]
[[Category:Word Records artists]]
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