Country Music Singer Joe Diffie Dies From Corona Virus

[Smokey Mtn. Dinar]

Country music star Joe Diffie, '90s hitmaker, dies from coronavirus complications at 61

Matthew LeimkuehlerDave Paulson

Nashville Tennessean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Joe Diffie, a Grammy Award-winning country music hitmaker, died Sunday from coronavirus complications. He was 61. 

Diffie's representative Scott Adkins confirmed his death in a news release. 

The singer told fans Friday that he tested positive for the virus and asked for privacy as he received treatment.

"We want to remind the public and all my fans to be vigilant, cautious and careful during this pandemic,” Diffie said in his statement last week. Earlier this month, he postponed a concert in Georgia, citing coronavirus concerns.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Diffie enjoyed a consistent run of country hits in the early 1990s. "Pickup Man" was among five chart-toppers he scored in the first half of the decade.

He moved to Nashville in 1986, after losing his factory job in Oklahoma.

"When I got laid off, I was like, ‘Well, you know what, I think I’m just going to try it,’ ” he told radio host Bobby Bones in 2019. “I just loaded up everything I could get in this old beat up car I had, and off I went.”

Stars react:Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley mourn Joe Diffie: 'I'm devastated by the loss of my friend'

 

He took a job at the Gibson guitar plant, and sang on demos for songs that would become hits for Ricky Van Shelton, Alabama and Billy Dean. After scoring his first hit as a songwriter (Holly Dunn's "There Goes My Heart Again"), Diffie signed a record deal with Epic, and success immediately followed.

He topped the charts with his very first single. 1990's "Home" was a natural fit for a young man chasing fame and fortune in Music City, but in its lyrics, he surmised "the only treasures that I'll ever know / Are long ago and far behind and wrapped up in my memories of home."Though he had numerous top 10 country hits under his belt, Diffie truly hit his commercial stride in 1993 with the release of "Honky Tonk Attitude," his first platinum album. Between it and the platinum follow-up, "Third Rock From The Sun," he scored six more hits, including the chart-topping "Third Rock" title track and ode to rock stardom "Bigger Than The Beatles." 

As Diffie told Rolling Stone in 2019, the key was “finding songs I really liked and that I related to. Really, it’s not any more complicated than that.”

 

 

 

Earlier:Country singer Jan Howard, the Grand Ole Opry's senior member, dies at 91

Still, he nearly balked at recording "John Deere Green," a mid-tempo story of enduring love that would become one of his standards.

“I said, ‘Well, we can try it. We can can go into the studio and cut it, and if it doesn’t work out then we scrap it.' Luckily, it worked out,” he told Bones in 2019. 

In 1998, Diffie earned a Grammy Award for his work on "Same Old Train," an all-star collaboration led by Marty Stuart. A project that paid tribute to songwriting tradition, "Train" featured Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss and many others. 

Chart success didn't follow Diffie far into the 21st century – his final top 10 hit was 2001's "In Another World." But as nostalgia grew for the country music of the 1990s, Diffie was continuously celebrated by modern stars – never more loudly than on Jason Aldean's "1994," which mentioned Diffie's name more than a dozen times.

Diffie delivered his songs with a Southern grit that left a sustainable impact on modern country performers – "(I) got my honky tonk attitude from Joe Diffie," Chris Young sang on 2019's "Raised On Country." But his warm, welcoming voice also endeared him to listeners, and was equally suited for drink-raising anthems and tender ballads. 

[umbertino]

 

Didn't know him  but sorry to hear....RIP

[Smokey Mtn. Dinar]

2 minutes ago, umbertino said:

 

Didn't know him  but sorry to hear....RIP

 

 

I am a fan of REAL COUNTRY MUSIC, and Joe was a good, Real Country, singer. I even got to see him in concert of couple of times. 

[Sage449]

I see John Prine is in critical condition from Covid-19,  was admitted last Thursday. His wife tested positive earlier. 

[Smokey Mtn. Dinar]

3 hours ago, Sage449 said:

I see John Prine is in critical condition from Covid-19,  was admitted last Thursday. His wife tested positive earlier. 

 

 

I heard about John Prine last night on the radio. I have chatted with him many times over the years, on different websites. 

[umbertino]

5 hours ago, Smokey Mtn. Dinar said:

 

 

I am a fan of REAL COUNTRY MUSIC, and Joe was a good, Real Country, singer. I even got to see him in concert of couple of times. 

 

 

I understand SMD.....

[Sage449]

Hoping John makes, it. Like his duet with Emmylou Harris "Angel from Montgomery" good stuff.

 

 

 

[umbertino]

11 minutes ago, Sage449 said:

Hoping John makes, it. Like his duet with Emmylou Harris "Angel from Montgomery" good stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing him the best.....

[Smokey Mtn. Dinar]

I saw on Facebook about an hour ago, John's wife posted that his condition has been upgraded to stable, and he is doing a little better.

[Sage449]

Thank you SMD 💝