Diffie returns with bluegrass CD in August

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 – Joe Diffie returns to bluegrass music with "Homecoming: The Bluegrass Album" on Aug. 24 on Rounder.

The disc was co-produced by Diffie and Luke Wooten and features The Grascals, Rhonda Vincent, Bradley Walker and Alecia Nugent. He also enlisted a top- band that includes Rob Ickes, Aubrey Haynie, Mike Compton, Bryan Sutton, Mark Fain and Charlie Cushman.

Prior to his moving to Nashville and becoming a country singer, he spent several years touring and recording with the bluegrass band Special Edition. For the new set, Diffie dug into his past for songs such as Tennessee Tea and into classic catalog tunes like Flatt & Scruggs' Somehow Tonight along with covering modern songs such as Lonesome And Dry As A Bone, written by long time friend Shawn Camp, and Larry Cordle's I Know How It Feels.

Diffie contributed a few originals as well, including It's Raining On Her Rubber Dolly Now, co-written with Camp and featuring The Grascals.

Songs are:

1. Somehow Tonight
2. Lonesome and Dry as a Bone
3. Tall Cornstalk
4. Fit For a King
5. Route 5 Box 109
6. Rainin' On Her Rubber Dolly - with The Grascals
7. I Know How It Feels
8. Tennessee Tea
9. Free and Easy
10. Stormy Weather Once Again
11. 'Til Death
12. Hard To Handle

Tour dates are:

June 5 Country Days Farmington, Mo.

June 12 Rocks Pond Campground & Marina Eutawville, SC

June 18 Olympia High School Stanford, IL

June 19 Kiamichi Owa Chito Festival Broken Bow, OK

June 26 Country USA 2010 Oshkosh, WI

July 1 Bay City Fireworks Festival Bay City, MI

July 4 July 4th Festival - City Festival Haines City, FL

July 10 Country Concert @ Hickory Hills Lake Ft. Loramie, OH

July 17 Mississippi Barbeque Championship Jackson, MS

July 23 Kewaunee WI Fairgrounds Luxemberg, WI

July 29 Deschutes County Fairgrounds Redmond, OR

July 30 Snoqualmie Casino Snoqualmie, WA

Aug. 7 MDA Fundraiser Andrea's Harley Davidson Urbana, IL

Aug. 11 Trego County Fair Wakeeny, KS

Aug 12 Monteith Riverpark Albany, OR

Aug 13 Draper Amphitheater Draper, UT

Aug 14 San Juan County Fair Farmington, NM

Aug 18 Wyoming State Fair Douglas, WY

Aug 19 Brown County Fair Aberdeen, SD

Aug 28 Kosckiusko County Fairgrounds Warsaw, IN

More news for Joe Diffie

CD reviews for Joe Diffie

Homecoming

With a album titled "Homecoming," one may conjure up thoughts of days long gone behind us and the hopes of rekindling some of those old emotions and feelings as we go back to reminisce. That is exactly what Joe Diffie has done with his label debut. Diffie has long been a staple in country music, charting 12 number 1 songs and writing several other hit songs for other country artists as well. He did, however, cut his teeth in bluegrass as a young man. Diffie returns to this genre here, »»»

Live at Billy Bob's Texas

The album recorded at the world famous venue in the Fort Worth truly gives the listener the experience of a live Joe Diffie show. He usually starts off with the tongue-in-cheek, Third Rock From The Sun and performs a strong mix of older hits like the ballads, So Help Me Girl and to newer songs like the rollicking, Next Thing Smokin' He may have been overshadowed during the 1990's by bigger-name acts like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, but this album - and other Diffie hits packages »»»

The Ultimate Collection

Start a conversation about country music in the 1990's, and Joe Diffie's name may not be at the top of the list. But continue on for a minute or two, and the Oklahoman will definitely get mentioned. From 1990-99, Diffie was one of the most consistent artists in the Top 10. He achieved that success with traditionalist ballads like Is It Cold In Here and barnburner novelties, like Pickup Man and Honky Tonk Attitude Diffie closed out the 2000-decade by releasing a pair of albums in its »»»

Editorial: Walking the talk – When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»

Concert Review: McGraw has plenty of fight left – Despite the fact that Tim McGraw is five years sober, fit as a triathlete and touring behind a number one album, he is still in an unenviable position. As he approaches 50, McGraw has to stay a step ahead of the current crop of young country hunks with TV shows, cross format radio airplay and wider appeal. But as he proved at First Niagara's... »»»

Concert Review: Steve Earle doesn't rest (on laurels) – If you didn't realize Steve Earle had a new disc out, "The Low Highway," it would have been no problem realizing that quite and quickly. That was because Earle started the two-hour show with three straight tracks from "The Low Highway," and he would not be done for the night. The title track of was a midtempo effort... »»»

Country News Digest

CST

Elsewhere in the news

Currently at the CST blogs

Shop Amazon and support
Country Standard Time

It's about time for Willis, Robison

Some folks listening to Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison's new duet album, "Cheaters Game," may well exclaim, 'Well, it's about time!' after finally hearing these two talented country singer/songwriters recording music as a pair for the first time. Willis has built quite a following for her independently-minded feminine perspective, while Robison has written hits for the Dixie Chicks (Travelin' Soldier) and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (Angry All the Time), as well as penning the ultimate Willie Nelson tribute, What Would Willie Do? and recording it as a solo act. ... »»»

Steve Forbert remains Alive on Arrival

Last fall, singer/songwriter Steve Forbert dropped the 14th studio album of his 35-year career, the impeccable "Over With You." Critics recognized the album as a return to the form Forbert displayed on his earliest works - 1978's stripped back and personal "Alive on Arrival" and 1979's more lushly produced and commercially accessible "Jackrabbit Slim" - but the fact is that Forbert has never strayed far from their basic folk/rock tenets.... »»»

Decades later, Miller, Lauderdale finally join forces

Over the course of the past 20 years or so, Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller have both experienced a certain rise in their respective rootsy country profiles. Miller has become one of Nashville's hottest speed dial numbers, as an artist, a guitarist-for-hire (a role he has performed for Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Robert Plant, among others) and an intuitive producer (he's currently working with Executive Music Producer T Bone Burnett to provide the soundtrack for ABC's "Nashville" television series).... »»»

Wilderness

"Wilderness" is another twisted menagerie of The Handsome Family songs. Once again, husband Brett Sparks sings their songs, sometimes in a bellowing gravedigger voice, after adding music to wife Rennie's lyrics. This time out, each and every tune is named after an animal, insect or other such nature creature. However, Rennie studies animals the way Flannery O'Connor wrote about humans, which is with the weirdness and character flaws in primary focus. »»»

Love Is Everything

George Strait may have reached his seventh decade, but he shows zero signs of slowing down. In fact, Strait seems to be getting even more consistent as he gets older. Strait doesn't stray all that far from the formula that has resulted in superstar status. First and foremost, that means his sonorous voice is mixed far above the music, a very good thing. »»»

Dark Dirty Mile

Jason Boland and the Stragglers have released a new country album that sounds old. This isn't to imply that the sound is aged in a negative way; they have a classic country maturity that isn't heard too much these days with the exception of Jamey Johnson. For those not familiar with the music of Boland, the first track is a great way to decide whether this is your kind of country music. The title track is a mid tempo country song reminiscent of the late Waylon Jennings. »»»

Golden

Lady Antebellum probably needed a change in direction after "Own the Night" dropped in 2011. The material was overly geared towards taking dead aim at the radio jugular. That isn't the case this time out on the trio's fifth release because most of the songs veer away from being obviously radio fodder (except for the current singleDowntown with its soulful beginning and strong vocals from Hillary Scott), but that also doesn't man that this was the right change. »»»

About • Advertise • Copyright • Sitemap • Visit our sister publication Standard Time covering all musical genres. go