Gene Watson Peer's Quote from Joe Diffie: September 2004
Gene Watson's peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as 'the singer's singer' - and rightly so!
All of Gene Watson's Peers who were contacted during 2004 were most gracious with their time and words. It is here, within this special part of the Gene Watson Fan Site, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from Joe Diffie, which he submitted to this site on Monday 27 September 2004.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Joe Diffie who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Joe Diffie
This quote was submitted on Monday 27 September 2004.
'I've always been a fan of Gene's. 'Farewell Party' is one of the best country songs ever recorded!
I remember meeting Gene for the first time at a little convenience store in Nashville. He was very gracious and complimentary of my music. What a thrill!
In my mind, he's one of the most under-appreciated singers in the business'.
Thank you, Joe Diffie, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Joe Diffie...
Joe Diffie is a country music artist who was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He made an astonishing entrance into the world of country music with the release, in 1990, of his debut album 'A Thousand Winding Roads' (Epic Records, 1990) for Epic Records.
Joe Logan Diffie was immersed in music from a young age and made his first public performance in his aunt's country band when he was only four years old. It was song-writing, interestingly enough, that lured Joe to Nashville after his song 'Love on the rocks' was recorded by Hank Thompson (Thursday 3 September 1925 - Tuesday 6 November 2007).
Joe Diffie found work in the Nashville-area Gibson guitar plant and soon established himself as one of Music Row's top demo singers. When he first came to Nashville, he sang a lot of demo recordings (songs that would be pitched to other artists) and became an accomplished songwriter.
Holly Dunn recorded Joe Diffie's 'There Goes My Heart Again' (co-written with Lonnie Wilson and Wayne Parry) and included the track on her highly acclaimed 'Blue Rose of Texas' (Warner Bros. Records, 1989); the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in 1989.
Joe Diffie made the transition from demo singer to major label recording artist with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album 'A Thousand Winding Roads' (Epic Records, 1990).
Joe Diffie recorded Joe Chambers' 'Stranger In Your Eyes', which was co-written with Max D. Barnes (Friday 24 July 1936 - Sunday 11 January 2004) and Larry Jenkins, and included the track on 'A Thousand Winding Roads' (Epic Records, 1990).
Joe Diffie's early Billboard country music hits included 'Home' (No.1, 1990), 'If You Want Me To' (No.2, 1990), 'If The Devil Danced In Empty Pockets' (No.1, 1990) and 'New Way To Light Up An Old Flame' (No.2, 1990) and established Joe as one of country music's foremost balladeers.
Throughout the course of the 1990s, Joe Diffie used his steady radio success to build a solid fan base while notching his belt with seventeen Billboard Top 10 hits, two platinum albums and two gold albums.
Keith Palmer (Sunday 23 June 1957 - Thursday 13 June 1996) recorded Joe Diffie's 'Memory Lane' (co-written with Lonnie Wilson) and included the track on 'Keith Palmer' (Epic Records, 1991).
Keith Palmer (Sunday 23 June 1957 - Thursday 13 June 1996) recorded Joe Diffie's 'Livin' On What's Left Of Your Love' (co-written with Sanger D. Shafer) and included the track on 'Keith Palmer' (Epic Records, 1991).
Doug Stone recorded Joe Diffie's 'Burning Down The Town' (co-written with Wayne Perry) and included the track on 'I Thought It Was You' (Epic Records, 1991).
Mary Chapin Carpenter saw the release of her highly acclaimed 'Come On, Come On' (Columbia Records, 1992) in 1992, which included 'Not Too Much To Ask', a duet with Joe Diffie; the track reached No.15 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1993 and earned the duo a Grammy Award nomination for 'Best Country Collaboration With Vocals'.
Conway Twitty (Friday 1 September 1933 - Saturday 5 June 1993) recorded Joe Diffie's 'I'm The Only Thing (I'll Hold Against You)' (co-written with Kim Williams and Lonnie Wilson) and included the track on 'Final Touches' (MCA Records, 1993).
Tim McGraw recorded Joe Diffie's 'Memory Lane' (co-written with Lonnie Wilson) and included the track on 'Tim McGraw' (Curb Records, 1993).
Clinton Gregory recorded Joe Diffie's 'Surrender' (co-written with Lonnie Wilson and Kent Blazy) and included the track on 'Master of Illusion' (Step One Records, 1993).
Benny Berry recorded Joe Diffie's 'Maybe, Maybe Not' (co-written with Sanger D. Shafer and Lonnie Wilson) and included the track on 'When The Trains Still Ran Through Dixie' (Hawk Records, 1993).
Tracy Lawrence recorded Joe Diffie's 'I Got A Feeling' (co-written with Lonnie Wilson) and included the track on 'I See It Now' (Atlantic Records, 1994).
Joe Diffie's record deal with Sony finally expired following the release of 'In Another World' (Sony Music, 2001), so he decided to take more control of his country music career.
Joe Diffie signed with Broken Bow Records, one of Music Row's pre-eminent independent labels. He then began making music, donning the producer's hat for the first time in his career, enlisting Lonnie Wilson and Buddy Cannon as co-producers.
At the time of the acquisition of this quote from Joe Diffie, in September 2004, he was enjoying the release of a new album, 'Tougher Than Nails' (Broken Bow Records, 2004). This album boasted a play-list of fine tunes from some of Nashville's top songwriters including Frank Meyers, Leslie Satcher, Harley Allen (Monday 23 January 1956 - Wednesday 30 March 2011) and Shawn Camp.
'Tougher than Nails' (Broken Bow Records, 2004) also included 'What Would Waylon Do?', a duet with legendary George Jones, along with 'Am I?', a track which was co-written by Joe Diffie and Billy Yates.
Jo Dee Messina recorded Joe Diffie's 'My Give A Damn's Busted' (co-written with Tom Shapiro and Tony Martin) and included the track on 'Delicious Surprise' (Curb Records, 2005); the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 2005.
Visit Joe Diffie's Official Site