Fresh off the release of its first live album, country supergroup Diamond Rio will entertain Friday, Dec. 5, in a benefit concert for the Chattanooga Firefighters Association. The show is set for Memorial Auditorium with special guests Raquel Cole and Truman Brothers.
In their 25 years together, the members of Diamond Rio have sold more than 10 million albums, won Grammy and Dove awards, been named Vocal Group of the Year six times and released two greatest-hits projects and an autobiography – all with no personnel changes.
If you goWhat: Diamond Rio in concert.When: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5.Where: Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave.Admission: $10.Phone: 423-899-4990.
Formed in 1989 in Nashville, the band consists of Gene Johnson (mandolin, tenor vocals), Jimmy Olander (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo), Brian Prout (drums), Marty Roe (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Dan Truman (keyboards) and Dana Williams (bass guitar, baritone vocals).
With the release of “Meet in the Middle” in 1991, Diamond Rio became the first country group in history to reach No. 1 with a debut single. They followed up with such hits as “How Your Love Makes Me Feel,” “One More Day,” “Beautiful Mess,” “Unbelievable” and “In a Week or Two.”
In a news release, Roe calls “Diamond Rio Live,” available through iTunes, “something we’ve wanted to do for a while. Our live show plays a major role in who we are. I didn’t start as a recording artist. I started onstage.”
Adds Johnson, “We’ve been known for a long time as the live band that sounds just like the record, so it was time to capture that.”
“Diamond Rio Live” includes 22 of the band’s Top 10 singles, five No. 1 singles and two never-before-recorded highlights of live shows, the Newgrass Medley and the Western Medley. A companion CD/DVD project at www.diamondrio.com features interviews of the six longtime friends reminiscing about the past 25 years.
Long known for their charity commitments, the members of Diamond Rio are longtime spokesmen for Big Brothers Big Sisters, have raised more than $1 million for nonprofits and received the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award.
The Chattanooga Firefighters Association is a nonprofit representing more than 225 members of the Chattanooga Fire Department and the Chattanooga Metro Airport Authority, according to its Facebook page.