Joe Diffie, one of the most popular country artists of the ’90s and early 2000s, died Sunday, March 29, from complications of coronavirus (COVID-19). He was 61.
An Oklahoma native, Diffie moved to Nashville in 1986, finding work at Gibson Guitars and as a singer on demo sessions. He charted a No. 1 hit with his first single, “Home,” in 1990. Other chart-topping singles include “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “Third Rock From the Sun,” “Pickup Man,” and “Bigger Than the Beatles.” He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1993 and appeared there in 2019 for the induction of Luke Combs, who cited him an inspiration.
One of the finest traditionalists of his era, Diffie nonetheless built his career on lighthearted songs such as “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (When I Die)” from 1993, and “John Deere Green,” from 1994. Between 1990 and 2000 he charted 16 Top 10 hits on Epic Records. In 2002 he rebounded on Monument Records with the Top 10 single, “In Another World.”
As a songwriter, he claimed a three-week No. 1 hit with Jo Dee Messina’s “My Give a Damn’s Busted” in 2005. Songwriting credits in his own recording catalog include the singles “If You Want Me To,” “New Way (To Light Up an Old Flame),” and “Honky Tonk Attitude.”
While signed to Epic Records, his platinum albums include 1993’s Honky Tonk Attitude and 1994’s Third Rock from the Sun. He also reached gold with 1992’s Regular Joe and 1995’s Life’s So Funny. Other albums include: A Thousand Winding Roads (1990), Mr. Christmas (1995), Twice Upon a Time (1997), Greatest Hits (1998), and A Night to Remember (1999).
Diffie won a CMA Award for “I Don’t Need Your Rocking Chair,” the 1993 collaboration with George Jones. He received a 1998 Grammy for his participation in the all-star single, “Same Old Train,” and released a bluegrass album in 2010. Aldean paid tribute to Diffie by name in his clever 2012 single, “1994.”