Diamond Rio brings veterans, with two new faces, to the Venue Tuscaloosa

Diamond Rio has scored as many hit singles as it has years of existence, and in the case of this long-lived band, that's a pile of records: 33 charting songs since The Tennessee River Boys, founded as an Opryland theme park attraction, became Diamond Rio.

The list includes No. 1 hits, including the 1991 breakthrough "Meet in the Middle," making them the first country band to send its debut single to the top of the Billboard charts, and 1997's "How Your Love Makes Me Feel," 2001's "One More Day," 2002's "Beautiful Mess" and and 2003's "I Believe."

When Diamond Rio hits The Venue Tuscaloosa on Thursday, they can pull from that string, along with a couple dozen more near-toppers from seven gold and platinum discs. Their hits include "Mirror, Mirror," "Norma Jean Riley," "In a Week or Two," "Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me," "Oh Me, Oh My Sweet Baby," "Love a Little Stronger," "Night is Fallin' in My Heart," "Walkin' Away," "That's What I Get for Lovin' You," "Holdin'," "Imagine That," "You're Gone" and "Unbelievable."

Recent set lists show them also stretching out on a "Newgrass" medley of covers including Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," Derek and the Dominos' "Layla," Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son" and Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild."

"It's meant to be fun," said lead singer Marty Roe, laughing. "We're not neurosurgeons.

"We're up here to make people relax and get away from life for a few minutes."

The roots of the band stretch back to that Opryland gig, where founders including Ty Herndon originally went by Grizzly River Boys, named for one of the park's rides, then Tennessee River Boys, whirling through a maelstrom of personnel changes until the lineup began to solidify in the mid- to late-'80s.

The veteran band, known for layered harmonies and instrumental virtuosity ― the early group struggled to get signed in Nashville, since they insisted on playing all their own parts on recordings, where many country groups form in studios, or rely heavily on sessions players.

They gigged, cut demos, held down day jobs, struggling to score a label until newly-founded Arista Nashville scout-songwriter Tim DuBois saw them open for George Jones, and signed them in 1990. They chose the new name from manufacturing company Diamond Reo Trucks.

"For 32 years straight, we've been exactly the same six guys," Roe said, but this week you'll see two relatively new faces, in drummer Micah Schweinsberg, who Brian Prout has been training as his replacement for years now, and the first woman member, Carson McKee, on harmony vocals, fiddle and mandolin. She took the spot of Gene Johnson, who needed to take time to care for his wife, who died last year.

"We hated to hear that, but there's no animosity," Roe said. "People who are 68 and 73 years old retire all the time, or are already retired. Where the rest of us aren't quite there yet."

Both newbies were made official members in 2023, after subbing on and off in a number of occasions, as Diamond Rio rolled back out on the road, post-pandemic.

"Gene was a special talent, not a lot of men can sing as high as he does, and Vince Gill was already taken," Roe said, laughing. "So we found this little girl fresh out of the University of Kentucky, very smart, about to get a job in finance, but she was also a national fiddle competition champion.

"So there's new juices flowing in Diamond Rio. These two kids have kicked these old men's butts a little bit," Roe said.

To underline that, Diamond Rio cut instrumental "The Kick," showing off the new kids, with members of the band contributing to the writing. It's along a continuum with their “Big,” “Appalachian Dream” and “Poultry Promenade,” all Grammy-nominated for Best Country Instrumental Performance.

The video shows the gang gathered in a circle within an open-air auto repair shop, seemingly warming up to jam, until picking and fiddling ignites the kick drum, which bounces into a high-energy romp, then shifts mid-way to more contemplative piano, before jumping back to concluding guitar-fiddle dueling, clocking in at a tight 2:30. The new drummer also shot the video, so everything's in-house.

The added energy prompted Roe and lead guitarist Jimmy Olander — wielder of the custom-built B-Bender guitar — to pull out an old song to record, called "The Other Side of the World."

"All of a sudden, it just keeps coming," Roe said. "In the last couple of years, we've worked more than we have in a long time."

Of course, pandemic slowdowns affected the group, but the pendulum seems to be swinging back

"I think people in general have a new appreciation for actually getting to go out and have a good time on the weekend or whatever; we may have gotten a little complacent about going out," Roe said.

"The six of us now have worked together almost a year now," Roe said. "It's gelled now, big-time. We did 94 shows last year. We'll probably do 84 or 85 this year." It's a pace not matched often by even younger groups, he noted. For whatever reasons, possibly the ease of sharing through the Internet, Diamond Rio has loads of younger fans coming out who sing along with every word.

"It's refreshing. I think maybe I won't time out soon as I thought I would," he said, laughing. "We have our little tricks. You can't burn it at both ends quite like you used to. You have to be smart like that, more than in the past.

"But we're trying to bite off just as much as we want, and that's a good place to be."

The band's always been a democracy, he said, meaning "We act like we all agree.

"We respect the sum of the parts is greater than any individual. That might be our big key to our longevity. Even as some of us retired, we show great respect and understanding, and handle that correctly. When some guys are done working, and the others want to go on, we come up with a different plan. We've got a combination of people here I believe will carry us for a few more years."

The material they've chosen, aside from their own, speaks to their influences, from '70s rock such as Dixie Dregs, with signature licks, and the three-part harmonies, and instrumental prowess of bluegrass and country.

"We're all believers, so we don't sing about certain aspects of life," Roe said. The band has cut a Christmas album, and a contemporary Christian disc, "The Reason," in 2009. But Diamond Rio moved back toward country rock for its 2014 live album, and 2015 studio record "I Made It." "We want to share the idea that there is hope for us lowly beings, and that love and long-lasting relationships are possible."

With more than 6.8 million albums sold, and more than 1.05 billion global streams, Diamond Rio has won Grammy and Dove Awards, is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and has won six vocal group of the year honors from CMA and ACM.

Bryan Finison's The Venue space will be transformed Thursday for the Diamond Rio show, with Opelika-born singer-songwriter Adam Hood opening. A larger temporary stage is being set up in the parking lot, facing away from Watermelon Road and toward the green space, somewhat like the old downtown CityFest (which Diamond Rio played, in 2004).

How to get Diamond Rio tickets

Tickets for Diamond Rio and Adam Hood are $39.50, with $10 for parking in R.C. Jenkins Park. Door time will be 6 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30, Aug. 17. General admission tickets can be upgraded to VIP for an added $25, which will grant 4:30 admission into the show, access to private restrooms, air-conditioned facilities, and a pre-show performance by Watermelon Road.

For more information about The Venue, go to venuetuscaloosa.com.

Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Diamond Rio The Venue Tuscaloosa outdoor concert Alabama country rock