Country band Diamond Rio to perform at Christmas in Ida
IDA -- Award-winning country music band Diamond Rio will headline the La-Z-Boy Family Concert Series at the 40th-anniversary Christmas in Ida.
The band will take the stage at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Admission is free. The concert is presented by Mejier Inc.
More:'American Idol' finalist performing at Christmas in Ida
The Country Concerts will begin at 3:45 p.m. Dec. 3 in the heated outdoor Christmas in Ida Theater Center. The concerts are presented by the Patriot Group. The Saturday concerts are produced by Mike Hennig of TRS Products of Toledo.
The Christmas in Ida Young Country Concert and the Friday, Dec. 2 Commemorative Concert as well as regional entertainment will be announced soon, the Christmas in Ida Executive Board said.
All concerts are free. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Patrons can bring chairs.
On Dec. 3, Diamond Rio will perform its “Holiday and Hits Concert,” which includes hit songs “Meet in the Middle,” “One More Day,” “Beautiful Mess,” “Unbelievable,” “How Your Loves Makes Me Feel" and “I Believe.” They also will perform songs for their holiday collection, “A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines.”
For more than 30 years, the band’s six original members--Marty Roe, Gene Johnson, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Dan Truman and Dana Williams—have toured the world with their blend of mainstream country, bluegrass, country pop and Christian country music.
In 1991, Diamond Rio released “Meet in the Middle,” making it the first country music group in history to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs with a debut single, the Christmas in Ida Executive Board said.
The song “One More Day” spent two weeks at number one on country charts and became a song of healing after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The band has three platinum and five gold records and has charted 32 singles and nine studio albums while scoring nine number one hits and placed 15 singles in the top five.
Diamond Rio received the Country Music Association’s “Vocal Group of the Year” award and the Academy of Country Music’s award for “Top Vocal Group” six times. The band received its first Grammy Award for “Best Southern Country and Bluegrass Gospel Album” in 2011 and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1998.
Diamond Rio has sold more than 10 million records and received the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award in recognition of its charitable endeavors, including its work with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
For more information about Christmas in Ida, visit the festival website at: www.christmasinida.com or call (734) 269-6017.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Country band Diamond Rio to perform at Christmas in Ida
