Definitely Diffie Singer Paid His Dues Making Demo Tapes For Songs The Celebrities Would Then Make Famous; Now He’s The Big Star

For Joe Diffie, the three years spent singing on demo tape sessions for various big-name record producers up and down Nashville’s Music Row have paid off handsomely.

Diffie, 36, arrived in Music City in the late ‘80s after having hit rock bottom back in his native state of Oklahoma, going through a period of unemployment and divorce.

But country music came to the rescue.

Indeed, music has always had a special place in Diffie’s life.

“I was country before you could spell cool,” he says with a laugh. “(But) I never really considered (it) as a career even though I loved music. When I started singing bluegrass music semi-professionally on the weekends, I found it to be kind of cool. Then I lost my job at the foundry and everything kind of worked out that way for me.”

With a voice reminiscent of country legend George Jones, Diffie made inroads within the Nashville music community by delivering solid, credible vocals to what were, at times, lackluster songs. Whenever big country stars came to the publishing houses during their searches for the next hit single, Diffie’s singing often helped sell the material.

“I imagine quite a few hits for other artists were first sung by me on sessions for demo tapes,” Diffie says. “Looking back, it was a great experience for me.

“Success came relatively quick for me,” he continues. “I was in Nashville for only three years singing demo tapes and working on my own material before my first record came out. During that time I became more knowledgeable about the music business. I wasn’t as naive as I was before I arrived in Nashville. I had a real good time getting into the music business.”

More important, Diffie was making the all-important contacts that help launch a career in country music. Word was soon out on the street that Diffie could deliver a vocal performance second to none, and it wasn’t long until the cream of Nashville’s songwriting community was lined up to have a chance at a Diffie rendition of their material.

When Diffie’s recording of the song “There Goes My Heart Again” with Holly Dunn landed him on the country music charts, the singer had no trouble deciding what to do. It wasn’t long until he signed a solo recording deal with Epic Records Nashville, and the hits came soon after:

“Home,” “If The Devil Danced In Empty Pockets,” “Is It Cold In Here,” “Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox” and “New Way (To Light Up An Old Flame)” launched Diffie’s career.

Diffie acknowledges the songwriters he met as a demo tape singer are still offering him their finest material.

“In the songwriting business in Nashville, there’s ‘A’ material and ‘B’ and ‘C’ material,” Diffie notes. “With so many new artists being added to the country charts every week, it’s become really difficult to find good songs to put on your next album.

“Since many of the folks I worked with before my recording contract are still my friends, I get the chance to hear their best songs first, and that’s really helped me to keep putting good songs on my albums. Because for me, the song is the bottom line.

“There’s an old saying that it doesn’t matter who sings it - if it’s a great song, then it’ll be a hit.”

Diffie’s latest album, “Life’s So Funny,” offers country fans 10 new songs hand-picked by the singer and his recording producer, Johnny Slade.

“We listened to over 2,000 songs to choose the material that made it onto this record,” Diffie says. “Even though Johnny’s in his 50s, he’s got a real good ear for hip songs and songs that are current sounding. He seems to really have a knack for that, and I do too. Our first single off of ‘Life’s So Funny’ is called ‘Bigger Than the Beatles.’ It’s just a killer song.”

The single is a current Top 10 country hit.

In his personal life, Diffie couldn’t be happier. The year 1994 was tumultuous for the twice-divorced singer, with his separation from Debra, his wife of six years, and public acknowledgment of his unfaithfulness in a well-publicized affair with Liz Allison, widow of race car driver Davey Allison.

But these days, Diffie is devoting more attention to his four kids - two from his first marriage and two with Debra.

“When I’m not touring I like to spend time with my various assorted families as much as I can,” he says. “We just try to get along together …

“I have 115 tour dates this year,” he continues. “When I’m traveling out on the road, I play golf all the time, and when it’s raining, I like to watch the TV on the satellite dish on my bus (he laughs).

“Most of the time on the road, it’s pretty much a boring life, you know? It’s a lot of hard work and travel time. I really do look forward to being with my children.”

Because of his busy schedule and rekindled interest in family, Diffie’s relationship with Allison seems to have cooled.

“We’re happy where we’re at right now,” Diffie says. “We’re just kind of kind of backing off with each other for a while.”

At the present, Joe Diffie is focused on his work and the success it has provided.

“It’s an interesting thing,” he says. “I really think I’m on the verge of making that next big step in my career. So the next few months will prove to be a very interesting time for me.”