Diamond Rio play a mix of bluegrass and country and are known for their vocal harmonies. Most of the members first got together in a band as an attraction at the Opryland theme park in Nashville in 1982. Marty Roe had been touring since the age of 12 with Windsong and Jimmy Orlander had worked with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Foster & Lloyd. They spent much of the 1980s touring as the bluegrass outfit The Tennessee River Boys. When Dana Williams joined in 1989 they changed their name to Diamond Rio, based on a logo they had seen on the side of a truck. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1991 and their debut single 'Meet in the Middle' hit number one in the Billboard Country Chart. The album had further hit singles with 'Mirror Mirror', 'Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me', 'Norma Jean Riley' and 'Nowhere Bound'.
The band's second album was 'Close to the Edge' in 1992, which went gold and contained the hits 'In a Week Or Two', 'Oh Me, Oh My, Sweet Baby' and 'This Romeo Ain't Got Julie Yet'. More albums followed: 'Love a Little Stronger' (1994) with the title track being another hit and 'IV' in 1996 featuring hits 'That's What I Get for Lovin' You' and 'Walkin' Away', plus a 'Greatest Hits' collection in 1997.
The album 'Unbelievable' followed in 1988 and then 'One More Day' in 2001. Rio's 2004 album 'Completely' contained more big hits with their singles 'Beautiful Mess' and a ballad about loss, 'I Believe'. They released the Christmas album 'That Star Still Shines' in 2007 and an album of gospel songs, 'The Reason' in 2009.
After a live album in 2014, Diamond Rio released 'I Made It' the following year, their first studio album in six years. In 2018 the band celebrated their 20th anniversary with a gig in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry.