Book Review: Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio

I review for Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers

I was privileged to review the book Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio by Diamond Rio with Tom Roland. The book gives the reader a very detailed background of each member of the group, how they struggled to become part of a successful group, and how they all managed to be in the right place at the right time to come together as Diamond Rio.

There is a chapter dedicated to each band member: Marty Roe, Dan Truman, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Gene Johnson, and Dana Williams. The book is filled with black and white photos of individual members when they were children, and of the group as they became a solid and award-winning group, lasting more than twenty years together.

The book chronicles the struggles, the small steps, and the joy of the first hit songs. It takes us through the group’s personal and health problems, of slumps and revivals. Several pages are devoted to the charitable work of the group.

I am not a diehard county music fan, but I have always loved Diamond Rio because of their harmony. A few times, the author wrote about people in the county music industry that I had never heard of, and that was a little confusing for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to many more years of music from Diamond Rio on Word Records.

Comments

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

The Rattlesnake Saloon was opened on Labor Day, 2009. Dining there is an unique experience. It is way out in the boonies in Colbert County, Alabama. It is hard to get to, even for locals, but they have had visitors from all over the United States and many countries throughout the world. Sitting comfortably under the huge rock overhang, I couldn't help but think about the people who have sought shelter there from storms or heat. I can imagine the Native Americans using this place for a meeting area or a dry place to camp for a while. Not so many years ago, it was used as a pig pen. They have good food and live music and a hitching post if you want to ride your horse there. Most of us were picked up in a pickup, called the "Saloon Taxi", that runs from the parking lot to the restaurant continuously while they are open. The Rattlesnake Saloon is aptly named. During construction, workers unearthed a mother rattler with twelve babie...

Out of the Dirt: Bragg-ing

Like every reader, I have my favorite writers. There have been so many that have stirred my emotions and made me a part of their world, and I'm thankful for that. The one is love the best, the one I cherish , is Rick Bragg. Yesterday, Rick was in our area. We were privileged to see a newly released documentary about his life called Out of the Dirt . Afterwards, he talked to us about family and roots. His first book, All over but the Shoutin' , was recommended to me years ago. Very early in the book, I was thinking, "Who is this? He is writing about me, about my family." I have never actually met anyone in the book, but they are all my neighbors and kinfolks. His other books are just as well-written. In his book, Writing for the Soul , Christian author Jerry Jenkins had this to say about Rick Bragg: I read other writers and strive to be like them. I read others, like Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, and simply surrender, knowing I will ...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Search This Blog