Diamond Rio found major commercial success in the '90s by playing an eclectic hybrid of modern country, raditional bluegrass (especially in their harmony singing), and a hint of ock & roll. The band was composed of Marty Roe (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Olander (guitar, banjo), Gene Johnson (mandolin, vocals), Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams (bass), and Brian Prout (drums). Roe had already been touring professionally since age 12, when he was a member of Windsong, and Olander had previously worked with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Foster & Lloyd. The band first got together at Nashville's Opryland theme park, and spent the first part of the '80s performing luegrass music there under the name the Tennessee River Boys. The future members of Diamond Rio joined one by one, and in 1986, they left Opryland to try their luck as a touring band. Dana Williams was the last official member to join in 1989, upon which point the band changed their name to Diamond Rio (taken from the side of a truck) and landed a contract with Arista.

Although the band had some initial health issues to deal with, they pulled through, and Diamond Rio's self-titled debut album was released in 1991 and quickly became a platinum-selling smash. Its lead single, "Meet In the Middle," went all the way to the top of the country charts, making them the first ever country group to have their debut single also be a #1 hit, and it also spun off a stunning four additional Top Ten hits -- "Mirror Mirror," "Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me," "Norma Jean Riley," and "Nowhere Bound." By the time that run ended, the group had already recorded a follow-up, Close to the Edge, which appeared in late 1992. The Top Tens "In a Week or Two" and &"Oh Me, Oh My, Sweet Baby" continued the group's incredible run of success, helping the album go gold, while "This Romeo Ain't Got Julie Yet" just missed the Top Ten, their first single to do so. 1994's Love a Little Stronger produced a number two hit in its title track, but since the album was more of a showcase for the group's musicianship and eclectic tastes, it wasn't as commercially successful as its predecessors. The group took a similar approach for 1996's IV, but this time it slowly caught fire; &"That's What I Get for Lovin' You" and &"Walkin' Away" both went Top Five, and a re-release of the album's first single, "Holdin'," did likewise.