What Is Country Music? For Joe Diffie, There’s No One Simple Answer

Few artists are better equipped than Joe Diffie to define country music. He's been a stalwart of the genre since rising to fame at the beginning of the '90s, releasing beloved hits including "Pickup Man," "Third Rock From the Sun" and "John Deere Green."

Diffie has been name-checked by some of today's biggest artists as an inspirational figure, especially for performers with a strong throwback element to their tastes. In fact, with the rise of traditional singers such as Luke Combs and Jon Pardi, Diffie and his '90s peers have experienced something of a career resurgence, appearing as featured artists on contemporary acts' releases and putting out new music of their own, too. For example, Diffie released a new vinyl record at the end of 2019 that includes re-recorded versions of 11 of his signature hits, as well as a brand-new duet with singer-songwriter Marc Broussard.

Diffie attributes the fact that he was able to release his new vinyl to the increased popularity of '90s country, but when asked to define what country music means to him, he thinks in much broader terms than simply a traditional style. Read on to learn Diffie's definition of country music, as told by the singer himself. 

That's a really in-depth question, actually. To me, it means stories about me and my life -- things that I've experienced, and that are common experiences with everybody. So I think that's kind of the common denominator in it.