IN THE SPOTLIGHT — BOBBY GOLDSBORO — PART II My last newsletter gave an update on Bobby Goldsboro. This week, we’ll talk about his “after-65” career as an oil painter. When I asked if he still performs concerts, he said he hadn’t booked any for the past year because he wanted to spend time on […]
http://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.png00Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2020-11-18 09:12:452020-11-18 09:15:40Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 18 November 2020
IN THE SPOTLIGHT — BOBBY GOLDSBORO — PART I While waiting for my prearranged phone call from Bobby Goldsboro, I checked his website and read a recent article about the Florida native. Country fans will remember him best for his hits of “Honey” and “Watching Scotty Grow.” He also wrote “With Pen in Hand,” which […]
http://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.png00Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2020-11-04 08:00:302023-12-07 11:37:02Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 4 November 2020
NEWS Johnny Bush (1935-2020) Texas Country Music Hall of Famer Johnny Bush, 85, died of pneumonia on October 16 in San Antonio, Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports, “John Bush Shinn III’s story began in northeast Houston in Kashmere Gardens in a house with no electricity or running water on a street paved with oyster shells. […]
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NEWS Mac Davis (1942-2020) Mac Davis, 78, died September 29, the day after his family tweeted that he was “critically ill following heart surgery in Nashville.” Born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1942, he belonged to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Songwriters Hall of Fame. My favorites of his hits were “Baby […]
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Edited by Steve Haruch Nashville, Tennessee, has always been one of my favorite cities, due to the Grand Ole Opry and other country music connections. In recent years, I’ve been a frequent visitor while writing and promoting several biographies. I eagerly delved into Greetings from New Nashville: How a Sleepy Southern Town Became “It” City. […]
http://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Greetings-from-New-Nashville.png320211Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2020-09-28 17:13:182026-02-05 17:13:43Greetings From New Nashville: How A Sleepy Southern Town Became “It” City
NEWS The Country Daily reports on country music reactions to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, on September 18. Dolly Parton tweeted, “She was small in stature but even the tallest looked up to her. Her voice was soft but her message rang loud and clear and will echo forever. Thank […]
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NEWS William “Bill” Pursell, Grammy-nominated composer and studio musician, died September 3 in Nashville at the age of 94. The Los Angeles Times obituary reports his death came after a “very fast, tough battle with COVID pneumonia,” according to his daughter, Laura Pursell. He had been in the hospital for a week. The California native, […]
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At the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, on September 3, Sherwin Linton invited me to talk about my books and my Navy career. Here is my speech. (Thanks to John Mogen for the photo.)
http://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.png00Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2020-09-05 16:19:242020-09-05 18:55:18Speech at South Dakota State Fair
As the biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, I bring these newsletters to classic country music fans around the world. Send me your comments and ideas. Please forward this message and tell your friends to email me if they want to be added to the list. Randy Travis is the subject of my third University […]
http://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.png00Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2020-08-26 05:53:162023-12-07 11:33:58Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 26 August 2020
IN THE SPOTLIGHT – LEROY VAN DYKE At age 90, Leroy Van Dyke is not slowing down. Except for the COVID-19 pandemic, that is. He’s anxious to get back on the road. During our phone conversation Monday evening, I commented that he sounded as young as ever. “Well, my voice has not left,” he said. […]
http://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.png00Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2020-08-12 06:26:402023-12-07 11:35:04Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 12 August 2020
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 18 November 2020
IN THE SPOTLIGHT — BOBBY GOLDSBORO — PART II My last newsletter gave an update on Bobby Goldsboro. This week, we’ll talk about his “after-65” career as an oil painter. When I asked if he still performs concerts, he said he hadn’t booked any for the past year because he wanted to spend time on […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 4 November 2020
IN THE SPOTLIGHT — BOBBY GOLDSBORO — PART I While waiting for my prearranged phone call from Bobby Goldsboro, I checked his website and read a recent article about the Florida native. Country fans will remember him best for his hits of “Honey” and “Watching Scotty Grow.” He also wrote “With Pen in Hand,” which […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 21 October 2020
NEWS Johnny Bush (1935-2020) Texas Country Music Hall of Famer Johnny Bush, 85, died of pneumonia on October 16 in San Antonio, Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports, “John Bush Shinn III’s story began in northeast Houston in Kashmere Gardens in a house with no electricity or running water on a street paved with oyster shells. […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 7 October 2020
NEWS Mac Davis (1942-2020) Mac Davis, 78, died September 29, the day after his family tweeted that he was “critically ill following heart surgery in Nashville.” Born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1942, he belonged to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Songwriters Hall of Fame. My favorites of his hits were “Baby […]
Greetings From New Nashville: How A Sleepy Southern Town Became “It” City
Edited by Steve Haruch Nashville, Tennessee, has always been one of my favorite cities, due to the Grand Ole Opry and other country music connections. In recent years, I’ve been a frequent visitor while writing and promoting several biographies. I eagerly delved into Greetings from New Nashville: How a Sleepy Southern Town Became “It” City. […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 23 September 2020
NEWS The Country Daily reports on country music reactions to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, on September 18. Dolly Parton tweeted, “She was small in stature but even the tallest looked up to her. Her voice was soft but her message rang loud and clear and will echo forever. Thank […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 9 September 2020
NEWS William “Bill” Pursell, Grammy-nominated composer and studio musician, died September 3 in Nashville at the age of 94. The Los Angeles Times obituary reports his death came after a “very fast, tough battle with COVID pneumonia,” according to his daughter, Laura Pursell. He had been in the hospital for a week. The California native, […]
Speech at South Dakota State Fair
At the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, on September 3, Sherwin Linton invited me to talk about my books and my Navy career. Here is my speech. (Thanks to John Mogen for the photo.)
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 26 August 2020
As the biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, I bring these newsletters to classic country music fans around the world. Send me your comments and ideas. Please forward this message and tell your friends to email me if they want to be added to the list. Randy Travis is the subject of my third University […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 12 August 2020
IN THE SPOTLIGHT – LEROY VAN DYKE At age 90, Leroy Van Dyke is not slowing down. Except for the COVID-19 pandemic, that is. He’s anxious to get back on the road. During our phone conversation Monday evening, I commented that he sounded as young as ever. “Well, my voice has not left,” he said. […]