Today would have been Carl Smith’s 90th birthday. FEATURED ARTIST – TOM T. HALL I’ve been trying to contact Tom T. Hall for a while now for an interview. Bill Anderson told me, “I have not spoken with Tom T. in quite some time, but Peter Cooper has been working with him on a book […]
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By Gordon Thomas and Greg Lewis During World War II, an underground army of spies and saboteurs was organized and controlled by Great Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), along with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the United States. Women, who have been “shadow warriors” in many wars, were recruited for this effort. Shadow […]
https://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shadow-Warriors-of-World-War-II.png200132Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2017-03-09 12:33:412026-02-05 12:34:23Shadow Warriors Of World War II: The Daring Women of The OSS And SOE
NEWS Shania Twain is releasing her first album in 15 years–and her first since being diagnosed with dysphonia. She spent years in voice therapy to overcome hoarseness and speech difficulties caused by the vocal-cord disorder. Her voice is still recognizable, but deeper than it used to be. “I’m a different singer now,” she told Rolling […]
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FEATURED ARTIST – LARRY CORDLE Before calling Larry Cordle last week for an interview, I checked his website. His bio said he’d spent four years in the Navy. When I asked him what he’d done in the Navy, he said, “I was an aviation electrician in a squadron called VP-16.” I exclaimed. “I was in […]
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NEWS At the Grand Ole Opry on January 21, Loretta Lynn inducted little sister Crystal Gayle as an Opry member, fifty years after Crystal made her Opry debut. At age 16, she had sung the Marty Robbins hit, “Ribbon of Darkness.” Loretta said, “It was the greatest moment of my life when they made me […]
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FEATURED ARTIST – RONI STONEMAN Roni Stoneman is recovering from her October knee replacement surgery. All those years of carrying around a 30-pound banjo had damaged it. She was back on the stage for the first time on New Year’s Eve when she and sister Donna hosted the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree. After three months […]
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NEWS George Edwards (1937-2016) Sherie Edwards reports the death of her father, George Edwards, on December 29, in Hendersonville, Tennessee, following a brief illness and 16 years after a stroke. “He loved playing steel guitar almost as much as he loved his family,” she wrote on the Steel Guitar Forum, “and his steel guitar friends […]
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By Bill Anderson and Peter Cooper Bill Anderson, 79, is the only songwriter in history who has written songs that charted in seven consecutive decades. From “City Lights” by Ray Price in 1958 to “Country” by Mo Pitney in 2015, his music continues to thrive. He tells the story of his music and its place […]
https://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Whisperin-Bill-Anderson.png200129Diane Diekmanhttp://dianediekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Diane-Diekman-Logo.pngDiane Diekman2016-12-22 12:14:502026-02-05 12:15:13Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life In Country Music
NEWS Gordie Tapp (1922-2016) CBC-Radio Canada reports the death of Canadian radio and television entertainer and former CBC broadcaster Gordie Tapp, 94. The Hee Haw country bumpkin Cousin Clem died December 18 in hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Born in 1922 in London, Ontario, Gordie hosted the CBC variety show Country Hoedown for 13 […]
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REMEMBERING FARON AND MARTY It’s been 34 years since a heart attack took Marty Robbins on December 8, 1982. Twenty years ago we heard the shocking news that Faron Young had shot himself; he died December 10, 1996. We miss them both, remember them fondly, and never tire of listening to their music. NEWS Mark […]
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Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 15 March 2017
Today would have been Carl Smith’s 90th birthday. FEATURED ARTIST – TOM T. HALL I’ve been trying to contact Tom T. Hall for a while now for an interview. Bill Anderson told me, “I have not spoken with Tom T. in quite some time, but Peter Cooper has been working with him on a book […]
Shadow Warriors Of World War II: The Daring Women of The OSS And SOE
By Gordon Thomas and Greg Lewis During World War II, an underground army of spies and saboteurs was organized and controlled by Great Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), along with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the United States. Women, who have been “shadow warriors” in many wars, were recruited for this effort. Shadow […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter – 1 March 2017
NEWS Shania Twain is releasing her first album in 15 years–and her first since being diagnosed with dysphonia. She spent years in voice therapy to overcome hoarseness and speech difficulties caused by the vocal-cord disorder. Her voice is still recognizable, but deeper than it used to be. “I’m a different singer now,” she told Rolling […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 15 February 2017
FEATURED ARTIST – LARRY CORDLE Before calling Larry Cordle last week for an interview, I checked his website. His bio said he’d spent four years in the Navy. When I asked him what he’d done in the Navy, he said, “I was an aviation electrician in a squadron called VP-16.” I exclaimed. “I was in […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 1 February 2017
NEWS At the Grand Ole Opry on January 21, Loretta Lynn inducted little sister Crystal Gayle as an Opry member, fifty years after Crystal made her Opry debut. At age 16, she had sung the Marty Robbins hit, “Ribbon of Darkness.” Loretta said, “It was the greatest moment of my life when they made me […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 18 January 2017
FEATURED ARTIST – RONI STONEMAN Roni Stoneman is recovering from her October knee replacement surgery. All those years of carrying around a 30-pound banjo had damaged it. She was back on the stage for the first time on New Year’s Eve when she and sister Donna hosted the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree. After three months […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 4 January 2017
NEWS George Edwards (1937-2016) Sherie Edwards reports the death of her father, George Edwards, on December 29, in Hendersonville, Tennessee, following a brief illness and 16 years after a stroke. “He loved playing steel guitar almost as much as he loved his family,” she wrote on the Steel Guitar Forum, “and his steel guitar friends […]
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life In Country Music
By Bill Anderson and Peter Cooper Bill Anderson, 79, is the only songwriter in history who has written songs that charted in seven consecutive decades. From “City Lights” by Ray Price in 1958 to “Country” by Mo Pitney in 2015, his music continues to thrive. He tells the story of his music and its place […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter – 21 December 2016
NEWS Gordie Tapp (1922-2016) CBC-Radio Canada reports the death of Canadian radio and television entertainer and former CBC broadcaster Gordie Tapp, 94. The Hee Haw country bumpkin Cousin Clem died December 18 in hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Born in 1922 in London, Ontario, Gordie hosted the CBC variety show Country Hoedown for 13 […]
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter – 7 December 2016
REMEMBERING FARON AND MARTY It’s been 34 years since a heart attack took Marty Robbins on December 8, 1982. Twenty years ago we heard the shocking news that Faron Young had shot himself; he died December 10, 1996. We miss them both, remember them fondly, and never tire of listening to their music. NEWS Mark […]