Marty Roe, lead singer for Diamond Rio, talks with Scott Stevens

Scott Stevens talks to Marty Roe, lead singer of Diamond Rio, about their upcoming concert at Dr Pepper Park, this Saturday July 19th, 2025. He also discusses their success over the last 35 years and recent changes to the band including their first female member.  Marty also shares his love of performing the hits you know at the concert and the pleasure he gets in seeing the crowd react and sing along with the songs! To hear the interview, press the play (>) button below. Also, below the interview below, Scott shares a personal piece of history about Diamond Rio from early in his radio career where he made an "impression" on the band. :)

My Diamond Rio Story... By Scott Stevens

Early in my radio career, I was working at "South 107", a big country station in Rome, Georgia, around 1993 to 1996. One summer, Diamond Rio and Patty Loveless were performing at “Concerts in the Country” in Calhoun, Georgia. Our station ran a giveaway for tickets, with a grand prize of a limo ride and dinner before the show.

The winners—two young married couples—were picked up by me and another on-air talent, the late Georgia boy David Lee. We took them to a nearby Mexican restaurant, where the margaritas were flowing freely. The limo’s fully stocked bar didn’t hurt either. Needless to say, we were all having a very large time.

When we arrived at the venue, we got our winners settled in for the show. The meet-and-greets were scheduled for after the concert, but here’s the catch: there weren’t any seats for me or my colleague. So, we ended up hanging out with the limo driver for Patty and Diamond Rio... and, well, continued enjoying that bar for a few more hours.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. In addition to hosting on the radio, I was also co-hosting a local country music video show. We were scheduled to film quick interviews with Patty and the Diamond Rio guys after the show. At 24 years old, I was barely able to walk straight after the margaritas and limo bar—but ever the professional, I was determined to get those interviews and photos done.

Patty Loveless was incredibly gracious. She even joked that I reminded her of George Jones—able to have a good time and still show up on camera. The Diamond Rio guys were equally kind, though they were clearly amused. They were laughing (in a good-natured way), cracking jokes, and Marty and Dana got a real kick out of me holding my old-school camera high in the air trying to get a better shot.

Fast forward to the next summer: I was in Fort Payne, Alabama, for “June Jam,” once again representing South 107 and “South Country Videos.” I stepped up to the mic in the big backstage tent and introduced myself: “Hi, I’m Scott Stevens from South 107 and South Country Videos…” Before I could even finish, the guys from Diamond Rio were already nodding and saying, “Oh yeah… we remember you, Scott.”

Thankfully, I was completely sober that time—and my questions were probably a lot more coherent!

Now, 31 years later, I still smile every time I think about that night. And I never have more than a couple beers if I am meeting an artist! 😊 Before recording the interview above, I shared this story with Marty. As you can hear in the interview, he tells me to "Stay away from the liquor bottle" before hanging up. Good advice, Marty. Good advice indeed.