
DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709120063

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER  

                                            LENGTH:   59 lines

COUNTRY STAR INSPIRED TO SING BY SON, CROWD

THIS GUY approaches you, looking kind of cagey. He does a, ``Pssst, wanna see my driver's license?'' then smiles.

It reads: Joe Diffie.

That's dear old Dad. His son is the one who sings ``C-O-U-N-T-R-Y,'' ``Bigger Than the Beatles'' and ``Leroy, the Redneck Reindeer.''

``Oh, Lord,'' said Junior, ``he is proud.''

Why the heck not? Diffie has collected Grammy, Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards. He has 14 No. 1 records and two gold CDs. ``Twice Upon a Time,'' his new release, is likely to follow suit.

New Diffie pieces. Old Diffie pieces. The end result is usually offbeat.

``You sit and listen to 2,000 songs, you have a tendency to hear what keeps your attention,'' Diffie, who performs this afternoon at Hampton Bay Days, said from Nashville. ``Try to put yourself in the seat of the listener. Being a fan myself, I pick what I like to hear.''

It's working. His early hits include ``Third Rock from the Sun,'' ``Pickup Man,'' ``If the Devil Danced'' and ``New Way to Light Up an Old Flame.''

``My next single will be `The Promised Land,' '' he said. ``It's reminiscent of my first No. 1, `Home.' ''

Speaking of home, Diffie hails from Oklahoma, same as Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill and Reba McEntire.

``I'll tell you what's in the water,'' he said. ``Oil. I tried to put my finger on why so many good singers come from Oklahoma. I was raised around country music. It's part of everybody's life there.''

Diffie's children are an important part of his life. Eight-year-old Tyler was born with Down syndrome. After attending special programs for children with disabilities, he is in special classes at a mainstream school.

``He's not doing as well as we'd hoped. He's a great kid. We love him,'' Diffie said. ``He's healthy, but socially and mentally, he is classified as severely retarded.

``Everybody goes through the `Why Me?' questioning, but you get over it quickly. Why me? So I can help others.''

He has done that, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars through concerts and celebrity golf tournaments. Country Radio Broadcasters Inc. recently gave Diffie its Humanitarian of the Year Award.

When he looked at the large glass trophy, ``I saw Tyler's face.''

Diffie also sees the faces in his audience.

``They inspire me,'' he said. ``Sometimes the crowd really gets into your performance. It doesn't happen every night, but when it does I get chills.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

RUSS HARRINGTON

Country singer Joe Diffie has amassed 14 No. 1 hits.

Graphic

WANT TO GO?

Who: Joe Diffie

When: 4 p.m. today

Where: Hampton Bay Days' Budweiser Stage, downtown Hampton

Admission: Free

Information: (757) 727-6402