Beautiful Mess – Diamond Rio

Diamond Rio burst on to the music scene about the same time I started to really get interested in music (especially country music), and quickly became one of my favorite country groups. Like many others, I was impressed with their masterful musicianship and tight vocal harmonies. Having been a fan, the opportunity to read their story intrigued me.

Beautiful Mess begins in the midst of a crisis that could spell the end for the band, in spite of its many years of success.  The book then turns to the past to follow the early formation of the group, from a show band at Opryland USA to one of the first groups signed to Arista Records. Each individual band member gets his own mini-biography that follows their stories from childhood until they became a member of the band. Then the book delves into the band’s early success, its near destruction, and successful recovery that includes a foray into Christian music.

This book was a difficult read for me, mostly due to the shear volume of information it contains. Considering this, the book may only appeal to a limited group of people: Fans of Diamond Rio, fans of music documentaries, and those who love biographies. If a reader does not fit into one or more of those categories, they might find this book unappealing.

The book is chock full of interesting information, however, like the band’s original name and how they came to be called Diamond Rio, what instrument Jimmy Olander (lead guitarist) mastered as a child, and how he developed his unique lead guitar sound. Another interesting topic the book covers is the band’s charity work, and how they’ve used their success to help others.

Overall, the story of Diamond Rio is that of individual and corporate struggles to achieve their goals, and reflects the benefits of determination and hard work in reaching those goals. It also demonstrates an example of facing weaknesses, first by admitting that they exist, and then working to overcome them.

My Rating: Three out of Five.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”