Paying tribute to a legend – and a father.
This past Friday marked 4 years since we lost the great Joe Diffie. And on the anniversary of his passing, Hardy released the third edition of his popular HIXTAPE series – and HIXTAPE Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE was a tribute to Diffie himself, featuring 30 country artists performing some of the icon’s biggest hits.
One of those artists who appeared on the album was Mark Wills, a ’90s country legend in his own right with hits like “Jacob’s Ladder” and “19 Somethin'” (which wasn’t actually released in the ’90s, but whatever).
Wills teamed up with Nate Smith to perform “So Help Me Girl,” the third single from Diffie’s 1994 album Third Rock From the Sun. But this weekend at the Grand Ole Opry, Wills called on someone else to help him pay tribute to the late, great Joe Diffie.
Before introducing his guest, the Grand Ole Opry member told the crowd that he was actually playing Joe Diffie’s guitar for the special performance – a guitar that hadn’t been played since Joe Diffie had passed away in 2020.
Then, Mark invited Joe Diffie’s oldest son, Parker Diffie, to help him perform some of his dad’s hits.
Not only did the two treat the Opry crowd to “So Help Me Girl,” but they also kicked things up a notch with a rockin’ performance of “Pickup Man.” And Parker revealed that it was actually the first time he had performed on the Opry stage without his dad:
@parkerdiffie This was on the anniversary of my father Joe Diffie’s passing. There were a few moments in this performance that were incredibly moving, 1st to be out there with my dear friend and bandmate @Jason Roller and to be able to stand on that @Grand Ole Opry stage again and sing the songs that shaped my childhood was truly an incredible Experience. Thanks @markwillsmusic #Diffie #fyp #joediffiesongs #parkerdiffie #hixtape #HARDY #bigloudrecords ♬ original sound – ParkerDiffie
A special moment paying tribute to a country music legend.
@markwillsmusic Performing at the @Grand Ole Opry is ALWAYS special, but singing one of my favorite Joe Diffie songs with Parker (Joe’s son) while playing Joe’s guitar was truly spectacular. Thanks to Parker, the Diffie Family, and the @hixtapemusicofficial crew for making this a special night! #JoeDiffie #GrandOleOpry #CountryMusic ♬ original sound – markwillsmusic
