Did you know that on this day in Country Music History in 1958 Joe Diffie was  born in Tulsa, Oklahoma?

It's true! He emerged in 1990, melding traditional country with borderline-novelties to create a string of hits that include "Ships That Don't Come In," "Honky Tonk Attitude" and "Third Rock From The Sun".

Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Rick Diamond/Getty Images
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Check out this Joe Diffie video!

Here are 5 little known facts about Joe Diffie.

  • His first musical performance came at age four, when he performed in his aunt's country music band. His father, also named Joe, played guitar and banjo, and his mother sang.
  • In his last two years in high school, he played football, baseball and golf in addition to running track; in his senior year he was recognized as Best All-Around Male Athlete.
  • After graduating, he attended Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. Although he initially earned credits toward medical school, he decided against a medical profession after marrying for the first time in 1977, and ultimately dropped out before graduation.
  • He first worked in oil fields, then drove a truck that pumped cement out of oil wells in Alice, Texas, before he moved back to Duncan to work in a foundry. During this period, he worked as a musician on the side, first in a gospel group called Higher Purpose, and then in a bluegrass band called Special Edition.
  • From 1992 to the early 2000s, he held a charity concert and golf tournament benefiting First Steps, a nonprofit organization for the education of mentally and physically impaired children. His contributions to this organization won him a Humanitarian Award from the Country Radio Broadcasters in 1997.

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