Joe Diffie made quite a splash as a country singer and songwriter in the 1990s, turning out a string of hit songs and top-selling albums for a variety of labels. He has continued to record and perform, still cracking the charts, both in the US and Europe.

Bluegrass music fans in Oklahoma and Texas, however, recall Joe’s bluegrass roots, when he performed as a member of Special Edition with Billy Joe Foster in the late 1980s.

Thanks to Rounder Records, Joe is set to head back into the studio this fall to record his first bluegrass project as a solo artist, with a Spring 2009 release expected. There aren’t any details available yet about a producer, song choices or backing musicians, but we expect to get more information at IBMA next week.

Here is a a brief video of Joe discussing his bluegrass roots, prepared by our friends at String Theory Media.