On His Birthday, Rodney Crowell’s Most Iconic Album Returns
Country music legend and iconic songwriter Rodney Crowell is celebrating his 76th birthday today, August 7th. But the birthday gift he receives is one shared with all of us.
Just over two years ago in July of 2024, arguably Crowell’s most iconic album disappeared online, and for reasons that are still unspecified. Similar to Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose and Tompall Glaser’s songs on Wanted: The Outlaws, what are likely publishing disputes have resulted in greyed out tracks, making the music inaccessible to streamers, and especially younger audiences who might never had an opportunity to hear them.
But there’s good news, at least on the Rodney Crowell front. His 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt has returned to streaming and download services. Officially, fans started noticing its return a couple of days ago. But hey, today’s his birthday, so let’s celebrate.
You can almost lose sight of the fact that before Rodney Crowell was considered one of the most iconic contemporary Americana songwriters, he had a whole career as a commercially successful radio country star in the late 1980s. In fact, Crowell minted five consecutive #1 singles between 1988 and 1989 before Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Clint Black appeared on the scene. Even more astounding, all five of those #1s were on the same album, which at the time was a record in country music.
Diamonds & Dirt was that good, and it’s still that good today. And even though Crowell would go on to be known for incorporating rock and folk into country in the burgeoning “alt-country” scene, Diamonds & Dirt is stone cold country, as are all those #1 singles. You’d be hard pressed to find a better example of late 80s country gold than Crowell’s “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried,” or “It’s Such A Small World” with then wife Rosanne Cash. Crowell even covered Harland Howard’s legendary “Above and Beyond,” and took it to #1.
Produced by Tony Brown, with Paul Franklin on steel guitar, Mark O’Connor on fiddle, Hall of Famer Eddie Bayers on drums, and Vince Gill singing backup vocals, Diamonds & Dirt is a landmark of Rodney Crowell’s career, and of country music.
Speaking of re-emerging albums, Rodney Crowell’s latest release called Then Again released on June 26th was actually recorded back in 2005, but he walked away from the album. After Crowell released his trilogy of albums—The Houston Kid in 2001, Fate’s Right Hand in 2003, The Outsider in 2005—he recorded Then Again with the same basic band as the previous three. But Crowell got cold feet that he was treading the same ground. So he shelved the project and forgot about it until recently.
Hopefully though, nobody ever forgets about the legacy of Rodney Crowell, and making sure one of his most beloved albums is available to everyone is a good way to ensure that. Another good way would be to put him in the Country Music Hall of Fame, either as a songwriter, or a performer. Hopefully that happens here in the not to distant future so just like his 76th birthday, Crowell can enjoy his praise now.
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August 7, 2026 @ 11:35 am
What prompted his streak of #1s? He had been batting around for a decade, his previous highest chart number was 30 (Stars on the Water in 1981), and his last single before the stretch was #59 with “Looking for You.”
After the #1s ended, he hit #3 with “Many a Long & Lonesome Highway” and #6 with “If Looks Could Kill.” After that, he was done as a major chart factor excluding two trips to #10 and #11 in 1992.
The Class of 89 and the ensuring revolution explains his later chart performances. But what carried his out-of-nowhere run from a decade of middling hits?
August 7, 2026 @ 12:24 pm
Tony Brown straight up knew how to produce hits. He and Rodney have both admitted that this album was intentional made to be more radio-friendly than his previous output.
August 7, 2026 @ 2:34 pm
The album was made for radio. The artist, however talented he is, was not made for commercial life.
He admitted that when he was doing radio interviews for drive-time radio, he came off as a bit sullen. He wasn’t cut out for doing upbeat, snappy interviews for peppy DJs looking for what would now be called a viral moment. Bear in mind that the song he won awards for off that album was “After All This Time” which was slow and moody as opposed to the rollicking singles that came before it.
Diamond and Dirt is a great album and most artists don’t have one album like that one. Rodney wasn’t really made for being a commercial star, despite his obvious talent and good looks. I think he lost interest in being a front line commercial act as soon he was expected to run his career like one.
August 8, 2026 @ 4:41 am
Thanks, sir.
Still, even if those songs were crafted for mainstream success, to actually break through that barrier and unlock five straight #1s is impressive.
August 8, 2026 @ 9:16 am
I have often thought that Rodney was “everybody’s friend” in the industry – much like Vince Gill was/is. Good guys with talent and a smile and everybody liked them. So when the chance to make Rodney a star was there, they did it. Everyone promoted him and rooted for him. Radio and the awards shows embraced him. He didn’t win awards but he was nominated, which can be considered a victory. I’m not demeaning him or the music in any way – I just think the stars aligned and every medium available was willing to help promote him.
August 8, 2026 @ 10:39 am
There could be some truth to that. I watched a Tony Brown interview once where he called Rodney his idol. He was advised not to produce him because of his previous commercial failures. Tony thought Rodney deserved a better shake at radio than he previously had. He also produced the Joe Ely album Love and Danger, so he may have just liked the challenge of trying to get talented artists/songwriters into the mainstream.
August 10, 2026 @ 8:59 pm
He wrote such great songs, good enough musician to be in the Hot Band, a great head of hair, and a good voice. At the time I think the bigger question was why it took so long.
August 7, 2026 @ 2:10 pm
The lack of better alternatives and Tony Brown. Ol’ fox Tony knew the ones who was in charge and pushed the right buttons to get some high profile airplay.
I like Rodney, “Many a Long and Lonesome Highway” is one of my favorite songs, not to mention his “Houston Kid” comeback, but generally he’s too uneven for his own good.
August 10, 2026 @ 5:14 pm
Maybe he’s uneven, but consistency isn’t the whole story. How many people produce two albums as good as his first and Houston Kid? Not many.
August 8, 2026 @ 10:54 am
This was a little before I began listening to country but I wonder if his relationship to Rosanne Cash played a role. He produced her albums in the 80s and Kings Record Shop, released in 1987, produced 4 #1s.
I believe they were Nashville’s hot couple at that time and her success might have lent some momentum to his career. The first single from Diamonds & Dirt was their duet, It’s Such A Small World
FWIW, Cash would have only 1 more hit, a cover of the Beatles I Don’t Want To Spoil the Party, after this blockbuster album. Similar to Crowell’s post-88 trajectory.
Either way it’s an essential album for a country music fan.
August 8, 2026 @ 12:03 pm
Two Words: Rosanne Cash. Twelve year old me first knew Rodney Crowell as Rosanne Cash’s husband in 1988 and so did the rest of the mainstream country audience. Rosanne Cash was riding the top of the country charts from 1985 – 1989 with 6, #1’s and 2, #5 hit singles. She was being nominated by the CMA’s and ACM’s for female vocalist annually. Rosanne Cash was at the peak of her commercial success by the time Diamonds & Dirt was released. It was no coincidence the first single from Diamonds & Dirt was the duet with Rosanne Cash, “It’s Such a Small World” and the video featured them both.
I never doubted they were trying to cash in on Rosanne Cash’s popularity with the mainstream leaning Diamonds & Dirt. Country music loves married couples performing – Tim & Faith, Jones & Wynette, Cash & Carter.
August 7, 2026 @ 12:08 pm
Let’s gooooo gonna listen to this now
August 7, 2026 @ 12:10 pm
Wore that sucker OUT when it was released and covered 3 of the tunes on it in bands I was in during that era. Still a favorite today.
August 7, 2026 @ 12:33 pm
The Houston Kid is a fantastic concept album. I should check out the rest of the three albums from that era that you mentioned. Houston Kid has phenomenal storytelling. The one about the convict waiting to get out and visit his stolen money completely punch you in the feels the final verse. The one about the gay hooker with HIV is incredible, and I always think of that song when I think about how country music is just leaving a massive amount of dramatic storytelling on the table by being afraid to tackle the theme of gay family members (apparently this song is based on a real life friend or relative from Rodney’s upbringing)
There’s one about domestic violence on that album that is incredibly realistic. All that stuff puts this radio friendly album to shame but obviously he was in a very different point in his career and could afford to take those risks.
He also wrote him a fucking incredible memoir called Chinaberry Sidewalks. It’s a really good counterpoint to any rose-colored-glasses-tinged nostalgia about the 1950s. The Houston kid album is more or less based on characters from his upbringing, with some artistic license.
Also I don’t remember where I read this but my impression is that he kind of shelved his career for a bit, in order to work on promoting Roseanne Cash’s (his wife at the time) career. It’s pretty impressive for the 1980s/90s.
August 7, 2026 @ 2:17 pm
If you like “Houston” – I certainly do – I would recommend you to skip whatever followed, it’s not the same at all.
I feel the same way about Jamie O’Hara’s solo debut; an excellent album with great writing and a unique sound. The albums thereafter are just run of the mill folksy singer/songwriter stuff.
August 7, 2026 @ 2:31 pm
Yeah one of my problems is that I just don’t like straight up singer-songwriter folky stuff very much, and I don’t like how much it relies on really straightforward rhyming much of the time. I feel like neo traditional country sometimes does more interesting weird slant rhymes or whatever they’re called
The Houston kid kind of reminds me of Marty Stuart’s awesome concept album The Pilgrim. Playing those two things back to back is a really good double feature movie in your mind.
August 10, 2026 @ 9:14 pm
“The Houston Kid” came out 25 years ago.
Rodney Crowell has done a lot of good and worthwile stuff since then. From th follow-up, “Fate’s Right Hand,” in 2003 all the way to the killer album “Texas” in 2019–as good as anything he’s ever done–with “Flatland Hillbillies” (My sister’s on the pole at Slicks,”), “Deep In the Heart of Uncertain Texas” with Brooks & Dunn, Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack, the original version of “The Border,” (later covered by Willie) and the bizzarro Marty Robinsesque “Treetop Slim and Billy Lowgrass.”
I think Rodney and Rosanne should both go into the HoF in the same year.
August 7, 2026 @ 2:09 pm
What a diamond of an album in my shelf of thounds of country CDs! I hear it regularly and it reminds me of the good old time of the class of 89…
Keep on pressing physical albums, CDs and LPs – their values life (almost) forever. Such a great piece of country music deserves it to be released again and again and again….
And the best is: Rodney’s current album 2026. Different to the diamond but very great as well!
Happy Birthday!
Greetings from Switzerland
August 7, 2026 @ 3:02 pm
I suppose it’s cool among our most hard-core SCM commentors to piss on a commercially successful album. But this album is terrific to these ears. I play it on vinyl. Best 5 bucks I ever spent in a used record store. Got a minty clean copy at that. Its his commercial masterpiece and it made him some $$. You’d think the guy would be grateful about it, yet he’s forever avoiding playing those songs live. Go figure. I like most of his work regardless.
August 7, 2026 @ 3:38 pm
Who’s pissing on it here? I said it was great and there’s a lot of folks complimenting it here. You’re saying yourself that he won’t play the songs live even though they’re the ones most people know. Maybe giving people what they want isn’t his priority?
August 7, 2026 @ 4:18 pm
My comment wasn’t addressed to you. I understood you liked the album. I count two commentors above who are a nay on it. You aren’t one of them. I’m not getting into an argument with anyone on this. I like most of Crowell’s albums, that’s a fact. I also like Diamonds and Dirt. As for artists who don’t care about giving people what they want, well that’s certainly one way to handle fame I suppose. But Ive always felt the good business side might be to play songs live that your audience loves and will sing along with. Tends to excite a crowd, sells more booze, promoter and venue sell more tickets, artist gets invited back, win win for everyone. Willie Nelson is my ultimate example, in his prime he played the legacy songs that everyone wanted to hear. He knew who buttered his bread. Doesn’t mean you don’t play new material, of course you do. Bob Dylan is a great example live of what not to do, in my opinion. He plays his current material and usually only a small handful of the legacy songs, and even at that he puts them in other keys and changes the melodies and the tempo to the point that the songs are unrecognizable.
I once attended a Tom Russell show, and the audience did some requests. His reply was ” I don’t play any of the older songs, I prefer to only do my newest ones, so in the future please refrain from requesting anything from the past.” The dude actually said that. I mentally made a note to never support him again and Ive lived up to it. But hey, he’s free to do what he likes. Sorry for the confusion Todd.
August 7, 2026 @ 8:02 pm
True story: I went to see Bob Dylan in Augusta, GA about seven or eight years ago. He was on stage for an hour and a half or more and never once spoke to the audience- no hello, no goodbye, no introduction for the band. As you mentioned, every classic song was radically rearranged. You know how at a concert everyone will hear the opening lick of a favorite song and give applause of recognition before it really gets going? “Blowin’ in the Wind” got an applause of recognition after the first verse and first chorus! That cracked me up…
August 8, 2026 @ 7:28 am
Tom Russell is a great songwriter and a more than good singer, but his outings – beginning with Box of Visions – simply isn’t close to those excellent 80’s albums.
The tex-mex-cali hybrid suited the songs perfectly, but as soon as he did it good in Europe in the early 90’s, he drifted toward a more psuedo-artsy roots/rock/western poetry style. The stories still holds up, but they are primarily stories, not songs. Too long and therefore too boring musically.
During the later years he become more and more political onstage, too. Never a good thing.
August 8, 2026 @ 8:54 am
I haven’t listened to enough of the catalog to evaluate that opinion but it must be mentioned that Tonight We Ride is in the upper echelon of country songs ever written.
August 10, 2026 @ 5:23 pm
“Gallo del Cielo” is high up in that echelon, too.
August 7, 2026 @ 4:38 pm
For the record, I was surprised to see that Rodney Crowell posted an image and a link to this article in his Instagram stories today. So he must not be completely embarrassed of the album. I just read it more like everyone wanting Radiohead to play “Creep.” Sure, he could play these songs, but Crowell’s definitely morphed more into an Americana singer/songwriter, and there’s nothing wrong with that. When Johnny Cash was in his American Recordings era, nobody expected him to play “A Boy Named Sue.”
August 8, 2026 @ 11:23 am
I saw Johnny live 1-2x a year in the 90s. He generally played his hits. I recall his playing Rusty Cage once and it was quite different from the rest of the set. The new songs were sprinkled in, at most.
It was the opposite seeing Rosanne a few years back where the hits were rare. I guess you could say it was a broad sample of a long career. Many loved it – I’d prefer a few more hits.
August 8, 2026 @ 4:45 am
Singers like Crowell have brought into the idea that anything popular must be artistically compromised.
Generally most country singers eschew that behavior. I recently saw Alabama and Clint Black and they played the hits. Alabama didn’t subject the audience to anything off its 2015 album. They know why the audience is there.
August 8, 2026 @ 6:40 am
“They know why the audience is there.”
So does the audience at a Rodney Crowell show. They’re there to hear selections from his his entire catalog, including his more recent stuff from the late ’90s to present day because that’s his audience. If all he did was play his ’80s radio hits and no newer stuff, they would be totally disappointed.
Also, I don’t know that he doesn’t play any of his ’80s stuff. Honestly, I’ve only seen him a couple of times so I just don’t know what his regular routine is. If you see Robert Plant live, he’s not only going to play Led Zepplin songs. He’s going to play his solo stuff. But he will also play a Led Zepplin song or two. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
August 8, 2026 @ 1:35 pm
My fault for making a simple observation. Ive seen Crowell live. You will probably get Aint Livin’ Long Like This, his Waylon hit. He also plays his masterpiece Til I can Gain Control Again. You might get Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight. And I recall someone in the audience requesting Sex and Gasoline, another great one. Yet the stuff from Diamonds and Dirt was conspicuously absent. That’s my observation. Other people who are fans have noticed that too. Is it unforgivable? No certainly not, but worth noting. Didn’t mean to make this the focus of the comments. Sheesh…
August 8, 2026 @ 6:51 pm
He could make a small concession to the audience by doing a verse and a chorus to the three up tempo solo hits from Diamonds and Dirt and have it over and done with in four minutes. He knows that a lot of people know him primarily from that album and don’t know about his time with Emmylou or having Vince Gill in his touring band before they were household names.
I also think he ought to be grateful for having huge album that sold gold and got him more radio play than he’d probably ever imagined having. Some of these artists are pains in the ass that way.
August 10, 2026 @ 3:33 am
He sure could, but he is an “artist,” and above such fan-friendly concerns.
August 7, 2026 @ 6:34 pm
I still have it on CD 🙂 But I’m very happy to add it to my streaming for the car.
August 8, 2026 @ 4:49 am
I love this album. This is also another reason to own physical music. I remember buying the cassette when I was younger and wanting a better sound. So I bought the cd. Years later I found the vinyl in great condition. So I bought it. One of the few artists I have bought 3 versions of the same album on different platforms. Why? Because it is so damn good.
August 8, 2026 @ 10:53 am
Rodney has always chosen his own path/followed his muse. He’s a true artist. He’s earned our respect. He’s also human and has made some mistakes and wrong turns here and there. When you follow your heart, that happens. But those mistakes inform him as a person & an artist. He’s learned from them and shared that wisdom as he continues his journey. We are all richer for having artists’ like this in our lives. Many call the period that “Diamonds & Dirt” came out “Nashville’s credibility scare”. I always look for signs that it will return – and see & hear ’em now and then. Am grateful every time. I know too much about the business, so don’t expect that return to actually happen (it was but a moment in time). But when credibility & commerce meet – I celebrate it. Think we all should.
August 8, 2026 @ 2:19 pm
Happy 76th birthday,Rodney,and how is Rosanne ? I’ve always been a big fan of Mr. and Mrs. Crowell,,as well as Mr. and Mrs. Cash,of course.Glad “Diamonds And Dirt” has re-surfaced,and,cowboy,hopefully you’ll put out a new album,pardner !!!!
August 8, 2026 @ 3:37 pm
Since you mentioned Loretta – Trigger – I heard a rumor somewhere that Van Lear Rose is going to be reissued. Any insider info you may have?
August 8, 2026 @ 3:39 pm
I have not heard anything, but I hope it happens!
August 9, 2026 @ 9:49 am
I remember first finding this CD in a used record store when I was a teenager and being really into it! I think the only thing I knew of Rodney previously was “Walk the Line (Revisited)” from seeing it on CMT as a kid. Since then he’s became one of my favorite songwriters. I’m glad he got it re-released! I hate for great music to disappear.