Mark Chesnutt And Joe Diffie At Whatley Center

Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie to perform at Whatley Center.

Veteran ‘90s chart-toppers Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie are set to play their hits, and maybe even a few covers, in an intimate, acoustic style performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 at the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College.

The concert is sponsored by Texas Heritage National Bank. All seats are $35 and can be purchased online at www.whatleycenter.com or by calling the box office at 903-434-8181.

“Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie are two of the most recognizable names in country music, and we are so excited to host them on our stage for this intimate performance,” Carolyn Franks, Director of the Whatley Center, said.

Mark Chesnutt is one of Country’s true musical treasures. Critics have hailed him as a classic Country singer of the first order and some of Country music’s most elite entertainers, from George Jones to George Strait, echo the sentiment. His stature is easily gauged. With 14 No. 1 hits, 23 top ten singles, four platinum albums and five gold records to his credit; he maintains a front-and-center presence with a hefty tour schedule year after year.

“I just make records because I want people to come see my show,” Chesnutt said. “Recording music for folks to just listen to music is great, but I’ve got to be out there on stage making it.”

Fans who have seen him perform agree. Mark is known as one of the industry’s hardest-working concert performers, maintaining a hefty tour schedule and steady presence in front of his fans, Mark’s dedication to delivering live music is unsurpassed. Mark has been on the road since 1990. Whether you hear Mark Chesnutt with a new release on the radio or see his face on the cover of a new CD, folks can always find Mark doing what he was born to do playing.

Chesnutt’s number one hit singles include: I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing, It’s a Little Too Late, I’ll Think of Something, Brother Jukebox, I just Wanted You To Know, Almost Goodbye, It Sure Is Monday and Gonna Get a Life.

With the release of Jason Aldean’s recent hit “1994” that name-checked many of Joe Diffie’s twelve Number One hits, the legendary singer found himself squarely back in the hearts and minds of country fans. The multi-platinum-selling artist who dominated the charts during a hot streak in the ‘90s may have been absent from the radio charts for the past few years, but Joe-Joe-Joe Diffie has never slowed down. He is still writing, touring and recording a myriad of projects including his critically acclaimed 2010 bluegrass album “Homecoming,” and his recent “Roots And Boots” acoustic tour and collaborative CD “All In The Same Boat,” with fellow hitmakers Sammy Kershaw and Aaron Tippin. And now he’s back at it again, riding shotgun with hick-hop sensations the Jawga Boyz on a brand new single, “Girl Ridin’ Shotgun,” which was recently released to country radio.

With chart-toppers like Pickup Man, Third Rock From the Sun, and John Deere Green and 13 albums and over 20 Top 10 singles to his credit, Joe has little to prove at this point in his career, yet he still has a fire in his belly to make good country music. A renowned songwriter in his own right who recently turned his focus back to writing after years on the road, Joe has hits for artists like Tim McGraw, Conway Twitty, and Jo Dee Messina to his credit, and has cuts on upcoming projects for “X Factor” winner Tate Stevens, Dylan Scott, and Tyler Farr among others. He is also hard at work on an album of brand new material, due out later this year on Bigger Picture Records.

“We had a good time writing and recording my new song “Girl Ridin’ Shotgun,’ and making a video for it,” Diffie said. ” I’ve been writing with a lot of new artists, and I never thought that collaboration with one of them would lead to this, but I’m really glad that it has. It’s a different sound for me and I’m having so much fun with it all. I can’t wait to see what the future brings!”

To purchase tickets or learn more about upcoming performances, visit www.whatleycenter.com.