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DANGEROUS

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DIANE KING BIO

Above all her musical talents, Diane King considers herself a songwriter. She’s a singer and musician, too — she brings it all — straight from the heart, with her fearless songwriting leading the way. With her new project, SKY, this Nashville-based Americana/country-folk artist delivers her songs with pure vocals, rich harmonies, and a musicality that’s as intentional as it is inspired.

King is a proud child of Appalachia, with a family that is generations-deep in the hills of southern Ohio and West Virginia. Musical talent runs in the family and after a childhood filled with music, she moved from a town of less than 1500 to Nashville. Her call to music was undeniable. It was then she discovered songwriting. At the time King primarily played keyboards, but bought her first acoustic guitar in Nashville, and it was on!

King started writing on guitar and playing around Nashville. She was making connections on Music Row and was “discovered” by legendary songwriter Harlan Howard when a mutual BMI acquaintance gave him a demo of King’s songs. He came to see King perform at Nashville’s historic Bluebird Café and began mentoring her as a songwriter and publisher. King says, “Harlan told me, ‘Kid, you have the raw talent, now I’m going to teach you the craft.’ Every song I’ve written since includes that craft of songwriting that he taught me. What an absolute honor to have him as my mentor.”

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Howard soon told King she should sing her own songs, so, with her love for harmonies, King assembled a vocal trio and named her group Diane King & Little Stone. King sang lead, and vocalists Crystal Miller and Paul Ginther added harmonies. The trio performed in Nashville and throughout the South and Mid-west.

After some years of the artist life, King used her bachelor’s degree in music business from Middle Tennessee State University to land a job with Nashville’s leading music business management firm. King’s roster of clients included Wynonna Judd, Kaki King, and Robert Randolph. “Working with Wynonna and her amazing team was such a joy,” says King. “I still have friendships from that time in my life. What an amazing experience!”

After a few years in her business role, King found she missed the creative side of music, so she left that position to write and sing again. Looking for a place to land with her Appalachian-rooted songs, King became part of the International Bluegrass Music Association and is a graduate of their select Leadership Program. She co-wrote with bluegrass songwriter Louisa Branscomb, and their song, “Gone,” was included on Branscomb’s I’ll Take Love project on Compass Records and performed by award-winning bluegrass artist Dale Ann Bradley.

King once again assembled a vocal trio, joined a second time by Miller, a stellar vocalist in her own right, and Nashville award-winning songwriter Karen Staley. This trio, which King called Lorena, was pure Americana and bluegrass. The group kicked off Lorena with performances in Nashville’s premiere venues and WSM Radio’s “Coffee, Country and Cody” morning show.

Soon after the launch of Lorena, King found herself facing the challenge of a cancer diagnosis. Eventually, her health couldn’t sustain the commitment needed to continue the trio. It took over four years of cancer treatment and management, but finally King reached remission of her lymphoma. Additional recovery time was needed for singing, as her cancer battle included significant trauma to her neck and throat.

In 2023, King was performing for a circle of friends who strongly encouraged her to return to her music and record a new project. It was that night when King knew it was time for the next chapter.

Diane King is back. With acoustic guitar in hand, vocal clarity, unstoppable songwriting, and the passion of a survivor, she’s bringing SKY. Co-produced with the accomplished Stephan Oberhoff (Quincy Jones, Melissa Manchester) and joined by A-List Nashville musicians, this is music made with heart and backbone, where Appalachian roots meet razor-sharp songwriting and a producer's keen ear for detail. This music is authentic, inspired and from the heart. This is - Diane King music!

LOVE LIKE THIS

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NEWS

Americana HIGHWAYS

DIANE KING "SKY"

September 17, 2025
JOHN APICE

Somebody knows how to unleash gut-wrenching music infused through a “Dangerous” & benevolent showcase. Contradictory? Maybe. Out of the starting gate, that someone is Diane King, who applies the adhesive that keeps ears peeled to the speakers. Whew. Nice opening tune. Characterized by a powerful, expressive voice, Diane embodies a style that stands out with distinction. “Love Like This” continues with equal aplomb. The attraction is similar to all those hits Huey Lewis & The News poured from their “Sports” LP so many short years ago.

Then Diane falls back to a lovely ballad “Riding Out the Storm,” with acoustic catchy momentum & her always sincere vocals. I’m caught in this woman’s spider web of melodies. The arrangements are pristine; the production is stylized & Diane works an effective spell. It’s spacious in the 10 clouds of Diane’s Sky (Drops Sept 19/DKM Music/42:24). A diversified set of music that rocks, then goes smoldering slow & romantic with plenty of upbeat vintage excursions (“Feelin’ the Love”).

Produced by Stephan Oberhoff (bass/piano/organ/electric & acoustic guitars/keys/strings/bgv) & Diane (acoustic guitars/vocals/harmony/bgv) the tunes were laid down in Nashville. Primarily an Americana/country-folk artist, Diane utilizes tasty creative musicianship, arrangements & 3-part harmonies. Some tunes rely on a retro-style country (“Until Now”) that would fit in the vocal range of Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, or Robin Ward (“Wonderful Summer”). Ms. King understands the genre with wisps of the past; it works to her advantage. There’s just enough drama & avoids pomposity. She has a wonderful full-throat tone; her singing’s got clarity & honesty.

Two golden songs have a European flair (“A Few of the Things” & “Anywhere With You”). They are graceful. Instantly memorable, nostalgic & yes, dazzling even when pensive. She could be singing about a past love, a relative who passed away, or just a missed friend. This is thrilling songwriting — reminiscing is always compelling.

There are no songs that are clichés. No bars, trucks, big hats, getting rowdy on Saturday night, or tattooing a butt cheek. Diane weaves her stories (“Sky”) through events, people, places & things, then embellishes each with a degree of musical beauty. This is a woman who you can fall asleep beside & wake up in the morning to see her already awake & smiling at you. Ms. King’s work is a precision performance.

Highlights – “Dangerous,” “Love Like This,” “Riding Out the Storm,” “Feelin’ the Love,” “A Few of the Things,” “Sky,” & “Anywhere With You.”

Musicians – Jack Bruno & Lynn Williams (drums), Steve Mackey (bass), Aaron Currie (acoustic & electric guitars), Bob Britt (electric guitars), Bruce Bouton (pedal steel), Wanda Vick (fiddle/viola/dobro/mandolin), Kevin Bate (cello), Crystal Miller & Kasey Clanton (bgv).

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