Jon Pardi Delivers “Pickup Man” Tribute To Joe Diffie During 2020 CMA Awards
CMA Country Music / Twitter
Country music lost several of its brightest stars in 2020. One such star was Joe Diffie, who passed away on March 29 at the age of 61.
Diffie left behind quite the legacy. He charted 35 singles over the course of his career, with five of those singles being #1 hits.
Those #1 songs are now considered country music staples. They are “Home,” “If the Devil Danced,” “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Pickup Man,” and “Bigger Than the Beatles.” Other memorable songs of Diffie’s include “John Deere Green,” “Ships That Don’t Come In,” and “So Help Me Girl.”
Needless to say, Diffie’s sudden passing rocked the country music world to its core. Artists young and old took to social media to honor him after hearing he was gone.
One artist who penned a touching tribute to Diffie was Jon Pardi. The “Dirt on My Boots” singer shared a picture of some old Diffie tapes, and wrote:
“Bummer day today, Joe Diffie was such a nice guy and a great country singer. Been listening to Joe since the cassette tape days! Having some beers today for the pick up man. Condolences to his family , friends, band, and crew.”
It’s clear from his post that Pardi had the upmost respect for Diffie and his music. And anyone who has ever listened to one of Pardi’s songs can tell he draws a lot of influence from Diffie’s era.
So it made perfect sense when it was announced that Pardi would deliver a tribute to Diffie during the 2020 CMA Awards on Wednesday night (November 11).
Pardi sang “Pickup Man” in Diffie’s honor, and delivered a lively performance. Diffie’s widow, Tara, was in the audience, and gave the performance a standing ovation at the end.
Tune in to the video below to watch Pardi’s extraordinary performance at the 2020 CMA Awards. We’re sure Diffie would have been proud.
