Artist description Diana was born on a houseboat on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1964. At ten, she and her mother moved to a 221-acre rustic, tree-covered farm in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. They lived off the land with a wood burning stove, an Amish buggy for her horse, chickens, milk goats and sheep. In 1989 she moved to New Orleans to be near her great uncle Bill Russell, the renowned Jazz historian, during the last years of his life. Though she never planned to stay in New Orleans after his death, the city had taken hold of her. She began pursuing her love of music. She grew up with the folk music of the sixties and seventies. Diana loved to play guitar and sing, but she didn't start writing songs until she was 19. "One day I was driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It was a gorgeous summer day and I was really happy about my life. Suddenly I just started singing. That was my first song, When the Mountains Start to Fly. The flood gates have been open ever since." Described in Dirty Linen as a "meditative Judy Collins," she adeptly weaves fresh, insightful lyrics with beautiful and interesting melodies for an enchanting musical experience.

Music Style Folk/Celtic

Musical Influences Joan Baez, Judy Collins, John Denver, Indigo Girls, Loreena McKennit

Similar Artists Judy Collins and Indigo Girls

Group Members Diana is joined by Beth Waggoner/Patterson, Justin Murphy, Patrick O'Flaherty, and Robbie Beley.

Instruments Acoustic guitar, bouzouki, flute, mandolin, tin whistle

Albums Gone by the River

Press Reviews "Diana's poetry paints a mosaic of images in full color.... The melodies are contagious. Sometimes haunting with a dash of Celtic flavoring." BR Acoustic and Folk Society News June 1996 "A pure voice and gentle melodies with strong Celtic roots." (Scott Aiges, New Orleans Times Picayune, Nov. 11, 1994 "Reminiscent of Harry Chapin in his prime." (Sean O'Meara, Offbeat Magazine, May 1995) "Diana sets beautiful and powerful ideas to music to give them a path to the heart and soul, rather than just the mind." (E. Kolp, fan)

Location Metairie, LA - USA

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