Diamonds

Booking Fee: Contact us below  Artist Location: United States  Wikipedia

Diamonds' Bio: The Diamonds - Four gentlemen from Toronto, Canada, who were one of the most popular singing groups of the 1950s. This versatile group was signed to Mercury Records and was designated to cover the recordings of black artists. Proving they were up to the task, they put 16 hits on the charts of Billboard, three going gold, "Little Darlin", Silhouettes, and "The Stroll". They even show up on the R & B charts.

Group members were: Dave Somerville, lead - Ted Kowalski, tenor - Phil Levitt, baritone - Bill Reed, bass. Ted Kowalski and Phil Levitt were students at the University of Toronto. Dave Somerville was a radio engineer at the Canadian Broadcasting Company and Bill Reed was employed by the telephone company.

In the fall of 1953, Somerville met this unnamed group in the hall of the Canadian Broadcasting Co. The group was in its original form, with Stan Fisher singing the lead and they were going to audition for a C. B. C. show called "Pick the Stars". Being a trained singer, Somerville thought they weren't ready for the show and offered to tutor the guys and help them along. He got them practice time in "un-occupied" studios and also had connections for professional arrangements. Thing were indeed moving along until the group was scheduled to sing at a Christmas party at a local church. As it turned out, the lead, Stan Fisher opted out to study for an exam the next day. Since Somerville knew all the songs, he took the lead, literally, and the group was an overwhelming success. The decision to go professional came quickly. Stan Fisher decided not to continue with the group. With their new lead Dave, the Diamonds were about to hit the scene.

The Diamonds like most artists of that day were not an overnight success. They work hard, developing their craft, learning Barbershop from Bill's dad, also a bass singer. When they could, they would get together with a black gospel group called the Revelaires from Detroit. As the Diamonds have said, "This was the group that had the most effect on our singing". "They taught us not to be so square".

After school in the spring of 1954 Ted & Phil decided not to go back in the fall. The guys wanted to get serious about their singing, and this gave them more time to practice. Dave's connections introduced them to Nat Goodman, a professional classical musician, who took the group under his management. It was at this point Dave and Bill quit their jobs and the group polished their repertoire. With a performance and a win on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Show, and a week guest staring on his radio show, things progressed to a four song contract with Coral Records. Later, an introduction with a Cleveland disc jockey, Bill Randle got them a long contact with Mercury Records. In 1956 they had four charted hits before their 1957 hit, "Little Darlin'". This was the song that made them a household name. It also got them in the movie, "The Big Beat", and they also sang the theme song for the films "Kathy-O, and "The Horizontal Lieutenant". Over all, their contract with Mercury produced over 60 singles, two original albums plus several compilation albums. Even today they still pop up on a soundtrack from a movie.

By 1961, all original members had left the group, but the Diamonds still continues. Ted & Phil went back to school at University of Toronto and Bill got on the other side of the record business. Only Dave continued his singing, changing with the ever-changing music scene. The originals would get together for an occasional oldies reunions down through the years, but it wasn't until an appearance in the PBS special, "Doo-Wop 51", did they once again gain national attention. That was followed with another PBS special, "Magic Moments - The Best Of '50s Pop". We are fortunate to have these two videos available, for there isn't much footage of this fun, energetic, wonderful group. "Little Darlin', Little Darlin', Oh Where Are You?"

Through the years since the release of Little Darlin’ THE DIAMONDS have learned one important lesson—the durability of this classic rock and roll music is as much about the future as it is about the past. As a result, THE DIAMONDS continue to expand their audience to this day, performing in a variety of venues and settings worldwide. These performances include — with Symphony Orchestras, in Performing Arts Theatres and major concert halls, on cruise ships, in casinos, at county and state fairs, on tours of England, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Korea, and Japan, for benefit concerts, corporate conventions and at nightclubs. “We’ve been pleased to find a growing audience among all age groups. They love songs they can understand, remember and actually sing the words to — today, tomorrow, or even 20 years from now.” … Read more