The Diamonds
Encyclopedia
The Diamonds are a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...

 quartet who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with sixteen Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville
Dave Somerville
Dave Somerville, a.k.a. “Diamond” Dave Somerville , in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Best known as co-founder and original lead singer of The Diamonds, one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1950s.-Biography:...

 (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (bass).

1950s

In 1953, Dave Somerville
Dave Somerville
Dave Somerville, a.k.a. “Diamond” Dave Somerville , in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Best known as co-founder and original lead singer of The Diamonds, one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1950s.-Biography:...

 while working as a sound engineer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. met one evening by chance three other guys who liked to sing as much as he did. They decided to form a stand-up quartet and called themselves THE DIAMONDS. The groups first performance was in the basement of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Toronto singing in a Christmas minstral show. The audience reaction to the Somerville-led group was so tremendous that they decided that night they would turn professional. After eighteen months of rehearsal, they drove to New York and tied for 1st Place on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts".

The prize of being guest artist for a week on Godfrey’s show led to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with Coral Records
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....

. Professional musician Nat Goodman became their manager. Coral released four songs, the most notable being "Black Denim Trousers & Motorcycle Boots", written by Lieber & Stoller.

The next big step was an audition with Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, radio disc jockey Dr. Bill Randle, who had aided in the success of some popular groups, such as The Crew-Cuts
The Crew-Cuts
The Crew-Cuts were a Canadian vocal quartet, that made a number of popular records that charted in the United States and worldwide. They named themselves after the then popular crew cut haircut, one of the first connections made between pop music and hairstyle...

. Randle was impressed with The Diamonds and introduced them to Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

, who signed the group to a recording contract. At that time black artists were not played on white-owned radio stations.

The Diamonds’ first recording for Mercury was "Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is a song that was originally a hit for early New York City-based rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers in 1956. It reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, No. 6 on Billboards Pop Singles chart, and number one on the UK Singles Chart...

, which reached #12 in the U.S. as their first hit, and their follow-up hit single, "The Church Bells May Ring" (originally by The Willows), reached #14 in the U.S.

The Diamonds biggest hits were 1957's "Little Darlin'
Little Darlin'
"Little Darlin" is a popular Top 40 song.It was written by Maurice Williams with both melody and doo-wop accompaniment strongly emphasizing the clave rhythm. It was first recorded by Excello Records in January 1957 and quickly released as a rhythm-and-blues song by Williams's R&B group, The Gladiolas...

" (originally recorded by The Gladiolas) and 1958's "The Stroll
The Stroll
The Stroll was both a slow Rock 'n' Roll dance and a song that was popular in late 1950s. The dance called the Stroll began in black communities to the song "C. C. Rider" by Chuck Willis prior to the song by the same name....

", an original song written for the group by Clyde Otis
Clyde Otis
Clyde Otis, born in Prentiss, Mississippi, , was an American songwriter and producer best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African American A&R executive for a major label.According to the music licensing organization Broadcast Music Inc., Otis is...

, from an idea by Dick Clark.

Although they were signed to do rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

, Mercury also paired them with jazz composer and arranger Pete Rugolo
Pete Rugolo
Pietro "Pete" Rugolo was an Italian-born jazz composer and arranger.-Life and career:Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California...

 in one of his "Meet" series recordings. The album entitled "The Diamonds Meet Pete Rugolo" allowed The Diamonds to return to their roots and do some established standards.

The group sang "Little Darlin'" and "Where Mary Go" in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 The Big Beat, and sang the theme song for another film, Kathy-O.

Their television appearances included the TV shows of Steve Allen
Steve Allen (comedian)
Stephen Valentine Patrick William "Steve" Allen was an American television personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his television career. He first gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent...

, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...

, Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...

, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....

, Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...

 and Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...

. They also appeared on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...

.

In the late 1950s, Reed, Kowalski and Levitt left THE DIAMONDS and were replaced by Mike Douglas, John Felten and Evan Fisher.

1960s and 1970s

Despite the ever-changing style of rock & roll and their Mercury contract expiring, The Diamonds continued touring the country. There is a popular belief that The Diamonds disbanded in the early sixties. This is untrue. After Dave Somerville
Dave Somerville
Dave Somerville, a.k.a. “Diamond” Dave Somerville , in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Best known as co-founder and original lead singer of The Diamonds, one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1950s.-Biography:...

 left the group in 1961 to pursue a folk singing career as "David Troy", there were no more hit records by THE DIAMONDS. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s THE DIAMONDS performed mostly in Las Vegas led, at first, by Mike Douglas, later being continued by Glenn Stetson. At one time, there were at least two groups performing under The Diamonds name, the other principally being led by John Felton until his death on May 17, 1982, in a plane crash. This created an issue in the late 1980s that ultimately went to court. The right to the use the name "The Diamonds" was awarded to Gary Owens (a member of Felton's group) with the original members being allowed to use their name on special occasions each year. Owens, along with members Bob Duncan, Steve Smith (both former members of Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...

's band and television program) and Gary Cech, released an album in 1987, "Diamonds Are Forever", which contained two songs that entered the lower reaches of the Country Music Charts, "Just a Little Bit" and "Two Kinds Of Women".

2000s and beyond

The Diamonds received national attention once again in 2000, when the original members were invited to sing in TJ Lubinsky
TJ Lubinsky
Terry James "TJ" Lubinsky is primarily a Pittsburgh radio host. However, he is also executive producer/director of many PBS pledge-drive programs. His cherubic bear-cub appearance endears him to millions of viewers of all the oldies-format music programs airing periodically on the network.Lubinsky...

’s PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 production of Do-Wop 51, and again in the PBS production entitled Magic Moments-The Best Of '50s Pop in 2004.

Stetson received a heart transplant in 2000, and died in 2003. Original member Kowalski died on August 8, 2010, from heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...

, at the age of 79.

Original members

  • Dave Somerville - Lead / Replaced by Jim Malone 1961
  • Ted Kowalski - Tenor (died 2010) / Replaced by Evan Fisher 1958
  • Phil Levitt - Baritone / Replaced by Mike Douglas 1957
  • Bill Reed - Bass (died 2004) / Replaced by John Felten 1958 (died 1982)/ Replaced by Gary Cech until 1991 (voluntarily left the group).

Replacement members

  • Glenn Stetson
    Glenn Stetson
    Glenn Stetson was Canadian singer, concert promoter and television producer. Glenn Campbell Stetson was born in the Ottawa Valley of eastern Ontario and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a lead singer with The Diamonds, whose hits included "The Stroll", "Silhouettes", and "Little Darlin'", from...

     - Lead vocalist / Replaced John Felten in 1968. Mike Douglas remained with the group as the only original member that recorded for Mercury records in the fifties and early sixties. At this time, The Diamonds consisted of Glenn Stetson(Canada), Harry Harding (Canada), Danny Rankin(USA), Mike Douglas(Canada)
  • Joe Derise - Vocalist and composer joined in 1969.
  • Jerry Honeycutt was with John Felten during the mid seventies right up until John's death.

Original albums

  • America's Number One Singing Stylists
  • Meet Pete Rugolo
  • Songs From The Old West
  • Laughs, Singing, Laughs

Compilation albums

  • America's Famous Song Stylists
  • Pop Hits
  • The Best of The Diamonds: The Mercury Years
  • Little Darlin
  • Scrapbook of Golden Hits
  • Hall of Fame
  • Best of The Diamonds
  • The Diamonds Songbook (2007)

Billboard charted singles

  • "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" – Debut on 02/18/56, Peaked at #12.
  • "The Church Bells May Ring" – Debut on 04/21/56, Peaked at #14
  • "Love, Love, Love" – Debut 06/23/56, Peaked at #30
  • "Ka-Ding-Dong" – Debut on 09/08/56, Peaked at #35
  • "Soft Summer Breeze" – Debut on 09/22/56, Peaked at #34
  • "Little Darlin'
    Little Darlin'
    "Little Darlin" is a popular Top 40 song.It was written by Maurice Williams with both melody and doo-wop accompaniment strongly emphasizing the clave rhythm. It was first recorded by Excello Records in January 1957 and quickly released as a rhythm-and-blues song by Williams's R&B group, The Gladiolas...

    " – Debut on 03/16/57, Peaked at #2 for 8 weeks (Gold
    Music recording sales certification
    Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

    )(3rd biggest recording of 1957)
  • "Words Of Love" – Debut on 06/24/57, Peaked at #13
  • "Zip Zip" – Debut on 08/26/57, Peaked at #16
  • "Silhouettes" – Debut on 11/04/57, Peaked at #10 (Gold)
  • "The Stroll" – Debut on 12/30/57, Peaked at #4 (Gold)
  • "High Sign" – Debut on 04/14/58, Peaked at #37
  • "Kathy-O" – Debut on 07/28/58, Peaked at #16
  • "Happy Years" – Debut on 08/04/58, Peaked at #73
  • "Walking Along
    Walking Along
    "Walking Along" is a 1957 doo wop song written by Sam Weiss and Winston Willis. The song was recorded by The Solitaires and gave the group its biggest selling and best remembered hit on the Billboard Charts. A version was also recorded by The Diamonds in 1958, reaching the charts on 27 October of...

    " – Debut on 10/27/58, Peaked at #29
  • "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)" – Debut on 01/26/59, Peaked at #18
  • "One Summer Night" - Debut 07/03/61, Peaked at #22

Awards and honours

  • In 1984, the Canadian Juno "Hall of Fame" award by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
  • In October, 2004, inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame
    Vocal Group Hall of Fame
    The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....

    in Sharon, Pennsylvania.
  • In 2006 inducted into The Doo-Wop Hall of Fame.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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