Formed:

1953 (Toronto, Canada)

Styles:

Doo-wop, Pop vocal, Jazz vocal, Rock and Roll

Claims to fame:

• Bridged the gap between pop vocal and doo-wop at a crucial time
• Their version of the Gladiolas' "Little Darlin'" is that rare white doo-wop cover that arguably improves upon the original
• Their hit "The Stroll" was one of the rock era's first dance craze songs
• The first Canadian group to have a rock n' roll hit

Principal Members:

Dave Somerville (born October 2, 1933, Guelph, Ontario, CAN): lead vocals (first tenor)
Tedd Kowalski: (born May 16, 1931, Toronto, CAN; died August 8, 2010, Whitby, Ontario, CAN) vocals (second tenor)
Phil Levitt: (born July 9, 1935, Toronto, CAN): vocals (baritone)
Bill Reed (born January 11, 1936, Toronto, CAN; died October 22, 2004, St. Lucie, FL): vocals (bass)

Early years:

The Diamonds began life as an unnamed group without the man who would become their leader and main vocalist. Dave Somerville was a disenchanted former architectural major who had gotten vocal training and began working at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation when heard a vocal group waiting to perform on a local radio show and decided to take them under his wing. When the original lead singer missed a performance he'd set up, Somerville, who already knew the group's repertoire, stepped in -- and the result was so perfect he immediately became the group's lead. The group auditioned for a spot on CBS' Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, eventually winning first place.

Coral Records of New York decided to sign the quartet, but their first few records, including the first recording of the Lieber-Stoller tune "Black Denim Trousers," went nowhere.   

Success:

The next step was an audition with Dr. Bill Randle, the highly influential Cleveland DJ who had discovered the Diamonds' idols, The Crew Cuts. Randle liked what he heard and decided to pursue the exact same strategy with his new group, having them make polished pop covers of black R&B hits too raw to make it on the radio. The difference was that the Diamonds were quick studies, having learned plenty about black music from a Detroit gospel group called the Revelaires that had taken a liking to the lads. Their versions of The Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and The Willows' "Church Bells May Ring" performed fairly well, but their real ticket to immortality was a half-joking cover of the Gladiolas' "Little Darlin'," a huge smash graced by a spoken-word bridge by Bill Reed so authentic that many thought the group must be black.  

Later years:

The Diamonds kept covering black R&B hits, even though radio was becoming increasingly friendly towards the originals: their top 10 version of the Rays' "Silhouettes" still didn't rise as high as the original. Their only true hit original was "The Stroll," written by Mercury A&R man Clyde Otis to capitalize on the dance of the same name that was quickly becoming a hit on American Bandstand. Nevertheless, the group started to undergo a series of personnel changes, with Ted and Phil heading back to college and Bill becoming and A&R man of his own. When leader Somerville left for a folk career in 1961, the group continued for decades with a shifting cadre of talent; the group performing with the name can only trace their lineage back to the 1973 group. 

The Diamonds facts and trivia: 

• Other members have included Mike Douglas, Evan Fisher, John Felten, and Jim Malone
• "Little Darlin'" was actually recorded quickly for the b-side of a song called "Faithful and True," which went nowhere
• Brook Benton taught the group the proper way to sing "The Stroll"
• Somerville later went on to sing with his other idols, the Four Preps
• Dave Somerville takes over bass duties on "Little Darlin'" when Bill Reed begins his famous spoken bridge

The Diamonds Awards and Honors:

• Vocal Group Hall of Fame (2004)
• Doo-Wop Hall of Fame (2006)
• Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1984)

The Diamonds hit singles and albums:

Top 10 hits

Pop:

• "Little Darlin'" (1957)
• "Silhouettes" (1958)
• "The Stroll" (1958)

R&B:

• "Little Darlin'" (1957)
• "Silhouettes" (1958)
• "The Stroll" (1958)

Other notable recordings: "Church Bells May Ring," "Zip Zip," "Words of Love," "Kathy-O," "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)," "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Love, Love, Love," "Ka-Ding-Dong," "Soft Summer Breeze," "High Sign," "Happy Years," "Walking Along," "Cool Cool Baby," "One Summer Night," "Where Mary Go," "Faithful and True," "My Judge and My Jury," "Ev'ry Minute of the Day," "Don't Say Goodbye," "Dance With Me," "Daddy Cool," "Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula," "Oh! Carol," "Believe Me," "Chimes in My Heart"

Movie and TV appearances (movies in italics): "The Eddy Arnold Show" (1956), "The Steve Allen Show" (1957), "The Dick Clark Show" (1958, 1959), The Big Beat (1958), "American Bandstand" (1960)

Covered by: Brenda Lee, Frankie Avalon, The Smithereens, Chubby Checker, The Royal Teens, Adriano Celentano, Sha Na Na