The Diamonds

In 1953, Dave Somerville was working as a sound engineer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto, Canada. One of the shows produced at the CBC was Pick The Stars, a local talent show. He noticed four gentlemen practicing in the hallway for that show, and stopped to listen. After exchanging niceties, Somerville offered to be their manager. This group was composed of Stan Fisher, Ted Kowalski, Phil Levitt, and Bill Reed. They agreed and for the next several months, Somerville provided tutoring, and got practice time in un-occupied studios at the CBC.
That Christmas, the group was to sing for a Christmas party at a local church. That date conflicted with lead singer Stan Fisher's studies for a law exam; Fisher decided he needed the study time. Since Somerville knew all the songs, he took Fisher’s place. The audience reaction to the Somerville-led group was so tremendous that the group that night decided to turn professional. In one fateful decision Fisher decided to stay in law school and not continue with the group. Somerville became the permanent lead, and that was the night The Diamonds were born.
By 1955, all members of the group had left college, and/or jobs to sing full time. Professional musician Nat Goodman became their manager and got The Diamonds onto Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on American television. The result of the contest was a stalemate between The Diamonds and another contestant. The prize of being guest artist for a week on Godfrey’s show led to a recording contract with Coral Records. Coral released four songs, the most notable being "Black Denim Trousers & Motorcycle Boots", a cover of a recording originally by The Cheers. The Diamonds' version sold a few thousand copies, which was only enough to get them a little local recognition.
The next big step was an audition with Cleveland, Ohio, radio disc jockey Bill Randle, who had aided in the success of some popular groups, such as The Crew Cuts. Randle was impressed with The Diamonds and introduced them to Mercury Records, who signed the group to a recording contract. At this time, black artists were not played on white radio stations. Mercury Records, as well as other major record companies, were designating white artists to cover the recordings of black artists for the purpose of expanding their listening audience.
The Diamonds’ first recording for Mercury was "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," a cover of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers’s version, which reached #12 in the U.S. as their first hit. They had a hit follow-up single, "The Church Bells May Ring" (originally by The Willows), which reached #14 in the U.S. They also covered songs by such black groups as The Clovers and The Heartbeats.
The Diamonds biggest hits were 1957's "Little Darlin'" (originally recorded by The Gladiolas) and 1958's "The Stroll", which was not a cover, but an original song written for the group by Brook Benton, from an idea by Dick Clark.
Although they were signed to do rock and roll, Mercury also paired them with Pete Rugolo in one of his "Meet" series. 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 The Big Beat, and sang the theme song for another film, Kathy-O.
They had many television appearances, including the TV shows of Steve Allen, Perry Como, Vic Damone, Tony Bennett, Eddy Arnold and Paul Winchell. They also appeared on American Bandstand.
By 1961, all original members had left the group. The members were now Jim Malone (lead vocal), Mike Douglas (baritone), Evan Fisher (tenor, who, contrary to popular belief, was not the brother of original lead Stan Fisher), and John Felton (bass). 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 their Mercury contract expired, the group recorded a single ("The Slide/Melody of Love") and an album for the independent NATHANIAL label. Jimmy Malone and Evan Fisher left the group to perform as a duo in the mid 60s.
Mike Douglas carried the torch throughout the 1960s and 70s, and after his departure, John Felton became the driving force of the Diamonds.
In 1975, John Felton hired USC graduate Gary Owens as a bass guitar player. Owens eventually became The Diamonds baritone after the departure of Mike Douglas and continues to guide the group to this day. The lineup of Owens, Michael Lawrence, Adam David Marino and Jeff Dolan is the latest combination and strives to be true to the legendary sound created by Somerville, Levitt, Kowalski and Reed.