V.RARE 1958 DIAMONDS 78 WALKING ALONG UK MER AMT1004 EX

The original group consisted of Dave Somerville, Phil Levitt, Ted Kowalski, and Bill Reed. When Kowalski and Reed left they were replaced by Californians John Felton and Evan Fischer.

In the beginning the group practiced several types of vocal styles, including four part "barber style" harmony. The Diamonds  began their singing in local clubs, school functions, church socials, and anywhere they could find an audience.

They came to the attention of Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca Records, where they covered two records, Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle  Boots ( a hit for the Cheers) b\w "Nip Sip" (a Clovers song) during the summer of 1955. Neither sold well enough to convince Coral to retain them.  However, Bill Randle, an influential Cleveland deejay, liked them enough to mention their name to an executive at Mercury Records. the Diamonds signed with one of the labels that developed the market for "covers."

The Diamonds decision to cover rhythm and blues artist was the result of economic reality: cover records sold very well in markets where the original versions wouldn't be acceptable. Among their hits in 1956 were "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," "Church Bells May Ring," "Love, Love, Love" and "Ka-King-Dong," originally recorded by the Teenagers, the Willows, the Clovers, and the G-Clefs, respectively.

Their biggest hit was a cover of the Gladiola's "Little Darlin'." The Gladiolas version came out in the first week in February, 1957. In less then two weeks the Diamonds version was out. Legend has it that prior to the recording session the group rehearsed the song all night in their hotel room, becoming so fed up that they exaggerated the bass and falsetto parts in an attempt to turn the song into a satire of itself. This is only partly true. Maurice Williams, the Gladiola's lead singer, invented all the vocal trills and hiccups.. However, the spoken bridge was not performed by the Gladiolas.The Diamonds continued covering other artists  and their version of "Words of Love"  brought the song's writer Buddy Holly his first significant royalties. By late 1957, the music industry began to accept as true that what had been known by teenagers for two years: original rock and roll couldn't be copied just by anyone. Rock and Roll was a form of expression that relied as much on delivery as on lyrics and musical notation. Rock and Roll singers learned this lesson for themselves as they many switched from small companies to major labels. Often their first session's attempted to record their earlier hits by copying the original style.

Seeing the future the Diamonds sought an original song to record. In the late spring of 1957, Chuck Willis' "C.C. Ryder" became the first of a string of rhythm and blues songs based on a dance named the Stroll. Clyde Otis, a songwriter who had with Nancy Lee written a song based on the new dance, approached the Diamonds. "The Stroll" became a huge hit partly as a result as a result of repeated airings on American Bandstand. "The Stroll" was perfect for television because it was exuberant and photogenic.

The groups popularity waned after "The Stroll." By 1959, after "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom), the group's popularity was over as they no longer appealed to the teenagers. During the next two years  the Diamonds became a popular attraction on the dinner club circuit in Las Vegas, New York, and Chicago. They had a minor hit in 1961 with a version of the Danleers 1958 hit, "One Summer Night." Soon thereafter, the group disbanded.