- Born
- December 1953
- Birthplace
- Toronto, ON, Canada
- Members
- David Troy (lead vocals, 1953-61), Ted Kowalski (tenor vocals, 1953-58), Bill Reed (bass vocals, 1953-58), Phil Levitt (baritone vocals, 1953-57), Mike Douglas (baritone vocals, 1957-72), John Felten (bass vocals, 1958-68), Evan Fisher (tenor vocals, 1958-68), Jim Malone (lead vocals, 1961-68), Danny Rankin (bass vocals, 1968-82), Harry Harding (tenor vocals, 1968-69), Don Weir (lead vocals, 1968), Glenn Stetson (lead vocals, 1969-82), Joe Derise (tenor vocals, 1969-78), Robert Mira (tenor vocals, 1978-82), Gary Owens (baritone vocals, tenor saxophone, 1982-present), Steve Smith (lead vocals, 1982-2011), Bob Duncan (tenor vocals, 1982-2008), Gary Cech (bass vocals, 1982-91), Jerry Siggins (bass vocals, lead vocals, trombone, 1991-present), Sean Sooter (tenor vocals, alto saxophone, 2008-present), Jeff Dolan (bass vocals, trombone, 2011-present)
Artist Biography
by Bill Dahl
One of the leading cover groups of the mid-'50s, the Diamonds adapted current R&B hits into pop gold of their own. Hailing from Toronto, the Canadian quartet (consisting of Ted Kowalski, Phil Leavitt, Bill Reed, and Dave Somerville) signed with Mercury in 1955 and immediately zoomed up pop play lists with covers of the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"; the Willows' "Church Bells May Ring"; and their biggest hit of all, a sanitized version of the Gladiolas hit "Little Darlin'." Fronted by David Somerville, the quartet hit with an original, the smooth dance outing "The Stroll." After weathering major personnel changes, the Diamonds notched their last hit in 1961. Somerville remained active as a solo artist for a time, and the Diamonds often toured the oldies scene.