The Diamonds 1958-1961

In the summer of 1958 The Diamonds recorded an album that took them away (temporarily at least) from rock and roll. At the time, no one really knew how long rock and roll would last and The Diamonds themselves were anxious to put down some material that showcased their talents as serious musicians. The album was produced in collaboration with Pete Rugolo and consisted of twelve modern arrangements of traditional jazz and swing songs. Rugolo created a number of swinging arrangements that embraced time signature changes, tempo changes and some excellent instrumental breaks - especially by Alto saxophonist Bud Shank. The album was recorded in Capitol Towers in Hollywood (studio A). It was released under the title The Diamonds meet Pete Rugolo and was available in mono and stereo versions. Each song was recorded at least twice at the session - one version in stereo and another in mono. Unfortunately the album was not the hit that either The Diamonds or Mercury hoped that it would have been, but it was a moderate seller in 1958 and 1959.

The Diamonds underwent a significant personnel change in the fall of 1958. Original members Tedd Kowalski and Bill Reed retired from the group (on the same day).

Bill Reed's replacement was Canadian Bryan Hook, who briefly sang with the group. Tedd Kowalski was replaced by tenor Ray Gangi, who had previously sung with "Dicky Doo and the Don'ts" (who had the hits "Click Clack"and "Did you Cry"). Ray had actually already begun singing with The Diamonds while Tedd was still present - this was in anticipation of his impending departure. However, both Bryan's and Ray's stay with The Diamonds was relatively short lived. Neither Ray nor Bryan hit it off too well with the Diamonds' manager Nat Goodman. Whilst Bryan was a good bass vocalist, he was replaced by Californian John Felten - perhaps at the request of arranger Lincoln Mayorga who had been working in close collaboration with The Diamonds at the time. Ray left the group in late 1958 to be replaced by Evan Fisher - also from California who was one of the founding members of The Four Preps (who later came to fame with the million seller "26 Miles to Santa Catalina").

The first recording session that the two new guys sung on yielded what was to be The Diamonds last chart hit for a considerable time - the Barry Mann penned She Say (oom dooby doom). She Say was a good sized hit for The Diamonds. It was the kind of song The Diamonds had become known for - group harmony rock and roll. Dave Somerville recalled how he laid down the falsetto part after The Diamonds had recordd the song. Feeling that it needed something more, he returned to the studio later in the evening - on the day when the song was done - and overdubbed the part. The first tour with new Diamonds Evan and John included Hawaii and then Australia, where they performed at the Sydney Stadium. Of the record releases that followed in 1959 and 1960 none seemed to capture the interest of the record buying public - this is in spite of some excellent sides that were recorded. Songs such as A Mother's Love, Gretchen, The Twenty Second Day, Young in Years, Tell The Truth, Real True Love, The Munch, The Crumble, Slave Girl, Woomai-Ling were as good as anything The Diamonds ever did, but it is well documented by music historians that solo singers were the current "thing", and all vocal groups - not just The Diamonds - were being edged off the charts by the "teen idols".

It was this group that also recorded Songs of the Old West (1960). The album was available in both stereo and mono versions. Neither album was overly successful in the marktplace, but artistically, both had merit.Songs of the Old West was a collection of twelve traditional western songs tghat were recorded in hollywood -- this time featuring a small band - also arranged and conducted by Pete Rugolo.

The group toured extensively throughout 1959 -1961 with the lineup of Dave Somerville (lead), Evan Fisher (tenor), Mike Douglas (baritone) and John Felten (bass).

In 1951, The Diamonds scored their last chart hit with a revival of The Danleers One Summer Night. The Danleers were label mates of The Diamonds who originally recorded the song in 1957 an made it their one and only hit

Clockwise from top - John Felten, Evan Fisher, Dave Somerville, Mike Douglas

"Another hit in the making?"

Songs of the Old West - a great concept album from 1960