The 1950’s Fabulous Foursome! This   is   a   fan   site   of   the   original   Diamonds   of   the   1950s. All hailing   from   Canada,   they   made   their   way   to      the   U.   S., and   with   their   songs   and   energy,   endeared   themselves   to their fans forever.

AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVE SOMERVILLE By Andy Merey - 2003 Following Is A Transcript Of The Author's Telephone Interview On September 13, 2003 With Mr. Somerville, From His Residence In Hollywood, California.

AM   —   The   Diamonds   went   through   several   personnel   changes   over   the   years.   When   and   how   did   you   come   about joining the group? DS   -   In   1953   while   I   was   an   audio   engineer   for   the   Canadian   Broadcasting   Corporation   in   Toronto,   I   was   curious   about some   guys   standing   in   the   hall   in   line   waiting   to   audition   for   a   TV   show   called   "Now's   Your   Chance"   and   thought   they might   be   a   quartet.   I   asked   them   if   they   were,   and   they   said   "   yes".   Those   guys   were   Ted   Kowalski,   Phil   Levitt,   Bill Reed   and   Stan   Fisher.   I   became   friends   with   them   and   offered   my   services   as   a   music   coach.   The   church   that   Ted Kowalski   belonged   to   found   out   he   was   in   a   quartet,   and   asked   if   the   group   could   play   at   a   church   function.   Stan   Fisher couldn't   do   it   so   the   other   three   asked   me   if   I   would   join   them   and   we   sang   in   the   basement   at   St.   Thomas   Aquinas Church   [at   Dufferin   and   Eglinton]   in   Toronto.   That's   how   I   became   part   of   the   group.   We   had   three   songs   in   the repertoire   then,   including   "Down   By   the   Riverside"   and   "I   Understand   (Just   How   You   Feel)",   a   hit   for   The   Four   Tunes. Ultimately, I ended up singing lead on all of the sixteen hits by The Diamonds.   AM — In 1955 what drew the group to Cleveland and a record deal with Coral Records in New York? DS   -   From   "Time"   magazine,   we   knew   that   Bill   Randle   was   the   number   one   DJ   in   the   country,   in   1955.   He   had discovered   The   Crew-Cuts,   Dizzie   Gillespie;   and   so   we   got   ourselves   a   job   in   Cleveland   hoping   to   meet   him.   We   did. Bill   recommended   us   to   Mercury   Records   in   Chicago.   Starting   in   January   of   1956,   we   did   half   a   dozen   sessions,   four songs   each   in   Chicago.   David   Carroll,   who   was   with   the   A   &   R   department,   was   our   producer.   Our   manager   was   Nat Goodman. AM   —   Yes,   my   next   question   is   about   David   Carroll.   He   did   most   of   the   orchestrations   behind   the   records   but   did   he also produce most of them? DS   -   Yes,   he   did.   Nat   Goodman   later   also   produced   some   of   our   records.   Nat   also   discovered   The   Smothers   Bros.,   he produced their first album. AM - Why were the majority of Diamonds recordings "covers" of mostly R & B songs? DS   -   That's   just   what   was   happening   at   the   time.   You   know   Mercury   was   a   strong   label,   they   were   looking   for   strong material.   Sometimes,   as   was   the   case   with   "Little   Darlin   '",   permission   was   asked   and   also   because   we   could   sing   in that   style.   We   loved   the   music   of   the   black   groups.   While   I   was   attending   Central   Tech   High   School   in   Toronto,   I   was introduced to a lot of those sounds. AM   —   Clyde   Otis,   who   wrote   "The   Stroll"   achieved   legendary   status   as A   &   R   director   and   producer   at   Mercury   during the late '50s and early '60s. Did he also produce The Diamonds? DS   -   Yes   he   did   he   produced   "The   Stroll"   which   was   especially   written   for   us.   Dick   Clark   had   made   a   comment   about   a new   dance   craze   called   the   Stroll   suggesting   to   us   that   a   song   should   be   written   about   The   Stroll;   Chuck   Willis'   "C.   C. Rider" popularized it. We asked Otis, by then already a successful songwriter, to create a song for us about the Stroll. AM   —   He   produced   a   host   of   great   Mercury   singles   by   such   singers   as   Dinah   Washington,   Sarah   Vaughn   and   of course, Brook Benton. DS — Yes, I attended several Dinah Washington recording sessions. AM   —   Do   you   have   any   other   specific   recollections   about   Clyde   Otis   or   his   right-hand   man   at   the   time,   Belford Hendricks? DS   —   Belford   Hendricks! Yes,   "Sinky",   we   called   him   "Sinky";   he   was   a   great   influence. Actually,   there   were   three   guys; Brook   Benton   was   the   other   one   in   a   trio   of   writers.   Hendricks   would   sit   with   us,   and   in   particular,   did   a   lot   of   phrasing for the group. AM — Very talented people. DS   —   They   sure   were   and   Clyde   is   still   a   friend   of   mine;   he   lives   in   New   Jersey,   in   a   six-bedroom   mansion,   a   Beverly Hills   style   house,   which   he   bought   with   the   proceeds   from   writing   "The   Stroll".   He   produced   seventeen   consecutive   hits with   Brook   Benton.   Clyde   produced   and   wrote   "A   Mother's   Love"   for   us,   which   is   one   performance   I   especially   like;   I think it came off really well.   AM   —   During   the   '50s,   The   Diamonds   traveled   extensively   with   other   rock   and   roll   stars   on   cross-country   bus   tours. Any special stories to relate about Buddy Holly? DS   —   Well,   Buddy   and   I   were   good   friends   actually.   We   did   41   shows   together   over   ten   days   with   Little   Richard;   the "Show   of   Stars"   tour   in   '57,   the   first   major   rock   &   roll   tour   starring   Fats   Domino,   and   over   a   dozen   more   jukebox   pioneer greats.   We   also   did   the   Alan   Freed   rock   'n   roll   tour   called   "Big   Beat"   with   Buddy   Holly   &   the   Crickets   billed   as   two separate   acts,   and   The   Chantels,   Billie   &   Lillie,   Clyde   McPhatter,   Eddie   Cochran,   Larry   Williams,   Jerry   Lee   Lewis, Chuck   Berry, The   Pastels,   Dicky   Doo   &   the   Don'ts,   Buddy   Knox   and   Jimmy   Bowen   with   the   Rhythm   Orchids,   Screamin' Jay Hawkins, etc. AM — You were really in the thick of it with other rock and roll stars back then. DS — Yes, absolutely. AM — Anything else you can recall about Buddy? DS   —As   we   sat   together   on   the   bus   on   one   of   the   tours,   I   remember   we   talked   about   school   and   also   the   girls   we   were dating at the time. He was dating Echo McGuire. She ditched him because he played the "devil's music". [!] AM — Eddie Cochran? DS — Oh yeah, he was sitting directly across from us on the bus. Yeah, he was a terrific guy; great guitar player. AM — Any other rock and roll singers you remember traveling with back then? DS — Well, I am going to be including a lot of that in the book I'm writing AM — You're writing a book? When can we expect to see it? DS — I'm at about page 100 right now. AM   —   Getting   back   to   Buddy   Holly;   The   Diamonds   recorded   a   fine   "cover"   of   Holly's   "Words   of   Love".   The   label   on   the 45 shows Holly's name as Holley with an 'e'. Why was it spelled that way on the label? DS   —   That's   the   way   the   family   name   was   spelled;   soon   after   he   dropped   the   'e'   for   the   rest   of   his   career.   By   the   way, "Words   of   Love"   was   not   a   "cover",   we   got   it   directly   from   the   publisher;   it   was   Holly's   first   hit   as   a   songwriter.   We   had the   first   version. The   same   thing   happened   with   "Silhouettes"   and   "Daddy   Cool".   It   came   to   us   as   a   demo,   the   publisher realized   the   demo   with   The   Rays   was   really   strong.   They   put   it   out   a   few   days   ahead   of   us,   but   in   actuality   we   had   it first. AM — Contrary to the reputation The Diamonds have as "cover" artists, this often wasn't the case. DS — And there is nothing wrong with "cover" versions. AM — Oh no, not at all, Diamonds records are great. DS   —   I   think   what   we   did   more   specifically,   was   un-covered   some   great   music.   'Little   Darlin"   might   not   have   been   a   hit if   it   weren't   for   our   record.   We   changed   the   key   and   the   tempo   of   the   song.   "Little   Darlin'   "   was   the   biggest   recording ever   at   Mercury,   bigger   than   any   of   The   Platters'   hits. Also,   it   is   the   sixth   biggest   recording   ever   by   a   Canadian   act   and one of the top hundred records since 1955. AM — The Diamonds sure put their own stamp on the song. DS — Right; and with permission, by the way. AM — Was it Maurice Williams? DS — Yeah, Maurice Williams. AM   —   In   1958,   Mercury   released   an   album   called   "The   Diamonds   Meet   Pete   Rugolo".   Rugolo   became   a   successful composer of movie and television music. What do you remember about him? DS   —   Pete   was   a   very   sweet   and   wise   man.   My   introduction   to   Japanese   food   was   when   Pete   took   me   and   his   stripper girlfriend out for dinner. It's been my favourite food ever since. AM — Anything you can tell us about other Mercury label mates during The Diamonds recording run at the company? DS   —   Yeah,   once   in   a   while   we'd   see,   on   promotional   tours,   The   Platters   and   people   like   Ralph   Marterie...   Rusty Draper,   The   Crew-Cuts   and   Brook   Benton   of   course.   He   coached   me   on   "The   Stroll".   Brook   was   a   very,   very   talented guy. AM   —   You   left   The   Diamonds   at   the   time   of   their   second-last   Mercury   single,   a   "cover"   of   "One   Summer   Night".   Why did you leave the group at the time? DS   —   Yes,   I   left   in August   of   1961   while   "One   Summer   Night"   was   on   the   charts,   the   last   song   I   ever   sang   the   lead   on and   the   group's   16th   and   last   hit.   I   left   because   I   wanted   to   do   a   folk   act.   I   changed   my   name   to   David   Troy   and   didn't tell anyone at that time I'd been part of The Diamonds. For the next five to six years I was a folk act. AM   —   You   teamed   up   with   Bruce   Belland   of   The   Four   Preps   and   recorded   with   him   as   Belland   &   Somerville.   How   did you hook up with The Four Preps. DS   —   Well,   Bruce   was   the   original   lead   singer   of The   Four   Preps. The   Four   Preps   and The   Diamonds   knew   each   other because   of   an   arranger   named   Lincoln   Mayorga,   the   5th   Prep;   we   were   friends   with   The   Preps   starting   in   1957.   Bruce and Glen Larson wrote many of The Preps' hits. AM   —   Glen   Larson   later   became   a   big   TV   producer   during   the   '70s   with   such   shows   as   "McCloud"   and   "Quincy", "Battlestar Galatica", "Magnum PI", etc. DS   —   Yes,   that's   right.   I   was   just   with   him   last   night.   In   '67   Ed   Cobb   had   just   left   the   group   and   they   asked   if   I'd   join them. AM   —   In   1988   a   New   Four   Preps   emerged.   The   group   consisted   of   you   and   two   of   the   original   Four   Preps.   How   did that venture turn out? DS   —   It   turned   out   very   well   actually;   I   still   sing   with   them.   We   first   recruited   former   Lettermen   Jim   Pike,   and   Jim Yester,   ex-Association.   We   combine   recordings   of   The   Four   Preps,   The   Diamonds   &   The   Lettermen.   We   now   sing   as The   Lead   Singers.   We   currently   sing   the   hits   of   The   Four   Prep,   The   Diamonds   and   The Association.   Incidentally,   as   a single   performer,      I've   just   done   8   shows   as   Diamond   Dave   Somerville   at   the   CNE   Bandshell   in   Toronto   with   "Bowser" of Sha-Na-Na. That was great fun being back in T.O. AM — Anything on a personal note you wish to share? DS   —   Oh,   yeah.   Well,   I'm   a   5th   generation   Ontarian.   My   ancestors   migrated   from   Scotland   and   England   I   was   born   in Guelph   in   1933   and   raised   in   Rockwood,   about   50   miles   west   of   Toronto.   I   come   from   a   long,   long   line   of   musicians. For   instance   my   grandfather,   his   brother   and   two   of   their   musical   sons   had   a   quartet   in   China   in   the   '20s   as   Methodist Missionary   folks   and   I   was   greatly   influenced   by   my   great   Aunt   Annie   who   was   my   grade   school   music   teacher   in Rockwood. Also,   my   uncle   Dick   Jolliffe   was   my   music   teacher   at   Central   Tech   in   Toronto   and   was   a   great   influence.   My cousin   Frank   Guild   with   Metropolitan   Opera   gave   me   my   first   singing   lessons.   By   the   way,   Bigelow   (Ted)   Joint   born   in Luchow,   China   to   missionary   parents,   became   leader   of   the   CCF   party   in   Ontario,   predecessor   of   the   NDP,   during   the late '40s and early '50s. He further distinguished himself by becoming a Rhodes scholar. AM   —   Dave,   one   more   question   and   one   that   record   collectors   are   always   curious   about.   Did   you   keep   all   or   most   of The Diamonds 45's, EP's and LP's? DS — Yes, I have copies of just about everything. But I can't find a copy of a record called "You Sho Lawd Will". AM — You don't have it? I'll put out a search for you on that one. DS — Great. Thanks. AM — Dave, thanks for being so helpful and amiable in granting this interview.