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.
Bill Reed
Bass singer with the doo-wop group the Diamonds on such hits as 'Little Darlin'
13 November 2004
William Reed, singer: born Toronto, Ontario 11 January 1936;
twice married (four sons); died Port St Lucie, Florida 22 October 2004.
Bill
Reed
sang
the
distinctive
bass
parts
which
made
the
clean-cut
Canadian
Doo-Wop
group
the Diamonds such a smash on both sides of the Atlantic.
In
1957,
their
cover
of
"Little
Darlin'
"
reached
No
2
in
the
US
charts
and
3
in
the
UK.
The
group
had
an
impressive
sequence
of
14
consecutive
singles
in
the
US
Top
Forty,
of
which
"The
Stroll",
another
of
their
signature
tunes,
was
used
to
great
effect
on
the
soundtrack
to
the
1973
film American Graffiti.
Born
in
1936
in
Toronto,
William
Reed
followed
in
the
footsteps
of
his
father,
Harry,
who
owned
a
barber's
and
sang
on
the
radio
when
he
wasn't
harmonizing
with
his
customers.
At
university
in
1954,
Bill
formed
a
singing
quartet
with
his
fellow
students
Stan
Fisher
(lead),
Ted
Kowalski
(tenor)
and
Phil
Levitt
(baritone),
and
they
were
talent-spotted
by
the
CBC
radio
technician
Dave Somerville.
Fisher
couldn't
make
their
first
gig
because
of
an
exam
the
following
morning,
so
Somerville
took
over
lead
vocals
for
the
newly
christened
Four
Diamonds.
When
they
decided
to
turn
professional
Fisher
opted
to
finish
his
law
degree
and
the
quartet
carried
on
singing in supper clubs as the Diamonds.
That
summer,
they
signed
to
Coral,
the
Decca
subsidiary,
but
both
sides
of
their
début
single,
"Black
Denim
Trousers
and
Motorcycle
Boots"
and
"Nip
Sip",
were
competing
with
the
original
versions,
respectively
by
the
Cheers
and
the
Clovers
-
and
the
Diamonds
lost
out
on both counts.
However,
while
on
a
trip
to
Cleveland,
they
met
up
with
a
local
disc-jockey,
Bill
Randle,
who
had
championed
the
Crew-Cuts,
another
Canadian
vocal
group.
The
Diamonds
sang
a
cappella
for
Randle
who
was
so
impressed
he
recommended
them
to
the
Mercury
label
and
also
suggested
they
cover
"Why
Do
Fools
Fall
in
Love",
the
Frankie
Lymon
&
the
Teenagers
song
then
climbing
up
the
R&B
charts.
Competition
was
fierce
between
the
different
versions
but,
opening
with
Reed's
basslines,
the
Diamonds
adaptation
reached
No
12
on
the pop charts in 1956, behind Frankie Lymon at No 6 and Gale Storm's version at 9.
They
carried
on
covering
R&B
smashes
-
"Church
Bells
May
Ring"
by
the
Willows,
"Love
Love
Love"
by
the
Clovers,
"Ka-Ding-Dong"
by
the
G-Clefs
-
and
crossing
them
over
to
the
pop
charts.
Their
biggest
success
came
in
1957
when
their
manager
Nat
Goodman
spotted
"Little
Darlin'
"
-
written
by
Maurice
Williams
and
originally
recorded
with
his
group
the
Gladiolas.
Reed
turned
the
talking
bridge
into
a
basso profundo tour de force worthy of the Inkspots. Only "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley kept them off the No 1 spot
in the US and "Little Darlin' " eventually sold four million copies worldwide.
The
follow-up
single,
a
version
of
Buddy
Holly's
"Words
of
Love",
opened
with
Reed's
smooth
bass
and
also
featured
the
singer
on
another
talking
bridge.
In
1958
the
Diamonds'
convincing
vocals
propelled
the
infectious
song
"The
Stroll"
into
the
US
Top
Five.
After
three
more
singles
-
"High
Sign",
the
title
song
from
the
Patty
McCormack
film
Kathy
O'
(1958)
and
"Walking
Along"
-
both
Kowalski
and
Reed left the group.
Reed moved to Florida, where he became a record promoter.
-- Pierre Perrone
See Biography
