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.

Dave   Somerville   -      Born   Oct.2,   1933   /   died   July   14,   2015.   Dave   grew   up   in   the   small   town   of Rockwood,   Ontario,   Canada.   At   the   age   of   14,   he   moved   to   Toronto   and   after   high   school   entered Central   Tech   to   study   architecture.   Being   from   a   musical   family,   and   also   a   very   talented   singer,   he soon   realized   that   architecture   was   not   for   him.   He   left   tech   school   and   got   a   position   as   a   radio operator   at   the   Canadian   Broadcasting   Corp.   Not   to   neglect   his   singing,   he   studied   voice   under   the teaching of the respected Dr. Ernesto Vinci. One   day   in   the   hallway   of   the   C.   B.   C., He   noticed   four   gentlemen   practicing   their   singing   and stopped   to   listen.   After   exchanging   amenities,   Dave   learned   they   were   there   to   enter   a   local   show called,   "Pick   the   Stars".   After   more   conversation   he   offered   to   be   their   manager   and   the   group accepted.

This   group   was   Stan   Fisher,   Ted   Kowalski,   Phil   Levitt,   and   Bill   Reed.   They   agreed   and   for   the   next   several   months   Dave   provided   tutoring and   got   practice   time   in   un-occupied   studios   at   the   C.B.C.   Later,   the   group   was   to   sing   for   a   party   at   a   local   church.   That   date   conflicted with   studies   the   of   Stan   Fisher,   the   lead   singer,   and   Fisher   decided   he   needed   take   some   time   off.   Since   Dave   knew   all   the   songs,   he   took Fisher’s   place.   The   audience   reaction   to   the   Dave   Somerville   led   group   was   so   tremendous,   the   group   decided   that   night   to   go professional.   In   another   fateful   decision,   Fisher   decided   to   stay   in   law   school   and   not   continue   with   the   group.   Dave   became   the permanent lead. Dave   had   great   success   with   The   Diamonds,   spending   approximately   8   years   as   lead.   Peaking   with   the   song   “Little   Darlin”   that   for   8 weeks,   reached   no.   2   on   the   charts.   Dave   has   said,   “It   would   have   reached   no.   1   if   it   hadn’t   been   for   that   danged   Elvis”.   With   multiple appearances   on American   Bandstand,   this   good   looking   singer   with   a   great   voice   and      smile   could   evoke   screams   and   sighs   from   many   a teenage girl.   In   1961,   Dave   left   the   Diamonds   and   went   solo   under   the   name   of   David   Troy.   He   joined   The   Four   Preps   in   1967   singing   bass.   Somerville was   the   first   replacement   member   for   the   Preps.   In   1969   he   concentrated   on   folk   music   with   a   former   member   of   the      Four   Preps,   Bruce Belland.   The   duo   appeared   in   concerts,   TV,   and   spent   time   as   regulars   on   the   Tim   Conway   Show.   From   1972-74   Dave   founded   the   group WW   Fancy.   In   the   late   80s   he   again   sang   with   original   members   of   the   Diamonds   on   occasion.   He   also   returned   to   the   Four   Preps,   and somehow found time to organize another group call Somerville’s Diamonds. He   studied   acting   with   Leonard   Nimoy   and   has   acted   in   many TV   shows,   including   Star Trek: The   Original   Series.   (See   Photo)    He   also   co- wrote   the   theme   song   for   the   series,   “The   Fall   Guy”,   staring   Lee   Majors.   But   its   in   the   recording   studios   where   he   creates   his   most   lasting impressions.   Renowned   for   his   harmonies   and   incredible   vocal   range,   he   has   performed   in   shows   of   Johnny   Mathis,   Henry   Mancini   and Bill   Cosby.   When   actor   David   Carradine   recruited   him   during   the   scoring   of   the   film   "Mata   Hari,   he   performed   as   a   "one   man"   quartet.      He is   greatly   in   demand   as   a   voice-over   artist   in   Hollywood.    In   his   club   act,   the   1957   Greyhound   Bus Tour   has   been   a   crowd   pleaser   for   some time.   In   more   recent      ventures,   Somerville   sang   in   a   group   called   “Triple   Gold”,   with   Jim Yester   &   Bruce   Belland. This   trio   represents   the   groups, “The Association”,   “The   Four   Preps”,   and   “The   Diamonds”,   singing   hits   from   all   three   groups.   Not   to   forget,   he   still   is   the   lead   in   his   original group,   The   Diamonds,   when   they   get   together   for   oldies   shows.   His   most   recent   was   a   three   year   stint   at   the   Dick   Clark   American Bandstand Theatre in Branson, Mo. Dave has recordings and mp3s available at   Amazon.   For additional information on Dave, visit his page at  Wikipedia. To quote Dave: “Seen   through   music   history’s   rear   view   mirror,   The   Diamonds   were   the   most   successful   white   pop   group   of   the   mid   50s,   however   many listeners   believed   we   were   black.   We   showed   up   seven   times   on   Billboard’s   R&B   charts.   We   were   fortunate   to   have   had   cross-cultural acceptance.   Our   contribution   to   that   era   may   be   described   as   catalytic,   in   that   we   bridged   black   and   white   singing   and   styles   of arrangement.   During   our   five   years   recording   career   we   sang   both   original   and   un-covered   songs   of   a   half   dozen   east   coast   groups. During the fall of 1957, we performed with Rock & Roll’s first major tour.” “Little   Darlin’   is   Mercury   Records’   all   time   best   seller   and   one   of   the   top   100   most   popular   records   since   1955.   It’s   the   6th   biggest   recording ever   by   a   Canadian   act.   Our   2nd   million   seller,   The   Stroll,   still   accompanies   the   longest   surviving   line   dance   in   recording   history.   We   are thankful to have been recognized by four Halls Of Fame.” “Elvis   was   a   fan   (he   re-recorded   Little’   Darlin’).   Bob   Dylan   and   Carol   King   have   named   The   Diamonds   as   an   influence.   Gratifying   for   4 blue-eyed semi-virgin white guys from Toronto.” 2003 Interview with Dave Somerville by A. Merey Dave was inducted into the Doo Wop Music Hall of Fame  Sunday, November 16, 2014 Burbank, CA Dave Somerville passed away Tuesday morning, July 14, 2015, of pancreatic cancer. See Obituary