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.
Gold Recordings
Little Darlin’
The
Diamonds
were
played
a
demo
record
of
a
ballad
with
a
Hawaiian
flavor
called
"Faithful
and
True".
They
really
liked
it
and
persuaded
Mercury
to
let
them
record
it.
Mercury
agreed,
and
told
them
that
the
flip
side
would
be
a
cover
of
a
song
called
"Little
Darlin’"
by
The
Gladiolas,
led
by
Maurice
Williams
who
had
written
it.
Feburary
2,
1957,
they
went
in
to
the
studio
for
a
recording
session
and
spent
a
lot
of
time
and
effort
working
up
"Faithful
and
True",
then
whipped
up
a
version
of
"Little
Darlin’",
complete
with
an
Ink
Spots-like
spoken
bass
solo.
That
evening
they
recorded
both
songs
in
a
long,
late
session.
The
Diamonds
tried
to
concentrate
on
"Faithful",
while
David
Carroll
kept
them
working
on
"Darlin’"
until
they
had
a
pretty
creditable
version,
which
included
what
must
have
been
a
first,
a
Latin
rhythm
cowbell
(David
Carroll’s
brainchild).
The
Diamonds
were
excited
as
they
were
sure
they
had
a
real
winner
with
"Faithful".
They
went
back
on
the
road
and
kept
an
anxious
eye
on
the
charts,
but
were
surprised
when
"Little
Darlin’"
started
to
chart
very
quickly,
while
"Faithful
and
True"
was
well
behind.
"Just wait!", they said. "Little Darlin’", of course, wound up as the big winner, reaching #2 nationally, - Phil Levitt
“Little Darlin”
Silhouettes
In
September
16,
1957,
Mercury
released
“Silhouettes”.
By
this
time
The
Diamonds
had
their
first
personnel
change,
when
Phil
Levitt
left
in
mid
year.
Mike
Douglas
was
now
singing
baritone.
“Silhouettes”
reached
#10
on
Billboard but took a lot longer to go gold. The Rays recorded the original and I recall both versions were popular.
“Silhouettes”
The Stroll
Later
that
year,
December
2,
1957,
“The
Stroll”
was
released.
The
kids
on
American
Bandstand
were
dancing
to
a
dance
called
the
stroll.
Although
there
wasn’t
a
song
by
that
title,
Dick
Clark
is
credited
with
coming
up
with
the
idea to have a song named after the dance. His instinct knew it would be a hit. Good instinct, Dick.
“The Stroll”
1984 Inductees in the
Canadian Music H.O.F
2004 Inductee into The Vocal
Group Hall OF Fame. Pictures
Awards and Halls of Fame
2006 Inductee into The Doo-
Wop Hall of Fame of America
1957 was the Diamonds most prolific year of their recording career, rendering three
certified gold recording from the 13 songs released during that period. Below are
those three with a sample of each. All of their singles can be heard on the “Singles”
page.
Listed are also four of the Halls of Fame in which they were inducted.
The Diamonds
