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Biography
Among the leading cover sets of the mid-’50s, the Gemstones adapted current R&B strikes into pop platinum of their very own. Hailing from Toronto, the Canadian quartet (comprising Ted Kowalski, Phil Leavitt, Expenses Reed, and Dave Somerville) authorized with Mercury in 1955 and instantly zoomed up pop play lists with addresses from the Teens’ “Why Perform Fools Fall in Like”; the Willows’ “Chapel Bells May Band”; and their biggest strike of most, a sanitized edition from the Gladiolas strike “Small Darlin’.” Fronted by David Somerville, the quartet strike with a genuine, the easy dance outing “The Stroll.” After weathering main personnel adjustments, the Gemstones notched their last strike in 1961. Somerville continued to be active like a single artist for a while, and the Diamond jewelry frequently toured the oldies picture.
Quick Facts
Full Name The Diamonds
Height 1.63 m
Parents Dimos Diamandis, Esther Diamandis
Music Songs Little Darlin, The Stroll, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, The Church Bells May Ring, Ka-Ding-Dong, She Say, Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula, Zip Zip, My Judge and My Jury, Walking Along, Sneaky Alligator, High Sign, One Summer Night, Where Mary Go, Smooch Me, Ev'ry Minute of the Day, Happy Years, Walkin' the Stroll, Woomai Ling, I Sho' Lawd Will, It's a Doggone Shame, You Short Changed Me, Kathy - O, Eternal Lovers, Be My Lovin' Baby, Words of Love, Don't Say Goodbye, Chimes in My Heart, Land Of Beauty, Shoo Ya Blues, Faithful and True, You Are the Limit
Albums America's Famous Song Stylists, The Stroll - 4 Original LPs Plus 17 Bonus Tracks ., The Collection 1955-1961, America's Number One Singing Stylists, Diamonds Hits, The Definitive Collection, Greatest Hits: The Diamonds Vol. 2, Pop Hits, Dance On, Bandstand Boogie!, Young in Years (Mono Version), Live, Solemnly Yours, Songs from the Old West, Diamonds- Live at the Rock 'N' Roll Palace, Sneaky Alligator (Mono Version), The Diamonds Singles File, You Baby You (Mono Version), She Say / From the Bottom of My Heart (Mono Version), The Best of The Diamonds: The Mercury Years, 25 Golden Hits, The Diamonds Greatest Hits, Little Darlin' - 50 Doo Wop Classics, Vintage Vocal Jazz / Swing No. 158 - EP: Happy Years, The Very Best: The Diamonds Vol. 1, Vintage Vocal Jazz / Swing No. 191 - EP: Little Darlin', Walking Along, The Stroll, Golden Greats - The Diamonds, Little Darlin, Greatest Hits, Walking Along (Mono Version), Silhouettes (Mono Version), Little Darling, The Diamonds: 27 Carat,The Very Best of The Diamonds, The Diamonds Tracks - Gold Legend Series, Daddy Cool (Mono Version), The Very Best: The Diamonds Vol. 2, Classics, The Stroll (Mono Version), Little Darlin' - 4 Track EP, Vintage Vocal Jazz / Swing No. 153 - EP: The Old West, Golden Hits, Vintage Vocal Jazz / Swing No. 162 - EP: Tenderly, Vintage Vocal Jazz / Swing No. 141 - EP: Passion Flower, Way Back When : Dana, Dan and The Diamonds, Doo Wop, Best of 25 Years, Walkin' the Stroll / Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula (Mono Version), The Complete Singles As & BS 1955-62, The Extended Play Collection - The Diamonds
Nominations Brit Award for Critics' Choice, NME Award for Hottest Woman
- Facts
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| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | There's a rumor that the father of actor Tom Hanks was a member of this group, but that's not true. |
| 2 | Member Ted Kowalski died of heart disease on August 8, 2010, at age 79. Bill Reed died on Oct. 26, 2004, at age 68. |
| 3 | One of their biggest hits, "The Stroll", was written by R&B singer Brook Benton. |
| 4 | Baritone Phil Levitt's last name is commonly misspelled as "Leavitt". |
| 5 | Bass Bill Reed was chased by a bear on The Paul Winchell Show (1950). |
| 6 | Bass Bill Reed may have been the earliest verified performer of the "air guitar". This was in 1957 and was recorded from a live TV show and can be viewed on YouTube. |
| 7 | They thought the song "Faithful & True", the flip side of "Little Darlin'", would be the hit. |
| 8 | They credited a black gospel group, The Revelaires, out of Detroit, as the major influence on their singing. |
| 9 | Lead David Somerville sang the bass part on "Little Darlin'" during Bill Reed's recitation. |
| 10 | Performed "Little Darlin'" and "Where Mary Go" in The Big Beat (1958). |
| 11 | Sang the title songs for two films, Kathy O' (1958) and The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962). |
| 12 | Members have included David Somerville (d. 2015), Ted Kowalski (d. 2010), Phil Levitt, Bill Reed (d. 2004), Bill New, Bob Duncan, Gary Owens, Sean Sooter, Jerry Siggins, Jeff Dolan, Mike Douglas, Evan Fisher, John Felten, Glen Stetson, Steve Smith, Gary Cech, Joe Denis, Jerry Honeycutt, Jim Malone. |
Soundtrack
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Hit Wonderland | 2012 | TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode | |
| Les seigneurs | 2012 | performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| Call the Midwife | 2012 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews | 2011 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Beautiful Girls | 1996 | performer: "The Stroll" | |
| There Goes My Baby | 1994 | performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| Book of Love | 1990 | performer: "Little Darlin" | |
| Heavy Petting | 1989 | Documentary performer: "Little Darling" | |
| Prom Night II | 1987 | performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| Peggy Sue Got Married | 1986 | performer: "The Stroll" | |
| Night of the Creeps | 1986 | performer: "The Stroll" | |
| DTV: Pop & Rock | 1984 | Video performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| The Loveless | 1981 | performer: "The Stroll" | |
| The Hollywood Knights | 1980 | performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| American Hot Wax | 1978 | performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| American Graffiti | 1973 | writer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| The Horizontal Lieutenant | 1962 | performer: "The Horizontal Lieutenant" | |
| Kathy O' | 1958 | performer: "Kathy-O" | |
| The Big Beat | 1958 | performer: "Little Darlin'" | |
| The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | 1957 | TV Series performer - 1 episode |
Actor
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Big Beat | 1958 | Guest Performers |
Self
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Moments: The Best of 50's Pop | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Themselves |
| Doo Wop 51 | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Themselves |
| All You Need Is Love | 1977 | TV Series documentary | Themselves |
| The Bob Braun Show | 1967 | TV Series | Themselves - Recording Artists |
| Top Beat | 1964 | TV Mini-Series | Themselves |
| New American Bandstand 1965 | 1957-1960 | TV Series | Themselves |
| The Dick Clark Show | 1958-1959 | TV Series | Themselves |
| The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | 1957 | TV Series | Themselves-Vocal Group / Themselves - Vocal Group |
Archive Footage
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Music: 50s & 60s Rock Rewind | 2014 | TV Movie | Themselves |
| DTV: Pop & Rock | 1984 | Video | Themselves |
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