Diamonds

Started by montage, June 05, 2017, 03:47:57 AM

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montage

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The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet that rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with 16 Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (bass).

They were most noted for interpreting and introducing rhythm and blues vocal group music to the wider pop music audience.

Contrary to a popular myth, the father of Tom Hanks was never a member of the group.
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montage

#1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVLzXWnTzA


"Little Darlin'" is a popular Top 40 song, made famous by the Diamonds.

It was written by Maurice Williams with both melody and doo-wop accompaniment strongly emphasizing the clave rhythm. It was first recorded by Excello Records in January 1957 and quickly released as a rhythm-and-blues song by Williams' R&B group, The Gladiolas. The song is noted for its spoken recitation by the lead singer ("My Darlin' I need you...").

The Gladiolas, featuring Williams, were from Lancaster, South Carolina, where they had been together since high school. Their original version of the song was on the small Excello label. (Excello primarily recording "swamp blues" songs in Crowley, Louisiana.) The Gladiolas song peaked at No. 11 on the R&B charts in April 1957, but barely dented the hot 100. By 1959, Williams' group became "Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs" with the rock 'n roll-R&B hit "Stay."

The Diamonds' version
The Diamonds' version followed a month later. The Diamonds were soon covering Little Darlin' successfully. The Diamonds were a Canadian pop group that evolved into a Doo-Wop group. The Diamonds' version reached number two in sales for eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked this version as the No. 3 song for 1957.


The Diamonds' version is generally considered a superior version (though some die hard R&B purists disdain it since it is a cover).[citation needed] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine argues that the Diamonds Little Darlin' is an unusual example of a cover being better than the original:
[T]he Diamonds' take remained the bigger hit, and over the years, the better-known version. Normally, this would have been an outrage, but there's a reason why the Diamonds' version has sustained its popularity over the years: it's a better, fiercer recording. Both versions are good, even if they're a little silly, because it's a good doo wop song, giving each member of the quartet a lot to do. At times, the vocal phrases verge on self-parody -- the "ai-ya-yi-yai-yai-ya"'s or the "wella-wella"'s -- which may be why The Diamonds' version is superior.


On the Pop Chronicles, host John Gilliland claimed that their version was in fact a parody of the genre. Nonetheless, Little Darlin' (primarily the Diamonds' version, but to some extent the Gladiolas' version) remains an all-time Rock 'n Roll R&B classic.
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admin

#2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujyQpMVuf_Y

The Stroll was both a slow rock 'n' roll dance and a song that was popular in the late 1950s.

Billboard first reported that "The Stroll" might herald a new dance craze similar to the "Big Apple" in December 1957. "The Stroll" was written by Clyde Otis and Nancy Lee and was recorded by the Canadian group The Diamonds (Mercury 71242). The Diamonds' versions also featured a saxophone soloist.

The original version of the song reached #4 on the Billboard pop charts, #5 on the R&B charts,[7] and #1 on the Cashbox charts.

In the dance two lines of dancers, men on one side and women on the other, face each other, moving in place to the music. Each paired couple then steps out and does a more elaborate dance up and down between the rows of dancers. Dick Clark noted the similarity of the dance to the Virginia reel. It was first performed to "C. C. Rider" by Chuck Willis on American Bandstand. Link Wray's "Rumble" was also a popular tune for doing the stroll.

When 1950s nostalgia came to the forefront in the 1970s, The Stroll saw renewed public awareness. It was used in the film American Graffiti (1973) during the scene at the high school dance and is mentioned in some of the lyrics in the musical Grease. Led Zeppelin's 1950s rock homage "Rock and Roll" mentions the Stroll.

The Stroll was an integral part of most episodes of the dance TV series Soul Train, where host and creator Don Cornelius dubbed it the "Soul Train Line."
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