ABOUT THE DIAMONDS
It's been thirty years since THE DIAMONDS
released an instant million selling hit , Little Darlin '. The song
continues to sell and to date has sold approximately 20 million copies.
THE DIAMONDS, like other creative,
forward looking artists, see the durability of the 50's music as a lesson
as much about the future as about the past. "We've been pleased to find
a growing audience among the age group 25 and up. These people have graduated
from loudness and sheer volume, to an appreciation of quality, style, and
entertainment value in music. They like songs they can remember tomorrow,
or even 20 years from now."
Part of THE DIAMONDS strength lies
in the diverse musical backgrounds of the individual members of the group
Top tenor, Bob Duncan, got his first taste of the Top-10 at age
17 with The Safaris. After high school came a brief stint with The Four
Preps, then on to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, where
Bob sang with Westmont's scholarship quartet. He
later became part of a quartet which auditioned for, and landed a spot
on, The Lawrence Welk Show. The quartet stayed with Welk for three years.
Upon completion of six years of college study, Duncan's interest in church
music led to a career as a Baptist Minister of Music, first at Downey,
then Oxnard, California. He continued his work in television via seasonal
specials and commercials. Bob began singing with THE DIAMONDS in
1979, joining long time bass singer John Felton. The group was riding the
wave of nostalgia sweeping the country because of movies like American
Graffiti and television shows Iike Happy Days.
Bass singer Jerry Siggins has accumulated
some impressive musical credits of his own. Jerry worked throughout the
United States, Japan, and Australia as a singer and actor. He spent five
summers at Jackson Hole's Pink Garter Theater and has guest starred on
The Tonight Show, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and The Love Boat. Before setting
down roots as a permanent member of THE DIAMONDS, Jerry enjoyed
a successful commercial career and was actively involved in Southern California
theater. He sang in a doowop group called Danny And The Dappers
and was a mainstay at Disneyland and Disney World as a vocalist with The
Dapper Dans barbershop quartet.
Steve Smith has been the lead singer
with THE DIAMONDS since 1982. Bob Duncan notes, "Steve is a powerful
lead singer with a recognizable voice, and that's something every quartet
needs." Steve, the solo male voice on The Lawrence Welk Show for five years
in the mid-sixties, also sang lead with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He
was very active as a Los Angeles studio singer, working on The Carol Burnett
Show, and has sung the theme song for several movies.
Baritone singer Gary
Owens has spent the longest time as a Diamond, joining forces with
John Felton in 1975. A well rounded musician, Owens learned his craft as
a journeyman bass player around Los Angeles while earning his undergraduate
degree in music at California State University, Long Beach. In the early
1980's, Owens took a brief hiatus from THE DIAMONDS to complete
his Master's Degree in Business Administration at the University of Southern
California. Besides singing, and playing saxophone and flute, Owens does
most of the vocal arranging for THE DIAMONDS. In that capacity,
he is well aware of the group's particular effectiveness. "THE DIAMONDS
are four distinctive individuals," he notes, "with one strong group personality.
The four of us as a unit have a special chemistry, and it is that chemistry
that gives us our unique identity."
WE'RE STILL ROCKIN'!
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