Facts - The Diamonds From The Mercury Records Recording Era

Meet All
THE DIAMONDS
Facts From The Mercury Records Recording Era
This site is dedicated to all of "The Diamonds" who contributed.
Information contained within is authorized and certified for accuracy
by the longest serving member of the group, Mike Douglas.

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ABOUT THIS FACTS PAGE
Many web sites on the internet today are riddled with misconceptions and half-truths about "The Diamonds". I have designed this page to set the record straight and to provide some insight as to where "The Diamonds" of the "Mercury Records Recording Era" came from and where they are today.

FACT
Who Did What?
Clearing up a huge misconception that one combination of "THE DIAMONDS"created all the 16 MERCURY RECORDS hits.............not so.

There are four different combinations of "THE DIAMONDS" that deserve the credit.
Mike Douglas recorded 8 hit records and received 2 GOLD RECORDS
John Felten recorded 2 hit records
Evan Fisher recorded 2 hit records
Tedd Kowalski recorded 14 hit records and received 3 GOLD RECORDS
Phil Levitt recorded 8 hit records and received 1 GOLD RECORD
Jim Malone recorded on the Movie Title Theme "The Horizontal Lieutenant"
Bill Reed recorded 14 hit records and received 3 GOLD RECORDS
Dave Somerville recorded 16 hit records and received 3 GOLD RECORDS

FACT
Who's The Boss?
The Diamonds were unique in that they were a five way partnership, the fifth being their manager Nat Goodman.
There was no leader within the foursome, Nat Goodman had the final say in serious matters.
The day to day stuff we worked out between ourselves.

FACT
The four combinations of "The Diamonds" from the "Mercury Records Recording Era" performed on fourty Mercury Records Recording Sessions between 1956 and 1961. Of the 113 songs recorded during this time period, "The Diamonds" scored 16 Hit Records including three Gold Records.

FACT
"The Diamonds" exist because of Tedd Kowalski.
Had Tedd Kowalski and Phil Levitt not met at the University of Toronto and both decided to form a vocal group, the members of "The Diamonds" would most certainly not have included Bill Reed or Mike Douglas. The name "The Four Diamonds" is synonymous with the above mentioned personnel. To say these singers and the name "The Four Diamonds" connected by chance is beyond the tenth power of probability.

FACT
Tedd Kowalski named the group "The Four Diamonds" while the group was en route to the their first live performance. The group continued to make live appearances under that name until Toronto radio show host Elwood Glover, 1010 CFRB, presented his listening audience with a contest to rename the group. During the course of the live interview with "The Four Diamonds", a caller to the show made the suggestion of removing the word "Four" from their name. From that day forward they became known as "The Diamonds".

FACT
Mike Douglas appeared on 8 Hit Records:

The Stroll (Mike received a Gold Record)
Silhouettes (Mike received a Gold Record)
High Sign
Kathy O
Walking Along
She Say
One Summer Night
(Chick-Lets) Don't Let Me Down

FACT
Many groups go from cradle to grave without making a change.
Not so with "The Diamonds".
From the original foursome, which consisted of Stan Fisher, Phil Levitt, Tedd Kowalski, and Bill Reed until the end of their Mercury Records contract, "The Diamonds"made several changes. The first replacement was Dave Somerville, he replaced Stan Fisher. The second replacement was Mike Douglas, he replaced Phil Levitt. The third replacement was Evan Fisher, he replaced Tedd Kowalski. The fourth replacement was John Felten, he replaced Bill Reed. To complete the full circle, Dave Somerville was replaced by Jim Malone

FACT
In the spring of 1953 Tedd Kowalski and Mike Douglas formed a vocal quartet. The personnel consisted of, Tedd Kowalski, Mike Douglas, Bob Danko and Bill Reed. It was Bob Danko who first introduced Bill Reed to Tedd and Mike. There were several suggestions for a quartet name one of them being "The Four Diamonds". This rehearsing quartet disbanded the summer of the same year . This came about when Tedd decided to begin his first year at the University Of Toronto seeking a degree in Electrical Engineering . This statement is not to contradict the formation of the Tedd Kowalski/Phil Levitt vocal group.

FACT
The Stroll was an original song, not a song first done by Chuck Willis. The Stroll was written around a comment made by Dick Clark who said someone needs to write a song instructing kids just how to dance "The Stroll". Clyde Otis and Nancy Lee did just that. Brook Benton coached Dave Somerville the night before the session, Brook taught Dave how to "come lets stroll".

FACT
During the Mercury Records Recording Era, "The Diamonds" had two lead singers that recorded for Mercury Records, Dave Somerville and Jim Malone.

FACT
Mike Douglas is the longest serving member of the Mercury Records "The Diamonds" and has contributed on 100 of "The Diamonds" released song titles including Albums and Singles.

FACT
It is rumored that one of the original (non-recording) members of "The Diamonds", Stan Fisher was the older brother of a later member of the group, Evan Fisher.
In fact, they were not related at all. Stan Fisher was a Canadian, Evan Fisher was an American hailing from Cleveland, Ohio.

FACT
By 1955, "The Diamonds" had a manager, Nat Goodman, who secured them a contract with Coral Records. But their two releases with the label were a flop. A remarkable reversal of fortune resulted through a trip to Cleveland. "The Diamonds" caught the eye of local DJ Bill Randle, who helped get them signed to the Mercury label, setting the stage for the release of their version of Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" The record hit No. 16 on Billboard's "Hot One Hundred" and "The Diamonds" were up and running.

FACT
In early 1957, David Carroll of Mercury Records heard a song called “Little Darlin'” which had been recorded by 'The Gladiolas" who were under contract with the "Excello" label in Georgia. The lead singer of this outfit was Maurice Williams, who would later write and record the smash hit "Stay". Carroll had "The Diamonds" record the song in February 1957 - almost as an afterthought - it was completed during an all night recording session and went on to be not only their biggest hit, but one of the true classics of the rock and roll idiom. The rhythm section of the orchestra used castanets and a cow bell to underpin the "Latin" feel of the piece. While some insist that the song was intended to be a parody, it seems that "The Diamonds" themselves initially intended that the song be serious, and it was only after realizing that people thought it to be humorous, that they choreographed a funny routine which they would execute at their live performances and television appearances.

FACT
Both bass man Bill Reed and the group's tenor Ted Kowalski departed "The Diamonds" in 1958. They were replaced by two Americans, tenor Evan Fisher, and bass man John Felten.

FACT
"The Diamonds" joined in on the "Monster Craze" with their zany "Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula". The flip side of the same 45 RPM record featued a Somerville/Douglas composition, "Walkin' the Stroll", in which they extend the Stroll theme beyond the limitations of the simple twelve bar blues chord progression.

WHERE ALL "THE DIAMONDS" OF THE THE MERCURY RECORDS RECORDING ERA CAME FROM AND WHERE THEY ARE TODAY

Mike Douglas
Mike Douglas now resides in Florida where he remains active in the Music Industry, selling a variety of CD's through his network of websites that contain the "Original Hits" by the "Original Artists". He not only sells Doo Wop style music on CD but also a vast variety of musical styles to fit each and every taste imaginable. Links to his web sites can be found on the front page of this web site.

John Felten
Tragically, Seattle, Washington native John Felten lost his life in a light airplane crash in 1982.

Evan Fisher
Evan Fisher now resides in Arizona and is not active in the Music Industry.

Tedd Kowalski
Tedd Kowalski currently resides in Whitby, Ontario, Canada and is not active in the Music Industry.

Phil Levitt
Phil Levitt currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is not active in the Music Industry.

Jim Malone
Jim Malone passed away in 2005. He was a native of Toronto, Canada.

Bill Reed
"The Diamonds" original bass man, Bill Reed passed away in 2004.

Dave Somerville
Now resides in California where he remains active in the Music Industry writing jingles for Commercials and music for Movie and TV Show Soundtracks.

Information contained within is certified to be accurate and true by the longest participating member of "The Diamonds" Mike Douglas