Diamond Dave, beloved frontman of the Canadian 50's Doo-Wop group, The Diamonds, passed away in his home in Santa Barbara, CA on Tuesday. He was 81 years old and lost his battle with pancreatic cancer according to a press release.
Dave Somerville, originally from Guelph, Ontario, founded The Diamonds in 1953. The group found success with its hit, Little Darlin', which stayed steadily at number 2 on the Billboard Charts for eight weeks in the spring of 1957.
Songs which occupied the number one slot at the time were Young Love by Tab Hunter, Butterfly by Andy Williams, Party Doll by Buddy Knox, Round and Round by Perry Como and All Shook Up by Elvis Presley.
Although The Diamonds had also recorded many covers, the group is considered to have turned Little Darlin', which was originally an R&B song by The Gladiolas, into a true rock and roll classic.
Other hits which kept The Diamonds on the music map were The Stroll and Silhouettes.
In addition to being the lead vocalist for The Diamonds, Somerville also helped to pen the theme song for the ABC series, The Fall Guy. The song, The Ballad of the Unknown Stuntman, opened the show for its run from 1981 through 1986.
In 1961, Somerville left The Diamonds to pursue a solo career as a folk singer under the name of David Troy. He joined a group called The Four Preps and then went on to join other groups such as The Association, as Yester, Belland & Somerville.
Somerville was described as a baritone with an impressive four-octave vocal range. His contributions to the music industry have been recognized with inductions into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Doo Wop Hall of Fame of America, the Doo Wop Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Somerville is survived by his wife, Denise, their son, David, and grandson, Chilao.
No funeral plans have yet been announced.
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