Shine bright like ‘The Diamonds’
“The Diamonds,” a classic rock and roll group with a twist of today’s attitude and humor graced CSC as the third Galaxy Series installment. “The Diamonds” performed at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Memorial Hall with help from Sandy Schaefer, music professor, on the drums, and William Mullins, music instructor, on the piano. The musical selection ranged from the classic rock bands of the 50s and 60s; they began the night with a mash up starting with a Chuck Berry classic “Roll Over Beethoven,” and The Four Seasons; “Sherry.”
“The Diamonds” musical group started back in 1954 in Toronto, Canada and is currently located in Reno, Nevada, where they do 120 shows a year. The group travels all over the place throughout the year and some of the bigger places they have performed at are Chicago, Austin, and New Brunswick, Canada.
The musical groups longest lasting member, of 40 years Gary Owens of Rhino, Nevada; sings baritone for the group. Owens joined the group in 1973 while earning his undergraduate degree in music at California State University when he ran into a guy who was trying to put the band back together.
Jerry Siggins, the lead singer and the second longest lasting member of 23 years, joined “The Diamonds” in 1991. Before joining the group, Siggins was working at Disney Land for “The Dapper Dans” when he got a call about an opening spot for “The Diamonds” and decided to pursue.
Sean Sooter of Apple Valley, California, joined for his love of singing. Before joining “The Diamonds,” Sooter was a high school choir teacher. He received a call about an opening to audition; he auditioned, and a couple weeks later he was invited to sing as the tenor vocalist. He has been with the group for three years.
“The Diamonds” most recent addition Jeff Dolan of Phoenix, has been with the group for three years. Before joining the group, Dolan received a call from his friend about the audition, saying that he would be a good fit. Traveling to Los Angeles for a quick audition turned out to be worth the drive as he accepted his current position as the bass vocalist.
The group members have all had the opportunity to audition for “The Diamonds” just by simply having personal connections.
“They like doing it that way because they get people that they think will fit and work well together,” Sooter said, “close connections help weed it out.”
“The Diamonds” next performance is set for Saturday, Oct. 25 in Menifee, California.