Diamond Records

Success for the label was slow but they got their first big hit in 1962 with "Loop de Loop" by Johnny Thunder. That record led to a distribution deal with EMI to distribute Diamond recordings on Stateside Records in the UK.{{cite book| author = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.| title = Billboard| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_dAsEAAAAMBAJ| date = 1963-01-26| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.| page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_dAsEAAAAMBAJ/page/n27 28] }} Diamond recordings were issued in Canada by Apex Records until roughly 1967, when a Canadian version of Diamond was set up. All releases after that had the same logo design as the U.S. releases.

In September 1962, Phil Kahl purchased 36 master recordings of Dave "Baby" Cortez from his former label, Clock Records. Kahl then set up the Emit label to release these recordings, with Diamond distributing the records. However, the label folded after only four single releases. {{Cite web|url=https://www.45cat.com/about/emit|title=Emit - Biography - 45cat|website=www.45cat.com}}

In August 1963, Del Shannon's relationship with his managers and Bigtop Records had soured, so he formed his own label, Berlee Records, named after his parents, distributed by Diamond Records. Two singles were issued: the apparently Four Seasons–inspired "Sue's Gotta Be Mine" was a moderate hit, reaching number 71 in the U.S. and number 21 in the UK (where Shannon's records continued on the London Records label). The second single, "That's the Way Love Is", did not chart, and Shannon patched things up with his managers soon after. In early 1964, he was placed on Amy Records' (Stateside label in the UK), and the Berlee label disappeared. {{cite web | url=http://www.classicbands.com/shannon.html | title=Del Shannon | website=ClassicBands.com }}

In addition to this label, Diamond also distributed the short-lived Inette label, scoring a minor hit with Kirby St. Romain's 1963 single "Summer's Comin'", which reached number 49. {{Cite web|url=https://www.45cat.com/record/nc983646us|title=Kirby St. Romain - Summer's Comin'|via=www.45cat.com}} {{Cite web|url=https://www.45cat.com/label/inette|title=Inette (USA)|website=45cat}}

The only consistent hit maker for the label was Ronnie Dove who had a string of pop and easy listening hits for Diamond from 1964 to 1969, mostly produced by Kahl.Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts, the 1960s (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2008), {{ISBN|978-0898201758}}, pp. 123–124. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9OZ1DZ63NxAC&dq=%22diamond+records%22+%22phil+kahl%22&pg=PA123 Excerpts available] at Google Books.

Kolsky and Kahl sold their interest in Diamond Records in 1968 to the Edwin H. Morris Corporation{{cite book| author = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.| title = Billboard| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3| date = 1968-05-04| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.| page = 3 }} which sold it in 1970 to Certron Corporation.{{cite book| author = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.| title = Billboard| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_fSkEAAAAMBAJ| date = 1970-05-30| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.| page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_fSkEAAAAMBAJ/page/n102 3] }} The Certron label folded by 1972. The fate of the Diamond catalog is unknown, but Ronnie Dove's recordings are widely available on CD.

In 1987 Dove revived the label to release a couple of singles and another album. He owns all of his recordings made for the label, and has reissued them through Ronnie Dove Music and Real Gone Music.{{Cite web|url=http://www.realgonemusic.com/news/2014/5/14/ronnie-dove.html|title=Real Gone Music – News – Ronnie Dove|website=www.realgonemusic.com|language=en|access-date=2018-02-06|archive-date=2020-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407123021/https://www.realgonemusic.com/news/2014/5/14/ronnie-dove.html|url-status=dead}}

• Ronnie Dove
• Johnny Thunder
• Bobby Vinton
• Gary Criss
• Dickie Goodman
• Mitch Miller
• Dickey Lee
• Russell Morris
• The Bobbettes
• The Bleus
• Ruby Winters
• Don Varner
• Kevin McQuinn (Eddie Quinn of The Mello-Kings)
• Kirby St. Romain {{Cite web|url=https://www.45cat.com/record/recordus315|title=Kirby St. Romain - Summer's Comin'|via=www.45cat.com}}

The label released a total of eight albums in its entire history. The first album was by Johnny Thunder and the remaining albums were all by Ronnie Dove.{{Cite web|url=https://bsnpubs.com/nyc/diamond/diamond.html|title=Diamond Album Discography|website=bsnpubs.com}}

• “Loop De Loop” (S)D-5001 – Johnny Thunder (1963)
• “Right or Wrong” (S)D-5002 – Ronnie Dove (1964)
• ”One Kiss for Old Times' Sake” (S)D-5003 – Ronnie Dove (1965)
• ”I'll Make All Your Dreams Come True” (S)D-5004 – Ronnie Dove (1965)
• ”The Best of Ronnie Dove” (S)D-5005 – Ronnie Dove (1966)
• ”Ronnie Dove Sings the Hits for You” (S)D-5006 – Ronnie Dove (1966)
• ”Cry” (S)D-5007 – Ronnie Dove (1967)
• ”The Best of Ronnie Dove Volume 2” (S)D-5008) – Ronnie Dove (1967)

Related Release:

• ”From the Heart” D-380 – Ronnie Dove (1988)

{{Cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/nyc/diamond/diamond.html|title = Diamond Album Discography}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://bsnpubs.com/nyc/diamond/diamond.html Diamond Records story from BSN Pubs]
• [http://www.globaldogproductions.info/d/diamond.html 45 rpm discography from Global Dog Productions]

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Category:Mass media companies based in New York City

Category:Record labels based in New York (state)

Category:Record labels established in 1961

Category:Record labels disestablished in 1972

Category:Record labels established in 1987

Category:Re-established companies