The Diamonds March 17, 2011

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the Bakersfield Community Concert Association and The Diamonds. Stroll down Memory Lane with classic doo-wop hits like Little Darlin'.

Pre-concert music will be performed by the CSUB Singers Vocal Arts Ensemble from the Music Department of CSUB under the direction of Dr. Robert Provencio, Professor and Department Chairman.

It's been over fifty years since THE DIAMONDS released an instant million selling hit called Little Darlin'. The song continues to sell worldwide and to date has sold approximately 21 million copies. Through the years since the release of Little Darlin' THE DIAMONDS have learned one important lesson-the durability of 1950's music is as much about the future as about the past. As a result, THE DIAMONDS continue to expand their audience to this day by performing in a myriad of surroundings, including: with Symphony Orchestras, in Performing Arts Theatres and major concert halls, on cruise ships, in casinos, at county and state fairs, on tours of England, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Korea, and Japan, for benefit concerts and conventions, at nightclubs and, through the most recent addition to their repertoire, the Christmas show "Silver Bells And Diamonds". "We've been pleased to find a growing audience among all age groups. They like songs they can understand, remember and actually sing the words to-tomorrow, or even 20 years from now."

Bobby Poynton's major reason for THE DIAMONDS longevity as performers and entertainers lies in the diverse backgrounds of the individual members of the group. Multi-talented tenor, Bobby Poynton, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1980 and shortly thereafter moved to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. He landed parts on such shows as "Days of Our Lives", "Jake and the Fatman", "Life Goes On", "Scarecrow and Mrs. King", "The Sentinel", "Touched by an Angel", "Viper", "Promised Land" and "Walker: Texas Ranger". Then his continuing desire to sing full time resulted in a 6-year stint as a member of The Lettermen, recording six albums with that vocal trio. As the most recent addition to THE DIAMONDS' lineup, Bobby's wide array of talents continues to entertain all that see and hear him.

Lead singer Jerry Siggins has accumulated some impressive credits of his own. Jerry has 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 in 1991, Jerry enjoyed a successful career as an actor in television commercials and was actively involved in Southern California theatre. He sang in a doo-wop group called Danny and The Dappers and was a mainstay at Disneyland and Disney World as a vocalist with The Dapper Dans vocal quartet for years.

Joe Finetti began his singing career in college when, in the course of his study of the finer points of the trombone and drums at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, he began singing with a jazz vocal group known as Phil Mattson & The P.M. Singers, who were up for two Grammys in 1985. He also began singing radio and T.V. jingles for a local producer. He quickly learned that the words “quality, value, selection, and low price” could be applied to almost any brand of product, and he started writing jingles, which got him a job as a jingle writer in Indianapolis, where he did a lifetime of jingle singing and writing in a single year. Embittered, Joe headed home to San Francisco to sing briefly with Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra , followed by a stint in another Grammy-nominated group, The Bobs, where he wrote, arranged and produced 6 albums, numerous T.V. and radio recordings, as well as commercial and industrial music for 14 years before joining The Diamonds in June, 2003.

Baritone singer Gary Owens has spent the longest time as a Diamond -now amidst his 29th year- joining forces with bass singer John Felton in 1974. 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 much of the vocal arranging for THE DIAMONDS. In that capacity, he is well aware of the group's particular effectiveness. "Although the faces have changed over the years our goal has always been to keep that classic DIAMONDS sound in tact. 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.”

Call (661) 205-8522 for information.

Official Website: http://www.bakersfieldcca.org