Lee Diamond

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Lee Diamond (* as Wilbert Smith in New Orleans ; † 1981 ) was an American tenor saxophonist and songwriter in the genres of rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll .

Life

Little is known about Smith's life dates. In 1951 he appeared as a drummer in the line-up behind Charles Brown . In 1954 he was already playing the tenor saxophone in the touring band of the singing duo Shirley & Lee when he and the drummer Charles Connor were poached by Little Richard . Both formed the core of Richard's live band The Upsetters , which integrated the young James Brown when Little Richard left for New Orleans at short notice for his first recordings for Specialty Records . In the following two years the band was in competition with the studio band of Cosimo Matassa , which concerned the participation in studio recordings of the successful rock 'n' roller. The Upsetters therefore not only accompanied Little Richard on his tours, but also on Keep A Knockin , Oh My Soul , She's Got It and a few other classics. In 1957 Little Richard abruptly decided to pursue a theological career. The band played an already organized tour with singer Dee Clark as Little Richard's replacement. Diamond switched between saxophone and piano as required. She also booked James Brown again for a tour of the southern states. The Upsetters stayed together for a while, recording with Clark, Leonard Carbo and Larry Birdsong for Vee-Jay Records . On some singles Lee Diamond came to the fore and was the eponymous musician. In 1960 Diamond left the band and went back to New Orleans, where he recorded two singles with Allen Toussaint on Minit Records . Another publication took place in 1962 on the Californian Lola Records by John Marascalco , whom Smith knew since his work as a songwriter for Little Richard. In 1965 Smith wrote songs with George Davis for his production company Par-Lo. Shortly before serving a prison sentence, Smith gave Davis his composition Tell It Like It Is , to which Davis contributed a text and recorded it with Aaron Neville . The song became a hit, staying at number one on the R&B charts for five weeks and advancing to number 2 on the pop charts. Robert Parker recorded Smith's compositions I Caught You in a Lie and Yak Yak Yak for Nola Records . In 1971 the last single Lee Diamonds appeared on International City with Nobody But You and You Were Made for Me , which was a collaboration with Davis under the name "George & Lee".

Discography

  • 1958 - Hattie Malatti / Mama Loochie , Vee-Jay 272 (as Lee Diamond and the Upsetters)
  • 1960 - It Won't Be Me / Please Don't Leave , Minit 617
  • 1961 - Let Me Know / I Need Money , Minit 635
  • 1962 - Good Old Summertime / Nothing but a Playboy , 100 Bourbon Street and 100 Lola
  • 1971 - Nobody But You / You Were Made for Me , International City (as George & Lee)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Dan Phillips: Tracking Lee Diamond. In: Home of the Groove. April 20, 2008, accessed August 26, 2012 .
  2. ^ Charles White: The Life and Times of Little Richard. The Authorized Biography . Omnibus Press, London / New York / Paris / Sydney / Copenhagen / Berlin / Madrid / Tokyo 2003, ISBN 0-7119-9761-6 , Recording Sessions, pp. 235-262 (first edition: 1984).
  3. ^ Ray Topping: The Upsetters. The New Orleans Connection . Charly Records, London 1984 (Liner Notes of LP CRB 1084).
  4. ↑ Jeff Hannusch: The Soul of New Orleans. A Legacy of Rhythm and Blues . Swallow Publications, Ville Platte 2001, ISBN 0-9614245-8-3 , Chapter 37, Aaron Neville: The Voice, pp. 219-224 (American English).
personal data
SURNAME Lee Diamond
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith, Wilbert (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American R&B saxophonist
DATE OF BIRTH 20th century
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH 1981