The Black Diamonds (Australian band)
| The Black Diamonds | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1959-1971 |
| Labels | Festival |
| Past members |
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The Black Diamonds were an Australian garage rock and band from Lithgow, New South Wales, who were active under different names from 1959-1971. They became one of the most popular groups in their region of South Wales and signed with Festival Records, where they recorded two singles. They have particularly become regarded for the song "I Want, Need, Love You" which appeared on the B-side of their first single. It featured a desperate vocal over a pounding, overdriven rhythm section, capped off by the virtuosic guitar work of Alan Oloman and became a regional hit. The band toured with several top name acts such as the Easybeats. In 1967, their second single became a hit in the Sydney area. In 1968 the group changed their name to Tymepiece and evolved into a more eclectic and progressive act, releasing a version of the Tokens' "Lion Sleeps Tonight" and an album, Sweet Release, in 1971. They broke up later that year.
The band that eventually became the Black Diamonds was founded in Lithgow, a mining town in New South Wales. In 1959, Alan Stuart Oloman and Allen Michael Keogh, who were both twelve year's old, learned to play guitar from a friend, Brandt Newton, who was a couple of years older. The three started playing together regularly, doing primarily instrumentals. They found a drummer, Johnny Kett, but had no bassist at this point. Alan Oloman's father, Bill Oloman, became the group's manager and provided space at his family house for the band to rehearse. He came up with the name for the band, "Johnny Kett's Black Diamonds", as a reference to the mining industry in their home town and drummer Kett, who at the time was their leader. The group started playing live gigs, and got a Saturday night residency at Scottish Reunion Dance, a local dancehall. In 1963, Brandt Newton departed and Alan Oloman's brother, Neil Oloman joined on guitar, while Allen Keogh switched over to bass, filling out their sound, which now largely consisted of surf instrumentals. With the onslaught of the Beatles and the British Invasion in 1964, they recognized that they would need a lead vocalist, and chose Glen Christopher to fill the role. Glen Bland joined the group on rhythm guitar, allowing Alan Oloman to concentrate on his lead parts. The group's leadership role shifted from drummer Kett to Alan Oloman, whose increasingly virtuosic lead guitar playing was emerging as a key feature in the band's sound. Christopher later departed and Bland took over on lead vocals (and harmonica).
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