Idyllwild’s free Summer Concert Series kicks off its 25th year Thursday
July 4 with the classic rock and roll vocal quartet, The Diamonds.
Opening for them will be local jazz favorites, 3Skinz.

Series founder Ken Dahleen has dubbed this year the series’ “Silver
Anniversary” and promised “lots of surprises” in addition to bringing
back audience favorites from among the more than 78 groups and solo
artists he has brought to Idyllwild over the years

Dahleen not only books the performers, but serves as contractor,
providing the sound system and crew to produce a professional concert
series. His Big Band Staff backs up a few of the acts and sometimes
headlines one night themselves. The concerts are entirely supported by
donations, with this year’s budget $49,000 for 9 concerts. Dahleen told
the Crier “Since the first year, I book up the entire concert series on
faith, that we will receive, enough. I never have enough at the
beginning. There have been years where I don’t have enough until the
last concert.”

The Diamonds are best known for their covers of “Little Darlin,’”
“Silhouettes,” and “The Stroll,” but they recorded a dozen albums and
had three gold records, with 16 Billboard hits during the 1950s and
early 60s. Although there are no original members in the group, there
has been a lot of overlap, and so an unbroken tradition has been passed
down within The Diamonds. The Crier spoke by phone with a member of the
group, baritone Gary Owens.

Owens has been with the group for 50 years, holds the rights to the
band’s name, and provides the vocal arrangements. He originally came
from Southern California, attending Long Beach State and USC. Owens
called “Little Darllin’” their “franchise,” and “the biggest hit in rock
and roll never to make it to number 1.” He explains “It was number 2 for
quite a few weeks. Elvis had “All Shook Up” at the same time.” Owens
confirmed that this will be the second time The Diamonds have come to
Idyllwild. The first time was in 2019, when they also headlined the
opening night of the series.

Asked how he got involved in the band, Owens recalled the mid 70’s
resurgence in interest in 50’s culture. “The TV show Happy Days, and the
movie “American Graffiti,” that put a little shot in the arm for 50s
rock and roll. I was graduating from college, and just happened to run
into, and get to know, the bass singer with The Diamonds, a gentleman
named John Felten. One thing led to another and next thing you know I
was on the road, doing my first performance with The Diamonds in
Cheyenne, Wyoming, in January, 1975. The rest is history.”

The current lineup is Owens, baritone, Jeff Dolan, bass. Julian
McCleary, tenor, and lead singer Michael Lawrence. They will bring a
band from their nation-wide roster of “hundreds of guys,” musicians who
accompany them on tours. One of these will be drummer Jim Diven from San
Diego. The four singers live all across the country: Owens lives in
Reno, one lives in Columbus, one in New York City and one in Las Vegas.
“We all get on a plane and hope we get to the same place at the same
time.”

Owens says that at one point the group was on the road 200 days a year,
traveling the world. “It used to be oldies meant 50s and 60s, now oldies
is 70s and 80s. The natural course of things.” He says he joined the
group right out of college, with no idea the gig would last 50 years. In
addition to their hits, Owens says “we do a lot of other stuff, we do
Motown, we do a Jersey Boys medley, there’s going to be a lot of
variety.”

Contributions, checks payable to “Idyllwild Summer Concert Org,” may be
sent to PO Box 1542, Idyllwild CA 92549-1542. Or call (760)413-4638.

The Diamonds and 3Skinz at the Butterfield Amphitheater, Thur. July 4,
starting at 6:05 p.m. 54201 Ridgeview Drive, access through the
Idyllwild Community Center Playground Parking lot on Highway 243, just
south of town.