Lance Diamond (born William Shingles; July 3, 19452015 in review: notable deaths
. ''The Buffalo News'' (December 30, 2015). Retrieved January 1, 2015. “Lance Diamond, 69, singer and Buffalo music legend, died Jan. 4.” – January 4, 2015) was an American lounge singer and radio personality based in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, whose career spanned over 40 years.Lance Diamond cancels NYE show due to heart complications
''WIVB'' (December 31, 2014); retrieved January 4, 2015.

Career

Diamond, together with his band the 24 Karat Diamond Band, played many

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

and disco-era songs. He often called himself the "Love Doctor," getting the name from his radio show, ''Saturday Night Fever'' which he hosted Saturday evenings on 96.1 WJYE (now

WTSS WTSS (96.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Buffalo, New York, calling itself ''The New 96.1''. WTSS has an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by Townsquare Media an ...

) featuring love music.Local singer Lance Diamond has died
''WGRZ'' (January 5, 2015); retrieved January 5, 2015. His success in Buffalo led him to receive offers to lead shows in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, which he declined due to his preference to stay in Buffalo. Diamond played with the

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...

live, as well as recording with them on the tracks "

Down on the Corner "Down on the Corner" is a song by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It appeared on their fourth studio album, '' Willy and the Poor Boys'' (1969). The song peaked at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 20 December 1969. The flip ...

", "Never Take the Place of Your Man", " My Girl", "Do You Believe", and "

Bitch Bitch may refer to: * Bitch (slang), a vulgar derogatory term used primarily referring to women, but is often directed towards men as well * A female dog or other canine Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television ...

." Diamond and the

performed "Bitch" on the 1993 AIDS-Benefit Album

No Alternative ''No Alternative'' is an alternative rock compilation album produced by Paul Heck and Chris Mundy that was released in 1993. It was the third compilation put together by the Red Hot Organization, a charity dedicated to raising money for and awa ...

produced by the

Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...

. Diamond met Goo Goo Dolls' bassist

Robby Takac Robert Carl Takac Jr. (born September 30, 1964) is an American rock bassist and vocalist. Takac is one of the founding members of the Goo Goo Dolls, along with John Rzeznik. Background Takac was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in the Buffa ...

after Takac moved into the apartment directly below him in a Buffalo apartment building. He was deemed Buffalo's "best individual vocalist", "king of charisma" and best "genre-defying act" by Buffalo's ''ARTVOICE''. He also performed twice at

Melody Fair "Melody Fair" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb in 1968 and released in 1969 on their album ''Odessa''. It was not released as a single, but this song was played on many radio stations, and was a hit in Japan. An ...

, a famous performing arts venue in

North Tonawanda North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. Its population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan statistical area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its souther ...

, NY. In his last years, Diamond was a regular performer in Buffalo's Elmwood Village and performed at The Elmwood Lounge, a local tavern in Elmwood Village, on a weekly basis until shortly before his death.

Awards

* Buffalo Music Hall of Fame 1992

Death

Diamond died on January 4, 2015, a few days after being hospitalized due to heart complications that prevented him from performing his annual

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

show. He was 69 and believed to have no spouse or children (his sister announced his death), although his secretive nature meant that very little of his personal life was known to the public. In 2017, Diamond was the subject of the documentary ''A Diamond in the Buff'', co-directed by Kevin Polowy and Brandon Rae. Polowy was able to secure three interviews from the notoriously secretive Diamond before his death, which were incorporated into the film.Lance Diamond's life on the big screen
''WGRZ''. Retrieved July 1, 2017.

References

External links

Lance Diamond's MySpace PageBuffalo's Local Legend Lance Diamond
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond, Lance 1945 births 2015 deaths Place of birth missing Musicians from Buffalo, New York American male singers American radio personalities Singers from New York (state) Goo Goo Dolls