He was born Sidney Ivan Davison Jr. on August 7, 1936 in Howard, South Dakota, the son of a local newspaper owner. He attended Howard Public High School, where he was known as Slide Davison and won medals and championships playing basketball, football and golf. He served in the US Army 147th Field Artillery in the Korean War in 1953-54, and studied at Louisiana State University, the University of Southern Mississippi - where he studied journalism and history - and Northwest Missouri State University, where he earned a master's degree in English literature.
Diamond was in the early vanguard of personality radio. He joined KOIL in Omaha in 1960. KOIL was one of the famous “Star” stations. Diamond once said, “I learned so much working at KOIL, I should have paid them. It was a wonderful experience.”
Dave at WKGN in Knoxville.Diamond went on to program WKGN in Knoxville, Tennessee where he ran the station up to a 67% rating in the Pulse Diaries. It was during his time at WKGN that he began using the name Dave Diamond.
Diamond was hired into the radio war in St. Louis, Missouri between KXOK, KWK, KMOX, and WIL. Diamond became program director of WIL, a Balaban station owned by Paramount Pictures. At WIL, Diamond worked with such big name stars as Ron Lundy, Danny Dark, Gary Stevens, George Michael, and Dick Clayton.
Diamond went on the first U.S. Beatles’ tour in 1964 as one of only three radio reporters. He went directly from the Beatles’ tour to KBTR radio and television in Denver, where he did a nightly teen rock radio show and an afternoon television show. He managed to take KBTR’s nighttime ratings from zero to 37% to knock off the venerable and highly acclaimed KIMN radio.
Diamond’s success in Denver caught the attention of Bill Drake, who was about to launch his famous “Boss Radio” format at RKO’s KHJ radio in Los Angeles.
It's December 27, 1965 and Dave is free-wheelin' behind the mic at KBLA. [ LISTEN ] (25:47)It's a Friday night in Los Angeles, and Dave is hosting the last hour of The Diamond Mine" & the final moments of KBLA on June 16, 1967.
The hour opens with "Bowling Green" by the Everly Brothers. The song peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Rainy Daize weigh in with "Weatherman". Dave turns on The Fume Room with Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country". "Chimes of Freedom" is next, by The Byrds from their 1965 debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man. It's time to turn on The Dream Juice Machine and slip deeper into the glitter of the Flower Room of The Diamond Mine with Donovan. In drives George Jones with "Six Days On The Road", and then it's George again with "The Bridge Washed Out."
Drake hired Diamond in 1965 for the 6-9 p.m. show. The Boss Radio format became wildly successful and is still studied and talked about to this day. Diamond was once quoted as saying, “I thought I knew a lot about radio until I met Bill Drake. Boss Radio was a great experience for me.” However, Diamond lasted only nine months. “I didn’t fit in,” he said, explaining his firing. “I wasn’t focused. I had too many things going on.” 
Diamond’s dismissal from KHJ was serendipitous, however, as he signed on to do the 9-midnight show at KBLA in Burbank, where he invented and started the legendary “Diamond Mine” radio show – three hours of acid rock and psychedelic poetry every night. “The Diamond Mine” was considered the first “underground” radio show in broadcast history and became wildly popular with teenagers and listeners in their twenties and thirties in the late 1960s.
Dave won a date with Yvonne "Batgirl" Craig on The Dating Game in 1967.
The BIG 30 Issue No.138, 1969.That same year Diamond spun a tune called “Light my Fire” by a largely unknown L.A. rock band called “The Doors.” Diamond was one of the first DJs to play the legendary single igniting The Doors’ rise to stardom and legend. He recorded spoken word pieces in his own right for various labels including Columbia Records; his piece "The Diamond Mine", credited to Dave Diamond and the Higher Elevation, was included on the LP Pebbles, Volume 3 and several later compilations.
Between 1968 and 1971 Diamond did his best work and earned the highest ARB ratings in San Francisco history.
Diamond was named one of America’s Early Radio Idols by Billboard Magazine the same year KFRC was awarded the Best Radio Station of all time. He left KFRC when new management took over in 1971 and did the late-night show at KRLA in Pasadena, then three years doing the 6-9 a.m. show at KIIS, Los Angeles, where Diamond teamed up with Chuck Blore. Diamond said, “Blore is the most creative man I ever worked with in radio. It was an honor to be associated with him.
Diamond did a brief stint at WSAI in Cincinnati when KIIS fell apart, and returned to Los Angeles in the Spring of 1977 and spent the next six years working for John Rook at KFI, Cox Communications. “Because I was on from 2-6 every morning and we had 50,000 watts clear-channel power, it was like having a national radio show.”
Diamond was a lifelong union member. He belonged to Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists. He was also a member of the National Writer’s Union and The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. He was also a member of the Self Realization Fellowship, founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, whose teachings he’s studied his whole life.
Diamond was an Eagle Scout, having earned the honor at the age of fourteen. He also served in the U.S. Army with the 147th Field Artillery, South Dakota National Guard during the Korean War. He was transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1962.
Diamond had a loyal and big following. Many listeners stayed in touch with him his entire life. He passed away peacefully at his home on May 5, 2014.
WHERE DID DAVE WORK? Here is the list: WXXX/WFOR, KFOR, KOIL, WIRL, WKGN, WIL, WIBC, KBTR, KHJ, KBLA, KFWB, KFRC, KRLA, KDAY, KCBS-FM, KTLK, KIIS, WSAI and KFI.
Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Rock Radio Scrapbook.
