James Aaron Diamond (28 September 1951 – 8 October 2015) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, best known for his three top 5 hits: "I Won't Let You Down" (1982), as the lead singer of PhD; and his solo performances "I Should Have Known Better", a United Kingdom No. 1 in 1984, and "Hi Ho Silver", the theme song from Boon, which reached No. 5 on the UK singles chart in 1986. When aged 16, he also fronted a Glasgow band called Jade. That line-up included bassist Chris Glen who went on to play with the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, who spent the next couple of years as part of Korner's band. He provided additional and backing vocals on many of Korner's songs, most of which would appear on The Lost Album.
Diamond left Korner in 1976, to form Bandit. The line-up included future AC/DC member Cliff Williams. They were soon signed up by Arista Records and released a début album, Bandit, which failed to reach the chart. In 1979, Diamond was lead vocalist for a Japanese band called BACCO, whose debut album was Cha Cha Me.
He went to Los Angeles, California to form Slick Diamond with Earl Slick. He spent some time touring and recording and provided music for a film soundtrack. He wrote the lyrics to many songs on Carmen Maki's 1979 album Night Stalker.
Big break
In 1981, Diamond formed PhD (Phillips, Hymas and Diamond), with pianist/keyboard player Tony Hymas and drummer Simon Phillips. They were signed by WEA Records and had a hit single with the multi-million selling "I Won't Let You Down".
He scored another hit soon afterward with the theme song from Boon, "Hi Ho Silver". The pair were known as The Blue Shoes, but were later billed as Jim Diamond and Snake Davis.
In 2005, Diamond released his first studio album in eleven years, Souled and Healed. The singles "When You Turn" and "Blue Shoes" were released from this. In 2009 he re-united with Tony Hymas to produce a third PhD album entitled Three.
Jim Diamond's last album, City of Soul, released by Camino Records in 2011, featured among others Wet Wet Wet drummer Tommy Cunningham and Greg Kane of Hue and Cry. All proceeds from this album of soul music covers benefited the children's charity, Radio Clyde Cash for Kids.
Personal life and death
Diamond married Christine Bailey in 1978. The couple had two children; their son Lawrence is the keyboard player of the UK indie pop group Citizens! and the former bass player of Official Secrets Act.
In the early 1980s, Diamond contracted hepatitis.
Diamond died in his sleep on 8 October 2015, at the age of 64.
Discography
Ph.D.
- Ph.D. (1981)
- Is It Safe? (1983)
- Three (2009)
Solo
Albums
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Title
! rowspan="2" scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Album details
! colspan="4" |Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | UK<br/>
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | NL<br />
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | NOR<br/><br />
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | SWI<br/>
|-
! scope="row" |Double Crossed
|
- Released: February 1985
- Label: A&M
- Formats: CD, LP, MC
|—
|38
|3
|18
|-
! scope="row" |Desire for Freedom
|
- Released: 22 September 1986
- Label: A&M
- Formats: CD, LP, MC
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |Jim Diamond
|
- Released: 1988
- Label: Teldec
- Formats: CD, LP, MC
- Only released in several European countries
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |Jim Diamond
|
- Released: 10 May 1993
- Label: PolyGram TV
- Formats: CD, MC
|16
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |Sugarolly Days
|
- Released: 1994
- Label: The Righteous Recording Co.
- Formats: CD
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |Souled and Healed
|
- Released: February 2005
- Label: Hypertension
- Formats: CD
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |City of Soul
|
- Released: 3 October 2011
- Label: Camino
- Formats: CD
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
| colspan="6" style="font-size:90%" |"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
Compilation albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Title
! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Album details
|-
! scope="row" |The Best of Jim Diamond
|
- Released: 1999
- Label: Spectrum
- Formats: CD
|-
! scope="row" |I Should Have Know Better
|
- Released: 2001
- Label: Rotation
- Formats: CD
- Germany-only release
|}
EPs
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Title
! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Album details
|-
! scope="row" |The Caledonia EP
|
- Released: May 1994
- Label: The Righteous Recording Co.
- Formats: CD
|-
! scope="row" |Blue Shoes
|
- Released: 2005
- Label: Hypertension
- Formats: CD
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Title
! rowspan="2" scope="col" style="width:2em;" |Year
! colspan="9" |Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" |Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" |UK
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" |BEL (FL)
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" |GER
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" |IRE
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" |NL
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" |SWI