Born Eddie Diamond in Los Angeles in 1951, Eddie grew up on the meanest streets of the city. His parents separated at the age of one and his mother worked as a waitress at a Thrifty Drug Store lunch counter for most of Eddie’s younger years. Living in a housing project and left to fend for an older sister, he knew gangs at an early age but what made an impression even more was a love of music. Diamond says he often thought that people should sing instead of speak because it sounded so much better to the ear which would make the whole world an opera. Ed's first memory of performing is playing a set of coconut shells to simulate a horse galloping in his first grade play. Then he attempted cello in the third grade but his mother couldn’t afford the lessons and she felt he needed the tough skills of the street instead of a classical musician. After attending three different high schools in Los Angeles, Huntington park and Gardena he graduated from Crenshaw High in 1969. A poor student, Diamond didn't really appreciate the value of an education until it he was nearly out of high school. He had a strange epiphany while attending a black power rally on the campus of Crenshaw.                                                                                                       More

Site design by Fred Salaff   Hosted by Pipelinehost.net