Lance Diamond

Watching Lance Diamond perform is like watching a Vegas performer in a movie: He croons, blows kisses at women in the audience and slaps the hands of passing listeners.

Diamond is likely the closest thing Buffalo has to a legend and he works hard to maintain that image.

"I try to exude class and a lot of stage presence," he said. "It keeps me able to do all the things I can do."

Diamond has been a fixture in the Buffalo music scene for more than 20 years. He remembers wanting to sing even when he was a child.

"My uncle was a balladeer, and he'd come home from Canada or wherever, singing old songs like `Mona Lisa' and Nat King Cole-type songs," he said.

After studying sociology at the University at Buffalo, Diamond served eight years in the U.S. Navy, some of them in Vietnam. Returning home, he found himself lacking direction.

"I was lost and didn't know what I wanted to do. I'd seen so much death and destruction," he said.

A job at J.C. Penney brought him back to music: A band manager overhead him singing in the stockroom and gave him an audition. The gig sent Diamond around the country, playing major hotels.

Despite his travels, which included tours in Europe, Diamond yearned for Buffalo and returned home to play his music. His time finally came in 1988, when he was runner-up male vocalist at the Buffalo Music Awards.

"I've done a lot musically in this city," he said. "The last few years, doors have opened up for me that I couldn't open for 20 years."

Diamond and his band have since been named to the Buffalo Music Awards Hall of Fame and been recognized by Nite Life Magazine, the Buffalo Common Council and the Buffalo News.

Though he has played such venues as the Olympic Torch Relay party and has recorded four songs with the Goo Goo Dolls, Diamond said he also likes to perform at area venues to keep in touch with the people of Buffalo.

He plays weekly at the Steer/Montana Room by the University at Buffalo on Wednesday nights and at the Elmwood Lounge on Friday nights.

His music runs the gamut. On a recent Friday night, Diamond sang a three-song tribute to Barry White in the same set as songs by Billy Ocean and Prince. All songs are performed in classic, Lance Diamond-style.

Entertainer is a good word for Diamond, for he does much more than just sing. Even an interview is a sort of performance for him. During the interview for this story, he came dressed in a red tuxedo with red sequin vest and a tony black hat. Some responses to questions seemed to be rehearsed and he came close to tears when talking about performing in Buffalo.

But Diamond is sincere.

"The Goo Goo Dolls call me to go on the road. My friends in Las Vegas and Atlantic City say to come. I could go all over the world," he said.

Staying in Buffalo gives Diamond the pleasure of recognition that a local celebrity receives. While the photographer shot photos for this story, two different young people shouted his name in passing.

Diamond is frequently a guest on a morning radio show on WEDG 103.3 and the hosts seem as excited to have him as he is to appear. He appeared at that station's Edgefest concert at Melody Fair Theatre this summer -- alongside mainstream alternative bands.

"It's so nice to go somewhere and be recognized for someone who has worked hard at his craft," Diamond said.

Many musicians talk about the early days in the business when they had to do weddings to survive. Diamond considers weddings the ultimate gig.

In August, he performed at an outdoor wedding on Bidwell Parkway.

"People pick me to come to their wedding reception and make it a blow out," Diamond said. "Marriage, to me, is a lifelong commitment. There's a privilege that goes along with planning for someone's wedding."

Diamond also makes it a practice to rotate his band members so that more young musicians have a chance to use his name to help them get ahead. Last year, 23 musicians worked through the shows.

Current members of the Diamond Band are: keyboards, Dave Schultz; bass, Richard Koons; guitar, Bill Texido; and drums, Alvin Smith.

"I gave them a chance," Diamond said. "My biggest wish is to have been really huge so I could help (young musicians).

"I want to be known as an entertainer, as the No. 1 entertainer in this city. I consider myself not on the top but in the middle rung of the ladder. It's a young person's market; if you get to the top you have a tendency to get lax."

- Tracey Rosenthal Drury - Business First

If there is a performer whose show is synonymous with Buffalo, it's Lance Diamond. Lance is an iconic figure, one who has been playing the Buffalo scene for as long as we've had a music scene. He's mixed it up with the Goo-Goo Dolls, treated us all to Holiday CD releases, claimed fame at the notorious Elmwood Lounge, and treated many a bride and groom to his groovy shows.

Lance's music captures the raw sounds of Tom Jones, while smoothing out his tunes with hints of Barry White. But there's no one like Lance. His vocals appeal to both young and old, and once you are in his grasp, nothing can stop you from hittin the dance floor. Along with the 24 Karat Diamond Band, Lance engages his audience like no other. His shows are nonstop motion and have been featured at Buffalo's Concert in the Square and the New Year's Eve Ball-Drop Party. You haven't really experienced Buffalo until you've experienced a Lance Diamond Show.

Fortunately, after so many years, the Lance Diamond Show can still be caught at the Elmwood Lounge (Elmwood Avenue and Utica) Friday nights at 11:30 and Saturday nights at 11:30. He has also recently picked up another high-profile gig at Niagara Falls? Seneca Casino every Friday from 3:00 to 7:00 in the evening. The Falls Show, performed at Club 101, has turned into a real showstopper, and fans travel from all over the region to catch it. You would think that Lance would be busy enough with this non-stop schedule, but this performer has only one thing on his mind and that is to entertain.
This entertainer is so devoted to his show that you can catch him twice on Saturday. Once at The Lounge, and once on the air. Yes, the man now has his own radio show that is broadcasted every Saturday night directly into your home. 96.1 WJYE has recently unveiled the Lance Diamond Saturday Night Fever Show, which you can catch from 6:00pm to 12:00am by just tuning in to the station.

Whether you are heading to The Lounge, The Falls, your radio, or any of the numerous special events that he devotes himself to, Lance is the name that is on the lips of Western New Yorkers everywhere.

- Queenseyes of Buffalo Rising Magazine