The Blue Diamonds Ramona - Portrait (LP)

(Mercury) 16 tracks - Original 1960 to 1965 'Fontana' recordings

Why they chose'Ramona' for a single, nobody knows anymore. But that the Blue Diamonds with their rousing version of the first hit of film history (the melody was written in 1927 to accompany the silent film'Ramona') 1960 a sensational sales success in the record industry is no question at all. With the Blue Diamonds not only the international success of the Dutch beat scene began; the brothers Rudi and Riem Wolff, as they were called, also paved the way for numerous other bands of Indonesian descent, who with all the carelessness of their youthful age broke away from the conventions that determined the Dutch music market at that time.

Like many young musicians of that time, the Blue Diamonds were also interested in the great hits that mainly came to Europe from the USA. But they did not stop at pure replaying, but developed their very own, instrumental pop style, which formed the basis of a long career. While other Indonesian colleagues like'Rene and his Alligators' or'The Tielman Brothers' who moved to Holland could at best count on a loyal following in relevant clubs, the Blue Diamonds immediately reached the top of the international charts. And were able to hold their own for several years against the strong Anglo-American competition.

The Wolff family came to the Netherlands in 1949. Both brothers, who played the guitar perfectly and were exceptionally good rhythm & blues singers, started out in a Hawaiian band. After all, it was the success of the'Everly Brothers' that led to the record debut of the Blue Diamonds. And if mockers at the time thought that everything the Everlys sang would go straight into the Diamonds' music portfolio, this selection of great successes shows that Rudi and Riem had indeed put together a specific Blue Diamonds repertoire. The interesting song mix ranged from the 1960 novelty hit'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu Strand Bikini' to the evergreen'All Of Me' and'Sukiyaki', the first bestseller to come from Japan, from own versions of American standards like'Red Sails In The Sunset' to German hits like'Lady Sunshine and Mister Moon', which were written especially for the Blue Diamonds.

In retrospect, however, one recording towers above all the others, for'Ramona' was not only the first single ever to reach the 250,000 mark in Holland, but was also sold more than a million copies here. Yes, it went even further, because through'Ramona' the unmistakable voices of the Blue Diamonds also impressed the large audience on the other side of the Atlantic with sensational sales figures.