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Saturday, February 04, 2017

TOM HANKS FATHER, The Diamonds

If you were alive in 1957, and old enough to enjoy Rock and Roll, you will remember the group, "The Diamonds" who had just launched their super hit "Little Darlin' ". For you who are too young to remember - it was a time when the performers were happy, enjoying themselves, respecting their fans, dressed appropriately and their lyrics could be understood. They did not feel obligated to scream, eat the microphone, mumble inaudible lyrics or trash the set. In 1957, The Diamonds had a hit with "Little Darlin." 47 years later, they were requested to perform at Atlantic City ....this link leads to both performances. Watch the first one, then the new one 47 years later. Tom Hank’s father is much better looking than Tom, and even better looking with age. In the linked videos Tom Hank's father, who is the Lead Singer of The Diamonds, is on the left. He still has it and in the 1957 version, you can see the resemblance between father and son!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hilarious. I seem to recall the same rock and roll acts being labelled as the "wrong element" back in their day as well. Old fogeys have always been old fogeys I guess. You can enjoy the trip down memory lane without trying to drag down other alternative genres.

Anonymous said...

No one needs to drag these other present day "genres", new word of the modern liberals, when you watch those "performance" they do it themselves.

Anonymous said...

I graduated from High School in 1955 so I remember that song very well. It's interesting to know the lead singer was Tom Hanks father.

Anonymous said...

Showbiz is all family relations. Hank's had the greatest rolls of the 90s. I can't stand the "religious underground" movies he does now or his comments during the election. Boycotted!

Anonymous said...

I had never heard that before. If it is true, sure looks like Hanks and he has held his age better than the others.

Anonymous said...

Performers were great back when. Nice to see someone with clothes on. Guess I am an old fogey, but prefer not to watch porn.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Hilarious. I seem to recall the same rock and roll acts being labelled as the "wrong element" back in their day as well. Old fogeys have always been old fogeys I guess. You can enjoy the trip down memory lane without trying to drag down other alternative genres.

February 4, 2017 at 3:41 AM

AW... Poor Little Snow Flake!! You must be wearing your little Pussy Hat!

Emma Dine said...

Unfortunately, this is false. ORIGINS: The Diamonds were one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1950s, a quartet of Canadians best known for their hit “Little Darlin’,” which reached the #2 spot on Billboard’s singles chart in 1957. Tom Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director best known for winning consecutive Best Actor

Academy Awards (for Philadelphia in 1993 and Forrest Gump in 1994). Contrary to the rumor reproduced above, however, there is no familial connection between The Diamonds and Tom Hanks.

The lead singer of The Diamonds when they recorded hits such as “Little Darlin'” was Dave Somerville, a native of Guelph, Ontario, who was born in 1933 and died at the age of 81 in July 2015. The singer’s obituary provides a definitive accounting of The Diamonds, and Somerville’s life, and Tom Hanks is not a part of it. Somerville had one child, a son named David Orlando, according to his obituary.

Tom Hanks’ father, Amos Mefford Hanks, was born in Glenn County, California, in 1924 and died in 1992. Tom Hanks’ actual father was a chef named Amos Hanks, according to his biography:

Thomas J. Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. Tom was raised by Amos Mefford Hanks, a cook and restaurant manager, and Janet (Turner) Hanks, a hospital worker. His parents divorced when he was 5, and his father took him along with his three siblings, Sandra, Larry and Jim, to Reno, Nevada. Because his father was an itinerant cook, Tom had to move quite often in his childhood. The family eventually settled in Oakland, California, where Tom attended and graduated from Skyline High School in 1974.

Tom Hanks’s father wasn’t in the entertainment industry, and he wasn’t Diamond Dave Somerville.

None of The Diamonds, either the original group or the replacement members, bore the surname Hanks or is known to be directly related to Tom Hanks the actor.