The Mighty Diamonds: biography of the legendary reggae trio

The Mighty Diamonds was a Jamaican vocal trio composed by founder and harmony singer Pat “Lloyd” Ferguson (the Judge), lead singer Donald Shaw (Tabby or the Prophet), and harmony singer Fitzroy Simpson (Bunny or the Jester).

Raised in the poverty and despair of Kingston’s ghetto of Trenchtown, the group formed in 1969 and eventually became learned reggae ambassadors who spread the gospel of harmony and emancipation from mental slavery across the world.

According to the journalist Eugene Register, the group was initially called The Limelight but changed the name after Shaw’s mother began calling its members The Diamonds. The Motown vocal groups of the 1960s inspired the band’s smooth harmonies and choreographed stage show. Jamaican rocksteady artists such as John Holt and Ken Boothe also influenced their early music.

After recording for some producers like Lee Perry, Stranger Cole and Rupie Edwards in the early 1970s, the first success for The Might Diamonds arrived in 1973, when they recorded “Shame and Pride” at Byron Lee‘s Dynamic Sounds studio. Their next big success was “Right Time”, recorded at Channel One in 1975.

The band’s first album, also titled Right Time, was released in 1976 under Virgin Records and was an instant classic at the international level. They tackled social and spiritual issues with powerful yet graceful music.

The Mighty Diamonds were devout Rastafarians but balanced their spiritual and political messages with sweet romantic material: this gave them a more universal appeal than militant groups like Culture or Black Uhuru. Whether they were singing love songs or protest anthems, the Mighty Diamonds brought a startling emotional commitment to their music.

After releasing their second album in the USA, the Mighty Diamonds returned to Jamaica and cut many roots albums at Channel One in the late 1970s, including Stand Up for Your Judgement and Deeper Roots.

In the early ’80s, the band reworked old Studio One rhythm tracks with producer Gussie Clarke and created new songs for the album Changes (1981). One of those new songs, “Pass the Kouchie”, was a major hit in Jamaica and was later covered by the Musical Youth with the smash hit “Pass the Dutchie”. The album Backstage was another fine set for Gussie, recorded at Dynamic Sounds studio in Kingston and issued in extended-play style, with each of the album’s six conscious late-roots tracks mixed to include dubs.

Towards the middle of the decade, the Diamonds began to incorporate the digital sounds of ragga into their music. Their recording pace slowed a bit in the ’90s. Yet, the group continued touring internationally into the new millennium and kept up a steady series of appearances at the annual Reggae Sunsplash Festival.

In 2021, the band was honoured in the National Honours and Awards on Jamaica’s 59th Anniversary of Independence.

The Mighty Diamonds recently lost two of its members in a short amount of time. On March 30, 2022, Donald Shaw died due to gunshot wounds from a drive-by shooting. Fitzroy Simpson died on April 1, 2022; he had suffered a stroke in 2017 and had been in treatment for diabetes.

Sources:
Artist Biography by Steve Huey on allmusic.com
reggaeville.com

Photos by Donna Cline, Renaud Guilhou