Formed in 1969 in the
Trenchtown area of
Kingston, the group comprised lead vocalist Donald "Tabby" Shaw, and harmony vocalists Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson and Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson. They had become friends at school in the mid-1960s, and were originally called The Limelight, adopting 'Mighty Diamonds' after Shaw's mother started referring to them as "The Diamonds". Their smooth harmonies and choreographed stage show were inspired by
Motown vocal groups of the 1960s, with Shaw listing
The Temptations,
The Stylistics,
The Impressions, and
The Delfonics as influences as well as Jamaican
rocksteady artists such as
John Holt and
Ken Boothe. It was their mid-1970s work with producer
Joseph Hoo Kim that gave them their real breakthrough. The album was an international success and for the follow-up, Virgin sent them to work with
Allen Toussaint in
New Orleans, with local musicians providing the backing. The resulting
Ice on Fire album sold poorly, the production not appealing to reggae fans, and the album later described as "an attempt by New Orleans soul musicians to play reggae". Back in Jamaica, they continued to record for Channel One, with the
Stand Up to Your Judgment album released in 1978, and continued to produce a string of hit singles. In 1978, The Mighty Diamonds made a brief cameo in the film Rockers, directed by Ted Bafaloukos. In the early 1980s, they recorded with producer
Gussie Clarke, largely using old
Studio One tracks as the basis for their recordings, and
dubplates of these sessions became popular on
sound systems in Jamaica, New York, and London, particularly "Pass the Kouchie", recorded on the "Full Up"
riddim. The group continued to release albums regularly, adapting successfully to the prevailing digital rhythms of the 1980s and beyond. Tabby, Bunny and Judge issued over 40 albums in their long career. In 2021, the group was honoured with the
Order of Distinction (Officer Class) in the National Honours and Awards, on the occasion of Jamaica's 59th Anniversary of Independence. On 29 March 2022, Donald “Tabby” Shaw was shot dead, along with one other person, on McKinley Crescent in St Andrew, Kingston, Jamaica. Three others were injured in the shooting. The following Friday, 1 April, co-singer with the group, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson died whilst in an undisclosed Kingston hospital. ==Discography==