Norman "Dinky" Diamond

Norman Victor "Dinky" Diamond (15 December 1950 – 10 September 2004) was an English drummer who played with the rock band Sparks at the height of their fame in the UK in the early 1970s, playing on the albums Kimono My House, Propaganda (1974) and Indiscreet (1975). In 1975 Diamond was voted Drummer of the Year in a poll held by Premier Drums. He committed suicide by hanging in 2004 after a long-running dispute with noisy neighbours.

Early years Born in Aldershot in Hampshire, on 15 December 1950, the son of Isabella (née Copland) and Albert Victor Diamond, Norman Diamond gained the nickname "Dinky" as a child because of his small stature. He had three sisters, Maureen, Daphne and Margaret and a brother, David and a deal from Island Records, thanks in part to the exposure garnered by a BBC2 television The Old Grey Whistle Test performance. The Mael brothers placed an advertisement in music weekly Melody Maker which read: "Wanted bass player for Sparks. Must be beard free and exciting". As a result, Martin Gordon was hired. With Adrian Fisher on guitar and Diamond on drums, in the midst of power strikes and a threatened vinyl shortage, they recorded their breakthrough Kimono My House in 1974, scoring a number 2 hit with the single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us". Remembering Diamond's early years with Sparks, producer Muff Winwood said "Dinky was by no means a great drummer but he suited the material perfectly".

Sparks became a UK teen sensation, appearing on the cover of Melody Maker, Record Mirror and many other pop magazines, both in the UK and Europe. Hits such as "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", "Amateur Hour" and "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" led to many appearances on the BBC's flagship music show Top of the Pops.

Gordon and Fisher were later replaced, but Diamond temporarily survived the cull. In 1975 the revised band, including Diamond, toured the US promoting the Kimono My House and Propaganda albums. Diamond had enjoyed being a member of a high-profile band, and would sit in the office at Island Records, answering the telephones and reading paperwork.

After Sparks, Four Squares Diamond was voted Drummer of the Year in a poll held by Premier Drums in 1975. However, that was also his last year with Sparks as the Mael brothers decided to move back to the US and there they would be using mainly local session musicians. but he went on to appear with a number of bands, including (from 1980) the Sparks spin-off The Four Squares. Despite the name, the band actually had five members: Diamond on drums, Sparks' former manager John Hewlett on vocals, former Sparks guitarist Trevor White on bass, and two guitarists – Adrian Fisher plus Chuck Wagon (also of The Dickies) who shot himself before the band's main recording session at Bearsville Studios were complete.

When the Four Squares failed, Diamond gradually drifted out of music The neighbour, Lisa Norman's partner said, "He [Mr Diamond] had a history of alcohol abuse, and all the blame is being concentrated on my partner; she is distraught."

The Mael brothers posted a tribute to Diamond on the Sparks website: "We are very saddened by the news of Dinky Diamond's death. We hold fond memories of working with Dinky and of his contribution to several of our albums during the '70s. Our hearts go out to his family and friends." Diamond's funeral was held at Aldershot Crematorium.