Best remembered as the original front man of the legendary hard rock band Ritual, singer JB Diamond was born in the Bronx, NY. As a child he began performing in his father's pipe band, and following the family's relocation to Australia in 1973 he quit school at age 15, later playing in a local rock outfit called Infected Blister. By 1981 Diamond had joined the NY based group, JB and the Diamonds. The band soon emerged as one of the most popular on the NY circuit, in mid 1983. A naked flag pole incident destroyed the Diamonds' public image, however, and after touring with Twisted Sister the band dissolved; JB Diamond soon joined the NY blues-rock unit Jeckyl's Hyde, issuing the "Monster Sessions" in 1984. In 1985, however, Diamond was involved in a motorcycle accident, which left him comatose for several months, during which time Jeckyl's Hyde disbanded. After recovering in the 90's Diamond worked a series of odd jobs before recording a demo as a guitarist/singer of the short-lived Montgomery Blues. Finally, in 2004 JB Diamond formed High Voltage with the legendary axeman Sideshow Bob and recorded the group's debut Demo LP High Voltage a year later. The rest is busy making history.

Photos by Garth Parr