found out about this chap yesterday
Keith Diamond, 46; Produced Pop Songs
Published: January 27, 1997
Keith Diamond, who produced and wrote songs for such singers as Billy Ocean, Michael Bolton, Donna Summer and Mick Jagger, died on Jan. 18 at his home in Manhattan. He was 46.
The cause was a heart attack, said Lisa Barbaris, a spokeswoman for Mr. Diamond.
Born in Trinidad, Mr. Diamond moved to London to pursue a career as a musician and producer in 1969. Signed on as a songwriter by the publisher Zomba after he moved to New York in 1980, he became known for his streamlined rhythm-and-blues pop style. As a producer and songwriter, he helped bring singers like Billy Ocean into the mainstream while reshaping the sound of others like Anne Murray.
Mr. Diamond also helped produce ''Wandering Spirit'' by Mick Jagger and ''The Hunger'' by Michael Bolton, as well as producing albums or writing songs for Sheena Easton, James Ingram, Don Johnson, Melba Moore, Regina Belle, Gladys Knight, Starpoint and Ms. Summer. He was nominated for a Grammy award in 1984 for the Billy Ocean song ''Caribbean Queen,'' which he produced and wrote with the singer. In 1989, the Trinidadian Government opened a Keith Diamond Cultural Center.
