The Diamond Mine: (or Confessions of a Bakersfield D.J.)

Long-time legendary disc-jockey Jim Diamond takes us through a half-century of his life and times; through his childhood in Southern California; discovering Top 40 A.M. legends like KFWB, KRLA, and KHJ in Los Angeles. We learn of his passionate love of the business and being on the air...through his earliest experiences as a bootleg radio d.j. at the age of 15! Jim also tells of his musical knowledge of Rock N' Rolls formative years, when he made radio broadcasting and being a d.j. his life-long career. We read about his eventual move to the Bakersfield area, where he has spent the last 33 years...paying his "dues" several times over! Jim tells the story as it really happened. And he paints a picture of the business that is both fascinating and horrifying!Through his experiences we learn about both sides of being a radio d.j. We manage to see the underbelly of the radio business as well as many fun and memorable times, too. There are the radio "groupies"; the meeting of many great celebrities from the world of radio, television, and movies. It's ALL here! "The Diamond Mine" is a wonderful book, well-told by it's author. It's a definite "must read" for anyone interested in the radio business in any way. Jim Diamond, a Canadian immigrant to The United States at the age of 8 months...whose real name is Gerald (Gerry) Whitehead, is a real survivor in the ever-changing, hurly-burly world of radio broadcasting. Once you pick up this book, you'll never want to put it down!