The Black Diamond Choir

Over 30 Years of Song

"Awesome!" is a word that often comes up when Ton'ya Triplett describes her 10 years as director of the Black Diamond Choir, a tenure that ended this past summer."

They are blessed by the entire experience," says Triplett of the young men and women who have graced the distinctive red and black robes of the choir over the past decade. "I have walked with them and they have walked with me."

And for more than 30 years, this internationally known gospel group has walked with U of L, spreading its messages of hope and joy through singing and social activism. Performing everything from hymns and spirituals to contemporary songs, the choir has been a fixture at U of L since 1969 and remains the first and only black gospel choir on campus.

Black Music Appreciation

The Black Diamond Choir was born in part out of the student activism of the late 1960s when, in 1968, African-American students at U of L initiated a series of protests over a lack of black studies courses and social opportunities for black students. One of the first results was the inclusion the next year of a non-credit course "Black Music Appreciation."

That's when Beatrice Brown and Joetta Harrington organized the Black Diamond Choir to encourage the introduction of black music on Belknap Campus and provide fellowship for the small number of African-American students attending U of L at that time.

By 1973, Habari Gani, a newspaper published by the Black Student Union, was reporting that the choir was gaining more and more momentum and drawing larger audiences. Three years later, the 60-member choir was performing at the Macauley Theater and at a National Black Gospel Choir Festival in Atlanta.

By 1979, U of L's Black Diamond Choir was even getting some local television exposure, appearing on a program called "Sing Ye."

Another big moment came in 1984 when the choir was one of the acts that performed at the gala opening of the Kentucky Center for the Arts. Also in the mid-1980s, the choir became a regular performer at 'Dickens on Main Street' for "Light-Up Louisville" and cut a soft vinyl album titled "Coming Like a Thief."

British Invasion

In 2000, the Black Diamond Choir embarked on its first international tour when it traveled to England. Jointly sponsored by the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Air Force and arranged by Patricia Spearman, chaplain for U of L's Wesley Center, the tour was the first overseas trip for many of the choir members.

Triplett recalls a dizzying five-day schedule with the choir performing two or three times a day. While preparing to sing in British cathedrals, choir members were excited, but nervous about how audiences would react to the exuberant style of American gospel music.

"But diversity is good," Triplett says, "and the British audiences welcomed the music."

The audiences were, in fact, very enthusiastic and receptive and would even mingle with the singers after the concerts. The one-on-one sharing between the student singers and the British audience members was a tremendous experience, says Leslie Maxie-Ashford, who sang in the choir from 1994 to 2000.

"The London trip was very exciting," she recounts. "You could tell how much everyone over there enjoyed it. It was a very spiritual experience."

It was also an opportunity to take "the ministry we do in Louisville to a higher level," she adds.

The choir members even managed to squeeze in some sightseeing, including a tour of such venerable locales as Oxford, London Bridge and the Tower of London. More overseas tours are in the future.

More than just Singing

Shortly before he retired from the Black Diamond Choir, Sherman Lamont Bush, who directed the choir for nearly 20 years (1973 to 1992), pointed out that it was much more than an extracurricular activity for students. The choir was an opportunity for them to express their faith, as well.

Choir members do much more than sing. They also get involved with several charitable activities and sponsor a food drive called 'Feed Families for Christmas.' This outreach event has provided food and gift baskets for more than 100 families each year for more than 20 years.

The singers do it all, providing food drop-off points at each campus and the Nia Center, collecting the gifts, preparing the baskets and distributing them in time for Christmas.

Now with some 125 members, the choir continues to welcome new members, and veterans return for special events each year. At the 30-year reunion concert at St. Stephen Baptist Church, 185 singers from throughout the choir's rich history were present.

Longevity in membership is the norm rather than the exception, with several singers joining during their high school years and staying even after graduation from U of L.

Black Diamond Choir members also tend to be involved in other aspects of student life at U of L. Stacey Lewis, U of L's first black homecoming queen, was a member of Black Diamond for four years. A number of singers are Porter Scholars, serve as mentors, participate in Student Government and are active in sororities and fraternities.

Rondale Browder, a friend of Triplett's, took over as director of the Black Diamond Choir this past August. A training specialist at Englehard Corp. who also devotes time to St. Stephen's Church leading the youth choir, Browder says he took on the added duties because he likes working with college-age students and "after praying about it that led me to the decision,' he says. "The lord wants me to do this, but I really don't know why," he adds, laughing.

Among his plans for the choir are to help its members grow both spiritually and vocally. He also wants to assist students themselves who want to someday work with choirs. But foremost in his plans, he says, is leading the choir in continuing to do what it has for the past 32 yearsÑspreading hope and joy through song and community involvement.

(Editor's note: The Black Diamond Choir can be heard on recent recordings including a live concert from the Calvary Cathedral Church and a spring concert at St. Stephen Baptist Church. The choir also has two tracks on "Vol. II: The Third Annual National Black Gospel Choir Festival" and is featured on "Sights and Sounds From Many Faiths.")

Margaret Merrick is an associate professor in the University Archives and Records Center.