Glenn Stetson

Who was Glenn Stetson?

Glenn Stetson was Canadian singer, concert promoter and television producer. Glenn Campbell Stetson was born in the Ottawa Valley of eastern Ontario and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a lead singer with The Diamonds, whose hits included "The Stroll", "Silhouettes", and "Little Darlin'", from the late 1960s through the 1980s. He studied theater under Sir Tyrone Guthrie, and appeared in the original Broadway productions of "H.M.S Pinafore" and "Funny Girl".

In the mid-1960s, he was a featured performer for Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. In 1968, he joined the Diamonds and helped keep their name and music alive through the 1970s and 1980s, particularly on oldies tours and TV. The Diamonds toured Australia heavily in the 1970s with Australian rock-n-roll legend Lonnie Lee. Stetson released a solo album in the 1970s entitled "Stetson Country" that was produced by Wayne Jackson of the famed Memphis Horns. He was a frequent guest on Nashville Now with host Ralph Emery.

Stetson and Richard J. "Dick" Milano were founders of "Little Darlin's Rock-n-Roll Palace" in Kissimmee, Florida which was a highly popular Orlando-area venue in the 1980s. He was co-executive producer for "Live at the Palace" on the Nashville Network. "Little Darlin's Rock-n-Roll Palace" and associated oldies tours revived the careers of many performers, notably Fabian, Dee Clark, Tommy Sands, The Shirelles, Danny & the Juniors, and The Tokens. He was also active in charitable fund-raising and civic organisations such as the Shriners of which he was an honorary member.