“Diamond” Dave Hosley has done a lot of things in his four-decade-long career, but he’s only DJ’ed one high school prom — for Urban, on May 11.
Hosley, 56, began his musical career as a drummer, wearing a tuxedo and playing softly in country club dining rooms while he was still in high school in Simsbury, Conn.
When he graduated, he took to the road, playing in funk, Motown and rock ’n’ roll cover bands. He sang and played piano in “30 or so” bands before moving to Lafayette, Calif., at age 30. He started a bar there called Petar’s, which was a hit with locals for many years before it closed in January 2013.
The key to Petar’s popularity was, as one Yelp user wrote, “the amazing one-man show … Diamond Dave.” Hosley played at Petar’s four nights a week for more than 20 years, building up a Bay Area fan base and a reputation as someone who could keep a crowd’s energy up.
Since Petar’s closed, Hosley has been a professional DJ, performing at weddings and private parties. His DJ performances include a wide range of musical genres and he samples, as seen in his promo, from artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Sir Mix-a-Lot to the Bee Gees.
“Today’s music scene is a really diverse scene,” said Hosley, in a phone interview with the Legend. “It’s just about keeping (up) the energy level.
“When I was in high school it was always just a band,” Hosley said. “The scene has changed to where DJ’ing is an art form as well. I have a decent sense of what people want and if I don’t know, I ask them.”
Despite this confidence, Hosley had reservations when he was asked to DJ prom at Urban.
“I had never done a high school prom. I called (Genna Gores (’14), head of Dance Committee), to talk to her, make sure – (since) I’m an old guy, (to) make sure I can do what you want.”
After Gores expressed disappointment in last year’s DJ, who “did a bunch of dubstep,” Hosley realized he just would need “to keep (Urban students) entertained.”
Not only did Hosley have doubts — the Urban student body was split after seeing the “Diamond Dave 2012 Promo SP” video on YouTube as well. The video, which has over 260,000 views, showcases Hosley’s singing and DJ’ing skills.
Initially, Hosley’s chief proponent was Eli Melrod (’13). “We’re actually really lucky to get him because the amount of online publicity he has is through the roof,” said Melrod.
“What’s really cool about him is that at an old age he’s able to adapt to what’s going on (in the world of music). I wanted to get him to prom so badly … that I inserted myself as a Dance Committee executive.”
With Melrod on the committee and growing support from the student body, Hosley was chosen to DJ the Urban School 2013 prom.
With Hosley booked and his promo video making the rounds of the student body, opinions just before prom still were divided. Some students, like Harrison Golding (’14), were optimistic: “I’m excited because he’s a one of a kind talent. He is a very unique person, and is one with the crowd.”
Others were less excited. Lauren Greenburg (’13) expressed her doubts, calling Hosley “a practical joke on Urban students.” After admitting the promo was funny, she said she realized, “this guy is going to be at prom and that sucks.”
When prom night finally arrived, no one knew what to expect. Students who had seen the promo video went up and took photos during dinner with Hosley, who arrived wearing a white tuxedo and was accompanied by his two teenaged daughters.
Finally, the lights dimmed and Hosley launched into a rousing rendition of “Low” by Flo Rida. Students flocked to the dance floor and the night unofficially began.
The following Monday, hallways buzzed with talk of prom night and of Diamond Dave. The overwhelming consensus was that Hosley had exceeded expectations.
Greenberg, the same student who had called Hosley a “practical joke,” said, “I loved Diamond Dave. He got everyone on their feet. (It was) probably the most fun I had at prom out of the three years.
“Urban’s kind of all about being cheesy. Just being weird and cheesy in a really good way and he brought that out of people,” Greenberg said.
Other students reacted positively as well, such as Will Rothman (’13), who said he “danced for like two hours straight.”
While Rothman admitted, “I don’t know if Urban should use him again because that might be a little repetitive,” the Dance Committee’s decision to bring Hosley clearly attached a refreshing type of excitement to this year’s prom, an energy not seen in previous years.