Its original members were Nolan Strong, Juan Gutierrez, Willie Hunter, Quentin Eubanks, and Bob Edwards.
In late 1953, the Diablos went into Detroit's Fortune Record Studios to cut some demo sides, with the hopes of furthering their career.
Those demos impressed Jack and Devora Brown, owners of Fortune, who immediately signed the group to record for their label.
Following the release of "The Wind", Guitierrez and Eubanks left the group, to be replaced by Nolan's brother Jimmy on tenor and George Scott on bass.
Over the next two years this configuration of Diablos turned out several records, including "Route 16", "Do You Remember What You Did", "Daddy Rockin' Strong", "The Way You Dog Me Around", "You Are", and "A Teardrop From Heaven".
Scott decided to leave the group about this time to join Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - and again the Diablos were in need of a bass.
Jay Johnson's first session with the Diablos was on "Can't We Talk It Over" and "Mambo of Love", recorded in late 1956 and released in 1957.
On "Village of Love", Johnson also provided the bass on the original Fortune version by Nathaniel Mayer & the Fabulous Twilights.
[3] Also in late 1956, about the time Jay Johnson joined the group, Strong departed for a two-year stint in the army.
While Nolan was in the service, the Diablos released one single without him, "Harriet", backed with "Come Home Little Girl", featuring Hunter on lead.
The group included Diablos alumni Jay Johnson and Willie Hunter along with Bobby Calhoun (baritone) and Cy Iverson (tenor).
[9] The Velvet Angels performed at clubs around Detroit and across the border in Canada and soon traveled to New Jersey in search a deal and shows.
Frank Sheldon, the show sponsor and owner of the Tender Trap club in Fairview, New Jersey, was looking for this type of group.
Things were starting to happen for the Velvet Angels; they were hired to do commercials for Lionel Trains, but their manager became ill and that deal fell apart.
Jay Johnson stayed on for a time in New Jersey, continuing to perform solo at the Tender Trap, but also found his way back to Detroit.
In the late 1960s Johnson formed the soul group the Four Sonics, releasing two singles in 1968 on Detroit's Sport label.
In December 2009, Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground told Rolling Stone editor David Fricke: "If I could really sing, I'd be Nolan Strong" during an interview at the New York Public Library.
[11] In a 2008 interview with Goldmine, Smokey Robinson said: "There was a guy who lived in Detroit and had a group called the Diablos.
It features the Dirtbombs, Reigning Sound, Demon's Claws, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby and Mark Sultan, among others.