Little is known about Elmer Olson other than he was the composer of a handful of rags and a few songs between 1911 and 1922 for various publishers. He is perhaps best known in the ragtime world for his sophisticated rag Town Talk (1917). Of his songs Say it with Diamonds (1922) is an interesting example of a Tin Pan Alley foray into the blatant advertising world. Billed as "A Song That Sells Diamonds", it was written specifically for jewellers who exclusively advertised their wares on the sheet music back cover.