What Goes Into A Neil Diamond Tribute Band

By Lila Barry


Neil Diamond is far and away one of the most successful musicians of contemporary times. His career has extended through five decades, and he has published several legendary songs and albums. It is worth taking a look at what it takes to organize and run a Neil Diamond tribute band.

To begin with, then, some information about the original artist. Neil Leslie Diamond was born in January 1941 in the suburb of Brooklyn in New York City, to Jewish parents. His ancestors came from Russia and Poland. He began recording as a university student, and since then he has sold in excess of 120 million copies of his recorded work. His career as a musician has lasted from those early days in the 1960s until today.

Of course, this level of success makes him an obvious choice for cover artists. He has produced many internationally popular hits such as "Kentucky Woman" and "Sweet Caroline". Songs such as these are instantly recognizable and are therefore prime candidates for cover tracks by other artists.

There is a strong tradition of tribute acts to Neil Diamond in the music industry. Two of the top acts are Simply Diamond and Cherry Cherry. Bands such as these offer the sound and entertainment of the original artist to those who are unable to afford him or who are unable to arrange for his presence.

In order to succeed, a tribute performer must have some resemblance to the original musician, both in terms of the music and visual appeal, while being able to put on a show independently. Cover songs are not easy to perform. They may seem so, given that they are imitations of original material, but reproducing that material is an art form in its own right.

Since a cover band is still a musical outfit, it needs to be a proper performance vehicle, and also needs to be musically able to reproduce the covered material. This in turn requires the necessary level of talent and skill. Cover acts are sometimes under more pressure to perform than the original artist because, in the case of such an act, the audience has a standard to compare the performance to. Iconic artists such as the one in question are therefore particularly hard acts to follow.

It is to the advantage of the band if their key vocalist bears some resemblance to the artist being covered. This is about more than mere physical appearance, although that is also important. Costume, performance style and even stage banter need to be researched and practiced. It may appear to be simple to imitate an existing band, but skill and hard work are required to do so in a fashion that is entertaining to the audience.

A Neil Diamond tribute band needs to have an accomplished main vocalist who is a genuine fan of the original artist, a guitarist who is familiar with Diamond's material, a drummer and a bassist. The higher the level of imitation, the more entertaining the band is to watch. Although a cover remains a mere imitation, there is a certain excitement in seeing (or in performing) your favorite musician as a cover.




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