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.

The establishment of tribute acts to this famous artist is not a new phenomenon. There are several prominent tribute bands in operation, with appropriate names, such as Cherry Cherry, Super Diamond (Surreal Neil) and others. These outfits offer his sound to fans who are unable to attend the authentic shows of the real artist.

A successful tribute band needs to have a significant resemblance to the original act, both visually and musically, while retaining the ability to perform as a band on its own. Covering tracks is not as easy as it may seem. The reproduction of original material may sound easy, but such reproduction requires artistic skill and panache, just as the original work does.

A cover ensemble is also a musical act and so it needs to be able to produce the required musical performance. Its members therefore need to possess the requisite level of talent and performance acumen. Pressure on the band is high because there is an original artist for the audience to refer to. This makes musicians like the one under discussion especially difficult to cover.

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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