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The Real Neil
Randy Sterling (who isn't just a bass and guitar player, he's also one of my two favorite recording engineers) talked me into coming to a "Diamond Is Forever" rehearsal. He said I had to hear and meet his friend David Sherry, and then he had to push on me-- a singer/songwriter with a bit of an "attitude" toward tribute bands-- to make it happen. So I dropped in on one-- and even in midst of the stop-and-start, change-this, redo-that of rehearsal, David's talent as a performer and love for the music came shining through. And, his voice just naturally sounds a lot like the real thing. (Tell you what-- if David did a Johnny Cash tribute song, people would still come up to him afterward and say, "You sound a lot like Neil Diamond.") Then they took a break and we could talk a bit, and it was obvious we were already friends but just hadn't met each other until then. So David, congratulations a bunch on meeting Neil in person. I know how much you were looking forward to it. And here is my sincerely biased plug to all you other folks: When you get a chance to make it to a "Diamond Is Forever" show, GO. I do, and I guarantee you'll enjoy David and the band doing a great performance whether you're a Diamond fan already or not-- and if you weren't, you may be by the time it's over. PS to Randy: Thanks for being a people connector besides a great player and sound engineer.— January 26, 2009 8:23 p.m.