Since releasing his first album in 1962, and selling somewhere in the area of 125 million records since, Neil Diamond has generated more than a few popular songs. But for Elmira-based Neil Diamond tribute artist Mark Thomas, the task of assembling a Diamond playlist always begins in the same place.
“The big one that you have to do every show – and I enjoy the song – is ‘Sweet Caroline,’” said Thomas, referring to that timeless number about when good times never seemed so good, and spring became the summer and who’d have believed you’d come along?
![When the financial crisis put his accounting career in flux, late-blooming entertainer Mark Thomas went from bookkeeper to Jazz Singer with his travelling Neil Diamond tribute show.[submitted]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/arts1.jpg)
“But if I’m doing a Legends-type show where there are three or four artists and I have to do 20 minutes, my song list will consist of a couple from The Jazz Singer, like ‘America’ and ‘Hello Again.’ And then, ‘Forever in Blue Jeans,’ ‘Cracklin’ Rosie,’ ‘Solitary Man,’ ‘Cherry Cherry’ … there’s a bunch like that that are kind of standards.”
All these and more will be performed at “Neil Diamond: The Greatest Hits Tribute,” Thomas’ touring show that drops by Maryhill on March 17. Elvis impersonators and Michael Jackson mimics are a dime a dozen, but Thomas (whose website cheekily calls him “Almost Neil”) has toured through North America and even Europe as one of the few top tribute artists to the solitary man.
Being a professional Neil Diamond tribute artist was not a lifestyle the late-blooming entertainer had anticipated. For 25 years, Thomas worked full-time as a corporate accountant, much of that spent as director of finance for Maple Leaf Foods in Mississauga. Thomas had been a Neil Diamond fan since the 1980 release of The Jazz Singer, but only discovered he could nail the voice about 10 years ago, and only worked up the courage to perform in 2007.
“In 2009, we had a big downsizing with the company,” Thomas remembered. “I had some time to reflect on things, and my wife and I said, ‘Y’know, let’s give this a try and see what happens, because with your accounting skills you can still do that on the side.’
“So I’m doing both right now: I’m doing a little bit of finance work, and pursuing this dream.”
Not everybody’s on-the-job training involves careful study of Neil Diamond concert and music videos, but Thomas has spent much time nailing the mannerisms and stage presence of his subject. At times, he has even been able to study up close.
“I was fortunate enough in the last two years to go to four of his concerts,” said Thomas. “I went over two years ago to Ireland to see him, and last year I was able to get to London, Detroit and Las Vegas.
“I was kind of able to go to school and go to a concert at the same time.”
Over the years, Diamond has drifted in and out of fashion, but his profile has been higher in recent years than it has been in quite some time. His 2008 primetime TV special garnered 13 million viewers, and 2010 saw the release of his well-received album of rock standards, Dreams. In 2010, he was nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; in 2011, he received a Kennedy Center Honor; and last year, after an inexplicably long wait, his name was finally added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Diamond’s ongoing renaissance has helped inform the evolution of Thomas’ act. “I grew my hair, so I was a 45-, 48-year-old guy trying to look like a 25-year-old Neil Diamond,” Thomas remembered. “Just didn’t work.”
He continued, “So I had one promoter say, ‘You know what? Cut your hair short and try to portray the fellow that we all know now. And with Neil being in the spotlight in the last five years, a lot of people now identify Neil with the short hair.”
Thomas will be gracing the stage at the Commercial Tavern in Maryhill – colourful beaded shirts and all – for “Neil Diamond: The Greatest Hits Tribute” at 3 p.m. on March 17. Tickets are $15, and can be reserved by calling the tavern at 519-648-3644.
