AMERICA'S MOST RENOWNED NEIL DIAMOND TRIBUTE ARTIST BRINGS LAS VEGAS SHOW TO NASHVILLE ON FRIDAY, FEB. 17; EXPLAINS NEIL DIAMOND'S COUNTRY MUSIC TIES by Wayne Bernath
Las Vegas' most well known tribute artist, Rob Garrett, brings his two-hour Las Vegas show to Nashville, Friday, Feb. 17 @ 7 p.m.
The show, titled “Neil Diamond - The Tribute starring Rob Garrett & the Pretty Amazing Band” will appear at the Troubadour Nashville Theatre (formerly the Texas Troubadour Theatre).
Although throughout his career spanning nearly 6 decades, Neil Diamond has written and recorded numerous songs that were undeniably country influenced, it wasn’t until 1996 that he made the decision to write and record an all-country album in Nashville.
The album was entitled “Tennessee Moon” and went to #3 on the Billboard country album charts and #14 on the Billboard top 200 pop charts.
On the album, Diamond sings several duets including “One Good Love” with his good friend, the late, great Waylon Jennings.
Jennings also appeared on Diamond’s follow up TV Special “Under a Tennessee Moon” along with guest country icons, Tim McGraw, Hal Ketchum, and Chet Atkins – just to name a few.
"There's not a country artist in the world that doesn't appreciate, respect, and admire, Neil Diamond”. “For many songwriters, he was a huge influence” says Garrett.
Both Diamond and Garrett coincidentally were originally born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.
Garrett’s parents moved the family to Las Vegas in 1974, which has been his home base ever since.
At one time, Diamond’s parents relocated the family to Cheyenne, WY for a while and Neil later jokingly referred to himself as a “New York City Cowboy".
While on tour, Diamond would occasionally make Nashville one of his stops performing at several large arenas throughout the years.
In early January of 2018, shortly before his 77th birthday, Neil Diamond shocked the world by announcing his retirement from the concert stage after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
He has sold over 135 million records which makes him one of the best-selling artists in popular music history.
Diamond will celebrate his 82nd birthday on January 24.
Additional Notes of interest:
In 1969 Diamond wrote what would become his signature song, "Sweet Caroline", in a Memphis hotel room in less than an hour after realizing he was one song short for an album he was recording at American Sound Studios.
He recorded the duet “You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” with Dolly Parton for his “Up On The Roof: Songs from the Brill Building” album in 1993.
He wrote and recorded the original “Red Red Wine” in 1967 (later turned into a #1 reggae hit for UB40) as a blatant country ballad complete with dominant pedal steel guitar lines.
Johnny Cash was a huge Diamond fan. Just as Neil was becoming a big star, Cash invited him as a guest on his TV show and they performed together.
Ironically, Cash’s final album while alive was entitled “Solitary Man” (2000) which was Diamond’s first hit in 1966. The title song earned Cash a Grammy award for “Best Male Country Vocal Performance”.
Other previous versions of the song were released by T.G. Sheppard and Chris Isaak.
Elvis Presley was also a big Neil Diamond fan. In 1970, Diamond attended Presley’s midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and was caught off guard when Presley introduced him from the stage, calling him “a great songwriter and a really nice guy”. Presley recorded 2 of Diamond’s songs: “And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind” and, of course, “Sweet Caroline”.
Recently, after a 6-week trial run in Boston, Neil Diamond's life story opened as a musical on Broadway entitled “Beautiful Noise” and has been extended thru June.
Rob Garrett caught the final week in Boston and his presence was even announced on the jumbotron at Fenway Park – home of the Boston Red Sox.
Rob Garrett not only sounds just like Neil Diamond but looks and performs like him.
He is generally recognized as the tribute performer who ‘carries the torch’ of the Diamond legacy.
In the 28 years he has been performing his tribute to Diamond, Garrett has headlined more showrooms in Las Vegas than any other tribute act.
The "Pretty Amazing Band” includes LJ Harness (percussion), Mark Stephen Gendel (Guitar), and special guests, hometown talents, Randy Harper (keyboardist from Pure Prairie League) and former Miss Tennessee/Miss America top 10 finalist, Llynda More (backup vocals), who will also sing a few songs to open the show.
Tickets can be purchased at:
http://www.outhousetickets.com/Event/Event20669 or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neil-diamond-the-tribute-starring-rob-garrett-the-pretty-amazing-band-tickets-509270330267 .
Tickets are $25 GA, $35 VIP, & $50 Elite.
The Troubadour Nashville Theatre is located at 2416 Music Valley Dr., Nashville TN 37214. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
To view a visual retrospective of Rob Garrett’s 28 year career as ‘Neil Diamond’ and current video demo, click here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRl40ZJ3v__SI3VkasdG9Xsh8CW-XlRQOGpn5rX-AZaU34uIU9QXO8YRubvkRLsnKo8N-zVvrVFmPNW/pub?start=true&loop=false&delayms=3000