Although born and raised in Paisley, Scotland, Will Chalmers is the next best thing to the real Neil Diamond.
Fans who saw Chalmers when he brought the show Solitary Man to the Algonquin Theatre in the fall of 2005 won’t want to miss his new show Forever Diamond.
“It’s a totally different show. We’ve changed the format and we’ll be bringing in new songs, which will be presented along with stories as to how the songs were written,” said Chalmers, adding that he will be backed by his five-piece band.
Devotees of Diamond’s more popular songs won’t be disappointed, however. “I’ll still be doing Sweet Caroline, Cracklin’ Rosie, Cherry Cherry, Song Sung Blue, Good Times Never Seemed So Good – all the classics,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers has been performing his tribute to Neil Diamond for the past seven years. “The only other celebrity I’ve done was Elvis and that was a long time ago. I changed in 2002 to Neil and he’s the only one I portray now,” he said.
Chalmers, who bears a natural resemblance to Diamond, will personify the singer as he was in the 1970s. “He had a little bit longer hair then. He’s going to be 69 this year and he’s grey now. His clothes are different as well. He doesn’t wear the sparkly shirts anymore.”
Neil Leslie Diamond was born in Boston in January 1941 to a Jewish family descended from Russian and Polish immigrants. He spent his early career as a songwriter. His first success came in 1965 with the song Sunday and Me, performed by Jay and the Americans, followed with I’m a Believer, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You, Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow), and Love to Love, all of which were recorded and released by the Monkees.
Another notable artist who recorded early Neil Diamond songs was Elvis Presley, who interpreted Sweet Caroline, among others. Diamond’s first hit as a singer was with the now-legendary song Solitary Man.
Chalmers has travelled extensively with his band, from the east to the west coasts of Canada and in the United States, as well as many venues in Ontario. He’s performed in theatres, casinos, convention centres, arenas, at corporate events and resorts, and at many outdoor festivals.
Chalmers moved from Lanarkshire, U.K. to Canada in 1987. He and his wife currently live in Collingwood, OB. Despite all the travelling, he still holds down a full-time job with a commercial/residential heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical company.
“My company gives me lots of flexibility to do my shows,” Chalmers said.
While Neil Diamond has not seen Chalmers perform, the tribute artist did get to see Diamond at the Air Canada Centre last year. “We sat very close to the front and I learned a lot from his performance, how he carries himself on stage, for instance. Neil is still going strong and his performance was phenomenal.”
Forever Diamond promises to be a real diamond of a tribute show, and takes the Algonquin Theatre stage on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $26 plus GST and are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by calling 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.