\'KING OF DIAMONDS\' PORTRAYS DIAMOND AT HIS COOLEST

'KING OF DIAMONDS' PORTRAYS DIAMOND AT HIS COOLEST

(EMAILWIRE.COM, August 23, 2010 ) Las Vegas, NV - Long time Las Vegas resident and entertainer, Rob Garrett, otherwise known as the 'King of Diamonds' pays tribute to the legendary Neil Diamond this Friday night , August 27th, at the Cannery casino in Las Vegas.

Neil Diamond has been one of pop/rock musicÂ’s most enduring and successful musical performers for over 4 decades. He continues to fill up huge arenas all around the world. About 2 years ago, at age 68, Diamond became the oldest performer ever to reach the #1 position on the Billboard Top 200 charts with his Â“Home Before DarkÂ” CD. DiamondÂ’s

Neil Diamond-Rob Garrett comparison

5-minute Promotional video

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legions of hardcore fans (known as Â“DiamondheadsÂ”) have known for years what everyone else is just finding outÂ… Neil Diamond is Â‘COOLÂ’. However, for those who have never had the opportunity, or who cannot remember what it was like, to see Neil Diamond Â‘liveÂ’ in his prime, all one has to do is to go see his # 1 emulator, Rob Garrett. Garrett travels all around (and occasionally outside) the country performing his Diamond tribute, sometimes with, his 6-9 piece band and other times with just his backup CD. He is known as the Â“King of DiamondsÂ’Â’ and one has only to witness his tribute show to understand why that is. Garrett, who captures Diamond in all his virile, open chest, glass beaded shirt, glory, is a dead ringer vocally and physically for the Â“Solitary ManÂ’ during the late 1970Â’s/early 1980Â’s era of his career. Garrett is so convincing as Diamond, that he tends to make even the most ardent Neil Diamond fan forget, at times, that they are watching a recreation and not the real thing. Could it be the strange similarities between the two?

Like Diamond, Garrett was born and raised in New York City by two loving working class Jewish parents from Brooklyn. Both Diamond and Garrett have one younger brother and are of Russian, Austrian, & Polish nationality. Diamond produced 4 children through 2 failed marriages while Garrett produced one daughter through 1 failed marriage. Diamond has a son named Jesse and GarrettÂ’s daughter is named Jessica Â– although both her parents frequently call her Â“JessieÂ” (Note: GarrettÂ’s daughter was born 4 years before he had any idea he would be portraying Diamond). As young men, both learned to play the guitar and eventually relocated from the east coast to the west coast. However, Garrett is the first to admit, Â“If there is any one thing that separates us, other than our bank balances, itÂ’s that, while listening to him as a young boy, I always wished I had his talent to write the way he does. He has a way of reaching into peopleÂ’s hearts, capturing their inner feelings, and putting them to music in a way that no singer/songwriter has done before or since. That is a God-given ability that I was not blessed withÂ”. Garrett had his own band in Vegas for 15 years before deciding to go the Â‘Â‘impersonator routeÂ’Â’. Â“Obviously when one makes the decision to become a celebrity impersonator, you are relinquishing any remnant of originality in your career. I was at the age where I realized that, as far as the band thing goes, I had pretty much done all I could do. I never had the drive to be a recording star, so what better move than to forge a career paying tribute to one of the greatest recording stars in pop/rock music historyÂ”. Garrett, who has seen Diamond perform live 12 times, is now beginning his 15th year as the quintessential Neil Diamond tribute act. Â“When I made that decision in 1995 to go from the front man of a lounge/bar band to being Â‘Neil DiamondÂ’, I knew I wanted to dive in head first and devote 110% to making sure the emulation was flattering and deserving of such a talent. He was one of my all time favorites since I was a kid and I knew I had to make him proud by doing him justice.

Ironically, Diamond has yet to see GarrettÂ’s show. Â“IÂ’m not aggressive about getting in touch with him. I have a personalized photo of him in my office that says to Â‘Â’Keep RockinÂ’Â’ and thatÂ’s just what I intend to doÂ”. I remember kidding with my mother that, although I never turned out to be a doctor or lawyer as so many Jewish mothers wish for their sonÂ’s to be, being Â‘Neil DiamondÂ’ was the next best thing. Mom smiled, shook her head, and agreedÂ”.

Footnote: Rob GarrettÂ’s mother passed away 3 years ago. Two years ago, Garrett was presented with an award in Las Vegas for Â‘Male Musical Tribute Artist of the YearÂ’, making him the first Neil Diamond tribute act to win such an honor. My mother would have Â‘kvelledÂ’ if she would have got to see me receive the awardÂ”. ItÂ’s a safe bet that Neil Diamond would have as well.

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