HOW DID DAN GET NEIL DIAMOND'S VOICE?

At a recent show, a man suggested that Dan must have swallowed Neil Diamond. He smiled and said, "How else could he sound exactly like him?" The answer is unusual, but simple. Since childhood, Dan and most of his siblings have shared a keen sense of humor, and an acute ability to impersonate celebrities, singers, and politicians. They all had varying degrees of talent, and none of them could impersonate everyone, but combined, they could mimic an impressive number of celebrity voices.

Dan discovered his talent at the early age eleven. He was still mimicking Yogi Bear, and Quickdraw McGraw when he began to impersonate Neil Diamond. While walking down his neighborhood street, and listening to a transistor radio, a song called SOLITARY MAN began to play, and in a span of  2 minutes and 33 seconds, Dan was transformed into a die hard Neil Diamond fan. Dan said he loved the melody, and the lyrics were intriguing, but that voice! It was so unique. The very next time he heard the song, he found himself memorizing Neil's vocal mannerisms. If he'd had a deep voice, he may have been able to do a fair impression of him. Instead, Dan admits he sounded more like Alvin and the chipmunks. But in his mind, he matched every vocal trait Neil exhibited, and he knew that one day his voice would change, and maybe he would sound just like him... but only if his voice was deep enough.

At the age of 17, one of Dan's friends told him that he sounded just like Neil Diamond." Dan was ecstatic, and from that moment forward, he listened to Neil Diamond non-stop. He'd had Neil's mannerisms and timing down for years. and now he had his voice. At 19 years of age, Dan bought a guitar and a Neil Diamond songbook, and played for hours each day. Dan never had the confidence to go professional. But he just had to sing Neil's songs. And he did that in his basement for 45 years. In 2019 Dan's wife, Pat, convinced him to perform a Neil Diamond tribute show. From the very first show, to his almost 400th show, Dan has been living his dream.