RB club will host Neil Diamond tribute show on Sept. 2

Sherry says he remembers discovering Diamond’s music when he was 12 years old. After listening to “Sweet Caroline,” the now 53-year-old went out and bought his first record.

About two years later, he attended his first concert, and remembers being wowed by Diamond and his band.

Even though Sherry remained a big fan of the singer-songwriter, it wasn’t until decades later that he made interpreting the songs of the man behind “I’m a Believer,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “Cherry Cherry” his primary occupation.

Sherry fronts “Diamond is Forever!” a tribute band that re-creates the magic of a ‘70s Neil Diamond concert.

The band is performing at a luncheon for the Rancho Bernardo Woman’s Club, which starts at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2. The event, which is being held at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, is open to the public. Admission is $22. The reservation deadline is Aug. 30. For more information, call 858-748-1669 or 858-217-6179.

Sherry, a former Escondido resident who now lives in Los Angeles, said his road to forming a tribute band was anything but direct.

He would often sing the songs of Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seeger and Frank Sinatra on stage, but it was always his renditions of Diamond’s songs that got the biggest crowd reaction, Sherry said.

Though people suggested he develop a Diamond show, he said he always considered it “almost blasphemous” given his love of the entertainer’s music.

“A Las Vegas agent pulled me aside and started telling me about starting a tribute act,” Sherry said in a phone interview. “But I wasn’t interested in being Elvis in a polyester track suit. I was a real musician.”

Sherry said he then went to see a couple of tribute shows in Las Vegas and realized that they were a mix of theater and song and that they took a lot of work.

“It wasn’t something hokey,” he said. “These are professional A-list artists who work hard to perfect the sound and the style of the artist, which is what I do.”

After working on the show — Sherry notes that he shaved his goatee and cut off his ponytail — he debuted late 2002 in Pasadena and it just grew from there.

The show focuses on Diamond’s stage shows from the ‘70s, though Sherry and the seven-member band add new songs to their repertoire every time Diamond puts out a new album.

Sherry has also learned Diamond’s stories, and is able to introduce songs to the audience as the performer.

“I focus on the image of the late ‘70s “Jazz Singer” Neil Diamond,” said Sherry. “It’s the most familiar look that people have of him.”

A turning point happened in 2006 when Randy Sterling, who played bass with Diamond in the early years, came up to him after a show and told him he was moved by the performance.

That meeting eventually led to a face-to-face meeting between Sherry and Diamond about a year ago.

“It was such a big honor to meet him,” said Sherry, noting that Diamond told him he’d heard about the show.

In addition to the local show, Sherry will put on a more elaborate stage production Oct. 2 at the Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista.

For more information on that show, or to purchase tickets, go to www.vistixonline.com or to www.DavidJSherryproductions.com.