Neil Diamond impersonator, Las Vegas Sun, Dec. 20, 1996

Imitation Diamond Lisa Ferguson Friday, Dec. 20, 1996 | 3:43 a.m. Sure, he looks like Diamond, sounds like Diamond and even acts like Diamond. But he's not ... he said. "There are people who say, 'You really are Neil Diamond, aren't you?"' says Jay White, who's been impersonating the crooner in "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace since 1990. Neil Zirconia -- now that's more like it. Except, "I don't try to pretend that I am him, because I don't think that's fair. I'm Jay White," he says. (That doesn't stop the double-takes, though. "Out of the corner of my eye, I always see people looking at me.") On the other hand, "When I step on stage, I try not to even think about who Jay White is, because it's my job to convince that audience ... that they in some way saw Neil Diamond." It's a skill White, 40, has been perfecting for 15 years, since he began impersonating Neil back home in Detroit. By day, he worked in a hospital's supply department. At night, he was the frontman for a Top 40 cover band playing the local club scene by night. "I was a fan (of his) at first ... so that's why I always encouraged that we do three or four Neil Diamond songs a night. I identified with his music so strongly," White recalls, perched at the piano in his Lakes-area home. "People would come up to me between sets and say, 'You sound a lot like Neil Diamond when you sing.'" Initially, I brushed it off. But as more people said it, I thought maybe they were hearing more in my voice than I recognized." Because back then, it certainly wasn't in his appearance. Oh, there's a definite Diamond resemblance in White's eyes, and in the way his brow wrinkles when he hits those famous, raspy notes in songs like "Cherry, Cherry" and "Love on the Rocks." "There's about a 15-year age difference between us," White reminds. "I was in my mid-20s and he was already 40 years old at this time." Also, "I had a moustache and short hair." So he ditched the facial hair, grew his 'do and landed a part in an impersonation show in '82. "I didn't know if I could do it at first. I'd never tried to impersonate someone," he says. "I had to pick up a lot of the body language," so he studied Diamond's 1980 flick "The Jazz Singer." "One of the things that most fans have commented to me on is the similar way in which I walk and move and gesture on stage." Like Brenda Lowe, an Alabaster, Ala., middle-school teacher and Diamond fanatic. Next week's shows at the MGM Grand Garden will mark her 101st Neil Diamond concert. She's also caught White's act four times. His moves "are great," she says. "I think that Jay tries very hard to give Neil the honor that he thinks he deserves. "He's very conscious of what the fans like about Neil and he admires Neil a lot, his talents and his legendary character." Even the Diamond family has given him a thumb's up. White chitchatted with Neil's mother and his son, Jesse, when they caught the show. "I asked him, 'What does your dad think about me doing this?' and he said, 'You're keeping his music alive and you're doing a good job, so he really appreciates it.'" But White would like to hear it from the source. That's why the publicity wheels are turning to get a meeting between the two scheduled while Diamond's in Las Vegas. "I think it'd be nice to meet him in a casual situation for lunch, or maybe while he's rehearsing," White says. "I guess if nothing else, I just want to thank him for writing such beautiful music that's appreciated by me as much as it is by so many other people." Hello, my friends, hello White performs an "'80s-era" version of Diamond -- red-beaded shirt and all -- singing a four-song set twice nightly. "I try to perform the image of him that people remember, recognize the most and basically that ... really started with 'The Jazz Singer,'" he says. His repertoire usually features the tunes "America," "I Am ... I Said" and "Forever in Blue Jeans," and he recently paired up with "Legends'" Barbra Streisand impersonator for a "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" duet. And just like the "Diamondheads," as the throngs of Neil zealots call themselves, "Jay Fans" (yes, he has his own fan club) are a dedicated bunch, a few hundred strong. "I've had people come up and say, 'I was never a Neil Diamond fan before, but after watching you, I thought, 'Neil Diamond had some really good stuff. I'm going out to buy an album tomorrow.'" Solitary Man White often takes his solo act on the road, performing two hour-long, faux-Diamond concerts at state fairs and such. He recently returned from an engagement at a U.S. Air Force base in Japan. "When I first started doing this, I thought it would be a nice way to make a little extra money. I never thought it would turn into a full-time job," he says. "This is as much a part of my life as doctoring is in a doctor's life." But it's time to shift gears. Next up: Bringing the "theatrical musical" he wrote three years ago to stage by next year. Reluctant to disclose any plot details, White says it's "... along the lines of an Andrew Lloyd Webber production, from the standpoint that it will be very big and very emotional. We're hoping that it could eventually end up on Broadway." Does this mean the death of Diamond? Hardly. "I don't think I could ever perform as any other artist," White says. "I haven't tired of it at this point, I think because I was a fan first and I really love the music. That's what keeps me going." archive