Keith Allynn grew up in a little town in Virginia listening to the Drifters, the Coasters, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. As a teenager, he discovered his ability to impersonate cartoon characters and presidents, and by the time he was about 16, he was traveling with Tim Allen as an impressionist, he said.
The past 10 years, however, he’s strictly been doing Neil Diamond, a skill he developed after his wife urged him to consider singing like the famous singer-songwriter of “Song Sung Blue,” and “Sweet Caroline.”
Allynn will perform his tribute to Neil Diamond at the Genesee Theatre Sept. 23 for half the evening, with 52nd Street doing a tribute to Billy Joel during the other half.
When he was 21, Allynn performed an Elvis song at a karaoke night, and soon became an Elvis tribute artist, on the road for at least 14 years.
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His wife suggested he try something new.
“She told me I looked a lot like Neil Diamond and she had been pestering and badgering me about doing Neil Diamond,” Allynn said.
So one day when she was staying at friend’s house, he called her on the phone, put on a karaoke track of Diamond’s “Hello Again,” and sang into the phone.
“She told me it was beautiful,” he said.
“I started listening more and more to Neil Diamond and I fell in love with him,” Allynn said.
“I am on the autism spectrum, so I don’t experience a lot of emotion the same way everybody else does. But with Neil Diamond’s music, it was easy to pick up the emotions and portray the emotion in song.”
In his performance, Allynn tells the story of Diamond’s life through song.
“He was known as the rock ‘n’ roll balladeer. It’s the reason why he’s so popular. His music is still very relevant,” he said.
“I always tell people I’m not an impersonator. I’m a tribute artist. I don’t pretend to be Neil Diamond. I do the show in third person.”
He tells stories about Diamond including the fact that Diamond went to medical school and wanted to be a doctor. “Ten credits shy of graduating, he dropped out to write songs,” Allynn said. “He got a record contract in 1964, not for singing, but for songwriting.
“One of my favorite songs is ‘Flame.’ He wrote it in 1964 and never released it, though other artists sang it. He recorded it as a demo. I listened to it and put that song in my show.”
“I’m so glad to be out of the Elvis industry. Finding jobs was more difficult. There are so many of them out there. Whether they’re good or bad it doesn’t matter.”
Allynn said he’s honored to be doing his tribute in 2017 when Neil Diamond is also on tour celebrating 50 years of performing.
Allynn said he has attended Neil Diamond concerts, sitting in the front row. “I felt like I was part of history,” he said.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
A Tribute to Neil Diamond and Billy Joel
When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $28-$39
Information: 847-263-6300; www.geneseetheatre.com
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