Steve Richards Tributes

Entertainer Steve Richards presents a Tribute to the King, Elvis Presley! Richards will perform Elvis's greatest and most beloved songs from every era of his career, and tell the story of Elvis's life in this dramatic and dynamic tribute show. Richards’ impersonation of Presley is uncanny, and his ability to tell the life narrative of Elvis is spellbinding. - The Times Weekly

Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is celebrating his 75th birthday on Jan. 24.

To celebrate, a local artist is preparing a tribute concert from 4-6 p.m. at the Harvest House in Palos Heights. Tribute artist Steve Richards has performed for audiences all over the area.

He gave ABC 7 a preview of his show "Diamond Live: Neil Diamond's 75th Birthday Celebration." - ABC 7 News Arts & Entertainment

Steve Richards isn’t trying to fool anyone.

He’s no Neil Diamond. Like many in the industry today, he’s a tribute artist. And he knows that.

“Don’t take it too seriously,” he said of the advice he’s followed in his nearly four-decade career as a tribute artist. “You might be good at what you do, but you’re not better than the actual person.”

Yet, when Richards takes the stage – as he’ll do at 8 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake – he’s determined to give the audience a complete Neil Diamond experience.

Tickets for the event, a celebration of Diamond’s 74th birthday, start at $16 at 815-356-9212 or www.rauecenter.org.

Richards, a Chicago native, will recreate the sound and the flashy look, of course, of the legendary singer. But also the feel.

“You’re actually trying to do them with respect and honor,” he said of the legends he’s impersonated through the years, including Diamond, Elvis, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow and Elton John, among others.

“If you do it the right way, people can see you’re soaking yourself into the character and the song,” he said. “Anybody can sing, but can you really sell the song to the audience?

“If they’ve never seen Neil in concert, they’re going to get a taste of what he really does and the power of what he does.”

What he does is tell stories through music, said Richards, who intends to sing Diamond classics, such as “America,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Forever in Blue Jeans.”

He’ll likely throw in a couple of songs from Diamond’s new album, “Melody Road,” with its lead single “Something Blue,” his first new material in six years. - Planit Northwest