Shine On Me Crazy Neil Diamond...
In a bit of a tribute of my own, I'd like to make reference to this weekend's honoring of the great and incomparable Neil Diamond as this year's MusicCares Person of the Year. Growing up a child of divorced parents, I often had to learn many of life's hard lessons on my own. My mother was a strong and nurturing woman but she could not completely take the place of my father who was not always around. Although my dad was only a phone call away it was never quite the same as having that face to face contact. When I was a young boy around the age of seven years old, I remember my father introducing me to the sounds of Neil Diamond. I knew right away that his music made me feel different. There was a comfort that came with it unlike any other music I was accustomed to. It might have been the deep and soothing tone to his voice or it might have been the familiar and catchy melodies. But for one reason or another I always felt safe when it was playing in the background. The m...