Nashvillian Rich Jacques is a United States Marine Corps veteran who now fronts a Neil Diamond tribute band. That made him the logical choice to promote Song Sung Blue — writer-director Craig Brewer’s new film about a Marine vet who fronted a Neil Diamond tribute band.
“It’s kind of gratifying because somebody else out there went through the same things that I’m going through putting this band together,” Jacques tells the Scene. “Are people going to like it? Are they going to respect the music? Is it gonna be good? Is it gonna be cheesy?”
Ahead of a press screening of Song Sung Blue last week, Jacques and his band Twilight Time played Diamond songs in the lobby of the Regal Green Hills.
Song Sung Blue is also inspired by the real lives of Mike and Claire Sardina, played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. It’s based on a 2008 documentary about the pair’s rise as a Neil Diamond tribute band — a story that flits between triumphant highs and personal tragedy for the pair and their family. One of Song Sung Blue’s key themes is the juxtaposition of Diamond’s upbeat music paired against the characters’ serious family struggles.
Claire Sardina previously performed as a Patsy Cline impersonator — so local singer and songwriter Meghan Shanley also got the Song Sung Blue promotional call. Clad in her fringed, red-and-white Patsy Cline best, Shanley took photos with attendees at last week’s screening. Cline tribute performances are only a small percentage of Shanley's work — she also performs in Woolworth Theatre’s Shiners and at the Marquee Nashville.
A close friend of Shanley’s does a Dolly Parton impersonation, and asked if she’d be willing to channel Cline for some of her gigs. As a Virginia native, Shanley identifies with Cline’s story.
“She was just such a force of nature, and so spunky,” Shanley says. “I kind of relate to that in personality. It's an honor to play her and bring her back to life.”
Shanley’s very first job was singing backup for an Elvis impersonator, during which she would sing some Cline songs (sans the fringed outfit). At the time she thought it was a silly gig, but she’s come around to the idea.
“Don't take yourself too seriously with it,” Shanley says. “It's obviously fun, and pays homage and honors these artists that are such a big part of our music culture. I think if you do it with class and stay as true to them as possible and not make it kitschy, then I think it's really cool.”
Rich Jacques performs before a screening of 'Song Sung Blue'
Like the movie’s protagonist, Jacques wants people to know that Neil Diamond is a lot more than just “Sweet Caroline.” While Jacques says that song still gets the biggest reaction at Twilight Time shows, most of the audiences know Diamond deeply.
Jacques tells the Scene he was nominated for Best Tribute Artist at this year’s Josie Music Awards for his Frank Sinatra act, which he has performed at downtown Nashville’s Sinatra Bar & Lounge, among other venues. He’s got a Barry Manilow tribute in the works too. But Twilight Time, which he started in 2021, is his favorite act, and his most popular. He agrees with Jackman’s character on one particular point — “impersonator” is different from “tribute artist.”
“It's a tribute to these people like Neil Diamond or Frank Sinatra, because I really think they're just fantastic,” he says. “I don't try to imitate them, because I don't think you can. I think they’re just one-of-a-kind.”
Jacques has also worked as a singer at Ellen’s Stardust Diner in New York City and as a journalist, among other jobs. (He even worked briefly in the sales department of FW Publishing, the Nashville Scene’s parent company.) While he also writes his own songs and has played plenty of gigs with just himself and a guitar, he’s focused on Twilight Time now. It’s gratifying to sell out a show, he says, and he’s aware that wouldn’t necessarily happen if he was doing all originals.
“That means a lot to me, because that means people enjoy it,” he says. “As long as they're enjoying it, it doesn't matter whether it's my music or not. I just enjoy singing.”
While he hopes the movie will ignite new and younger Diamond fans, Jacques says he loves playing for seniors and keeping Diamond alive for them.
“I think if you do it right, there's nothing wrong with being a tribute artist,” he says. “A lot of these really great artists, they’re either dying off or they're so old. Even Neil, he’s around, but he doesn’t perform anymore. I think you’ll just see more and more tribute artists because so many of these acts are going away.”
Jacques says when he plays Diamond’s songs for a crowd, it’s spiritual.
“It's that high-energy, uplifting kind of feeling that he gives everybody,” he says. “And of course, you’ve got to wear the sequins — that's always important.”
