Jerry Corelli Vocal Style

My first vocal performance was at the age of 14 or 15. I had written a song that "Billy Master" of the "The Archers" had re-written with me and performed it with Billy at a Winter Camp in Colorado sponsored by the church I attended, Calvary Temple. This would been the Winter of 72 or 73. I must say the response I received was infectious and I was hooked. From there I began singing in "The Jazz Choir" at Byers Junior High. I was so blessed by learning from two teachers at Byers, Sonya Hall and Dorothy Winteringham. Sonya was the Jazz Choir teacher and allowed me to do solos of songs I'd written. Not sing them but do them during performances in the auditorium (pictured right) for the school. In the ninth grade Sonya had severe back problems and was out for many months. I wrote a song called, "Mrs. Hall" and was able to sing it during a special performance in which she was able to attend.

Then the day came when a friend, Jim Drake, introduced me to a singer's album who, Jim said, I sounded like. I'd never heard the singer before but was very attracted to the singer's voice and songwriting when I heard "Longfellow Serenade". I took the album home and when I returned it to Jim he gave me another album that hooked me as a forever fan of Neil Diamond. The album was the incomporable "Hot August Night" and from that moment on I would end up buying every Neil Diamond album there was and would come out to this day.

Neil Diamond's style of singing though was also the style of many other artists of the day. Singers like Barbara Streisand, Karen Carpenter, John Denver, Jim Croce and others had the same easy listening and smooth style in their vocals. At the time I listened those singers and others too like Frank Sinatra and my fav Bing Crosby. It didn't take long for just about everyone who listened to my voice to always ask me, "Do you know who you sound like?" After awhile my favorite come back would be, "Why yes, Barry Manilow." It was fun for me to look at the expression on their face when I would say that and then they would of course correct me by seriously say, "No, Neil Diamond." At first I felt forever cursed but after awhile I learned to live with it and accept that everyone has to sound like someone and took it as a complement.