All Peter Byrne ever wanted was to become a singer.
Born in Dublin, Byrne was “from a very poor background”, where Irish folk music and the hits of Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and Neil Diamond were the only form of entertainment, constantly on the family record player.
“That’s why so many Irish people can sing…we didn’t have flash colour televisions and all that stuff,” Byrne said.
“So I grew up with just music, and the crazy part about it was that from day one all I wanted to do was be a performer.
“But it was just too hard in Ireland, so I had a day job and did it part-time in the pubs. But I absolutely loved music, I just loved it.”
Byrne sought greener pastures in Australia in 1988 and immediately began performing six days a week in Sydney’s clubs and pubs.
Through a combination of hard work, foresight and the occasional lucky break, Byrne has since cemented himself as the country’s premier Neil Diamond tribute singer, with his award-winning show Forever Diamond generating a cult following and drawing praise from Diamond himself.
His new show From a Diamond to a King features Byrne, and Elvis Presley tribute artist Damian Mullin, performing the two superstar’s classic hits supported by the Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Byrne said the experience of singing with a symphony orchestra, which he first experienced in 1997 with his show Hot August Night, was “totally indescribable”.
“I’d never experienced something like that before…it’s just this rush, a wave of sound coming through you as you stand at the front of the stage,” he said.
Next year Byrne will take From a Diamond to a King around Australia to raise money for the Shake It Up Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.
Byrne became an ambassador for the foundation when Diamond was diagnosed with the disease in 2018.
“I decided I wanted to give back, because I’ve made a career out of performing Neil’s music,” Byrne said.
“Since then I’ve raised close to $60,000 at our concerts…so we want to keep raising awareness to one day find a cure.”
From a Diamond to a King is at Geelong Arts Centre on Saturday 6 December. Visit geelongartscentre.org.au for tickets.
