The Diamond Voice

“The night before the concert,I had eaten into my nails to the bone. City people knew that I was performing and I was jittery. I was to sing to an audience of 2,800,a fat figure I might add. And the second I stepped on the stage,the crowds,just to unnerve me,booed. Believe me,it worked,it was so overpowering that I found my knees knocking and my fingers couldn’t find the guitar strings,” says Coelho,as he slinks back into a chair at Cafe Nomad. Coelho is in town for the next two months on contract with a city-based restaurant.

Dressed in a dark navy blue tee and blue jeans,Coelho,who is in his early 40s narrates the incident like a seasoned storyteller. “I got the cue from the bassist,and with all the courage,sang the first few lines of Diamond’s Sweet Caroline. A hush fell over the crowd,” he says. India’s Neil Diamond,as he was fondly called by some people,had arrived. Soon after,1982 saw the arrival television,and it was on this black and white screen that Doordarshan interviewed Coelho for his Diamond voice.

“I’m a one man performer,a balladeer and not a rockstar,” he says,as he recollects the last 30 odd years singing at concerts,ad jingles and The Oberois in Mumbai,before settling in Goa where he performs regularly at Vivanta Taj. This besides touring to various places across the world for private functions including weddings,parties,birthdays,and the latest,a divorce bash in Bangalore!

A Neil Diamond voice has been a blessing,but it has a flip side too. “People say,I sound close to the original and that is why people pay me. But it has taken me a long time to discover my own voice,” says the singer,who sticks to singing songs and steers clear of penning any. But with a baritone like that,why not form a band or get on the rock scene or cut an album? “There are ad jingles,associations with rock bands like Atomic Forest,and a whole lot of broadway musicals,” says Coelho. Interestingly,Coelho has featured on Alyque Padamsee’s production Evita,in which he played Agustin Magaldi.

While work is plenty,a major part of Coelho’s life revolves around entertaining in the fine dining areas and striking a conversation over a song. “Entertainers like us are a growing tribe,but to gain respect and name one has to work hard,” he says.

From Gods of rock to forgotten Mumbai bands like the Rock Machine,the conversation moves to the today’s generation,who have the benefit of being overnight stars. “I wish we had YouTube at our time,” says Coelho,as he prepares for another evening at Jagats’ Orchid Lounge in Sector 34,where he will be playing for next couple of months. “I thought Chandigarh would be all Punjabi,but people want to hear the retro,” he says.

Catch him every Wednesday,Friday and Saturday from 9pm to 11pm.