Ten years ago, Theron Denson was working at the Charleston Marriott dreaming of being a singer.

When he got fired from his job, he took the road less traveled.

I mean so less traveled that he is the world's one and only, black Neil Diamond tribute act.

Ten years later, Denson, who now lives in Las Vegas and who travels the country as The Black Diamond Show, brings his sparkling personality and husky baritone back home for a double-shot of live Diamond.

Denson plays The Empty Glass, 310 Elizabeth St., in Charleston, at 8 p.m. Friday. Cover is $5. A premiere showing of Eamon Hardiman's film, "Porkchop The Movie," follows the performance.

Denson plays The V Club, 741 6th Ave., Huntington on Saturday night. Doors open at 8 p.m. Show time is 10 p.m.

For Denson, who has appeared on the "Jimmy Kimmel Show," shared the stage with The Village People and played mega festivals such as Decatur Celebration, it's been a long, strange trip taken on faith that he could do this thing.

"The Black Diamond was born on Sept. 7, 2000, the day the Marriott fired me in Charleston. I thought, 'What in the world am I going to do now?' I knew I had to give it a shot. Ten years later, I am still singing Neil Diamond songs and paying homage to the great entertainer he is."

Denson said the roots to his Diamond connection go back to being a kid in church singing when he was about 11 and when a couple white ladies in front of him turned around and said he sounded just like Neil Diamond. Denson said at a young age he had no idea who Diamond was and thought maybe he was some man who went to their church.

That fire was fueled when Denson saw Neil Diamond in concert at Civic Center in 1998, Neil Diamond's first show in Charleston in nearly 20 years.

From that point, Denson built up the nerve to book his first gig in 2000, a lady's birthday party at the former Charleston restaurant, Joey's -- his first paid singing gig -- and the ladies loved it, the rest was history.

"From that one party, they ran out like little spiders and just told everybody," Denson said. "Within a week, I had about five different requests."

From there, Denson has played just about anywhere from biker bars to recent gigs this winter for nearly 10,000 hockey fans up in Grand Rapids, Mich., and a show for the staff of the Chicago Tribune.

Denson did two shows at Van Andel Arena as part of the entertainment with the hockey team the Grand Rapids Griffins.

"That was incredible because I used to live in Kalamazoo for a couple of years and could never book Grand Rapids," Denson said. "I played all over Michigan but could never play there. I jumped at the opportunity to do this. It was a huge concert hall and it was an honor to perform in the same venue that Neil Diamond has played. There were 9,969 people to be exact and when I went out on the ice, and did "Sweet Caroline" and "America" and "I'm a Believer" and the arena went crazy."

Denson said he had an amazing moment during "Sweet Caroline" when he heard the thunderous rolling echo of the crowd singing, "Bom, bom bom."

"I had never been in an arena where that has been conducive so this one time I heard it and it stunned me," Denson said. "Initially I thought this is what his record sounds like when the crowd sings this. I'm sure they saw me almost slip on the ice. I just loved it. It was worth the price of coming to Grand Rapids. If I never hear it again it was incredible."

Denson said the next night he played a small pub, packed it out and won over some skeptical bar owners.

"The owner said when we heard about it we were very skittish about a Black Neil Diamond and what that is going to be like," Denson said. "But we're standing here and you've packed the place beyond capacity and you're keeping them and no one is leaving and we'd like to have you back."

Denson said that wasn't the toughest crowd he's had to win over.

There was a biker bar in Huntington, in his early days, where Denson knew he'd won over the crowd when a giant, bearded biker came up to the stage to ask for a request, "You Don't Bring me Flowers."

Diamond said whether it's Vegas where folks were initially unsure of his act, or even at home in the Mountain State, he knows he's got to make believers out of the doubters.

That said, he's stoked for coming back home to West Virginia where such folks as Eyde Ruth, who is over one of the top Neil Diamond Internet sites, is coming to the V Club show.