Theron Denson has two words to say to West Virginia, "Hello Again."

Denson, who's known around the United States as "The Black Diamond," the world's only and best black Neil Diamond tribute act, is back singing that "Sweet Caroline" to the home crowd.

A Charleston native who is now based out of Las Vegas, Denson will be back at the hometown music hotspot The Empty Glass, 410 Elizabeth St., Charleston, for an 8 p.m. show on Friday.

"It's always exciting to be coming back home and over to The Empty Glass," Denson said while on tour in Missouri. "I've got a lot of people coming out to the show. I just wish I could have brought my band with me. I kind of put this together at the last minute."

Denson, who played his first Black Diamond gig Sept. 7, 2000, when he sang at a woman's birthday party at a Charleston eatery, said Las Vegas was slow to warm but now is pretty hot on his show.

"Initially, it sort of stunned them," said a laughing Denson, who moved to Vegas in October of last year. "I thought, this is Vegas and it was going to be great immediately, but they were kind of shocked. It took them a while to wrap their brains around the concept, but now they've written about it in all the newspapers, and I've been on three out of four of the TV stations."

Denson, who had moved from Charleston to Michigan several years ago, has been touring nationally for several years after he was a guest on "The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show" on ABC and was featured in the National Examiner.

"This summer has really been busy; I could get my mail in a hotel -- I don't know what home is," Denson said. "I'm calling this the second leg of the summer tour. We've been all over the place in Michigan and Chicago and Arkansas, Missouri and Lexington."

A place Denson does call home in Vegas is the legendary Italian restaurant/bar on the South Strip of Vegas since 1949, the Bootlegger Bistro.

Denson said he's already performed for part of the band Whitesnake, as well as members of Tom Jones Band, which gave him tickets to see their show.

Denson said it's a great place to see and meet people including lots of folks from West Virginia he sees coming through, as well as such stars as Mary Wilson of The Supremes, which he met at the Bistro.

Not surprisingly, Denson who makes friends by the dozens, has already gotten a cool gig brewing. One of the stars of the hot Vegas musicals "The Jersey Boys" is going to be singing with him during a special, Sept. 11, "Live in America" show at the Bootlegger.

"I love it. It's got good food, and you often catch the big stars who just want to wind down with a drink and a late night dinner in there -- Cher, Bette Midler, just everybody is in there."