They pack small nightclubs and honky-tonks playing “covers” of the latest Top 40 hits. Many make a musical career out of this uncreative approach. Many never play an original song of their own, preferring to reduce their risk of failure by giving audiences what is already popular—what they think they want.
But have you ever seen a cover band’s name on a Las Vegas marquee or a big city arena? With the exception of Sha Na Na, the 1970’s group that performed hits of the 1950’s, chances are you haven’t.
      Copying is easy. Originality is hard.
      Playwright Neil Simon—himself a true original—once called Richard Pryor “the most brilliant comic in America.” Comic Eddie Murphy said Pryor was “better than anyone who ever picked up a microphone.” But for nearly a decade, Pryor was like the cover band that performs Top 40 hits instead of original material. “I made a lot money being Bill Cosby,” Pryor said of his early performances. “But I was hiding my personality.” Pryor decided that he needed to stop mimicking the style of Bill Cosby and start being Richard Pryor. It wasn’t easy. But he persevered. Despite initial resistance from booking agents and club owners, he began to develop new, original material. Audiences loved it. Pryor went on to become one of the most popular comedians of all time. And, one of the most original.

Take a calculated risk. Be original.