 Pop singer Neil Diamond was born on January 24, 1941 in
Brooklyn, N.Y. After receiving a guitar for his 16th birthday, Neil Diamond
began composing music as a hobby. While attending NYU on a fencing scholarship,
the young musician dropped out to work as a professional songwriter for $50 a
week.
After struggling for several years, Neil Diamond found steady
work at Bang Records in 1965, where he penned hits like "Solitary Man," "I Got
The Feeling (Oh No, No)" and the No. 1 Monkees single "I'm a Believer." His own
debut album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, was largely ignored, but after switching
to MCA, Neil Diamond built up a large, loyal following during the late '60s.
Producing a string of pop hits like "Sweet Caroline," "Holly Holy," "Cracklin'
Rosie," and "Song Sung Blue,"
Neil Diamond's landmark 1972 live album Hot August Night
established him as a major performer in adult pop, both as a recording artist
and as a live performer (perhaps even more so). Columbia stole Neil Diamond away
later that year, signing him to a controversial multi-million dollar deal. His
first Columbia album, 1973's Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack, went double
platinum and won him a Grammy. After taking a few years off to spend time with
his family, Neil Diamond returned in 1976, selling out shows worldwide and
releasing several platinum albums in a row; he also gained a reputation as an
excessive, nightclub-style performer, hamming it up for audiences thousands
strong. Though often ridiculed by rock audiences, Neil Diamond remained a
powerful commercial force into the '80s. His 1978 duet with Barbra Streisand,
"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" reached No. 1, and his soundtrack for 1980's The
Jazz Singer, in which Neil Diamond also starred, spawned three Top 10 singles
and sold five million copies.
Though he had few hit singles in the '80s and '90s, album
after album continued to go platinum, and Neil Diamond remained a top concert
draw for years. His most recent album, 1996's long-awaited Tennessee Moon,
marked a departure from Diamond's usual pop style to country, reaching No. 3 in
the country charts. In the past 15 years, Neil Diamond songs became hits for
modern bands, including UB40 ("Red Red Wine") and Urge Overkill ("Girl, You'll
Be a Woman Soon"). Three Chord Opera, Neil Diamond's latest album, was released
in the summer of 2001 on Columbia Records.
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