Neil Leslie Diamond was born on January 24, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Erasmus Hall High School with Barbra Streisand and sang with her in the school choir. He began to play guitar after he received one as a present for his 16th birthday. His early career was as a writer in the Brill Building and his first successful song was “I’m A Believer,” which he wrote for the rock group, The Monkees. Neil married schoolteacher, Jaye Posner, and the couple had two daughters but eventually divorced.
In 1970, Neil moved to Los Angeles and signed a deal with MCA Records. His sound had now become more mellow and it proved very profitable as witnessed by such hits as “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Song Sung Blue.” He married again, this time to a woman named Marcia Murphey whom he met during a television appearance. Their marriage lasted until 1995 and produced two sons.
Perhaps the most important appearance of his career (to date) was back in 1972 when he played 10 sold out concerts at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. The performance on Thursday, August the 24th was recorded and released as the double album, “Hot August Night,” which is today a classic. In Australia, the album was number one on the music charts for 29 weeks!
He switched labels in 1973, moving to Columbia records where he recorded the soundtrack to Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The 1970s were profitable years with a string of hits including “Longfellow Serenade,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (with Barbra Streisand), “Love On The Rocks”, and “Hello Again.” He also starred in a remake of the movie, “The Jazz Singer,” opposite Laurence Olivier and Lucy Arnaz.
In 2000, Neil Diamond was awarded the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In his lifetime, he has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, including 50 million in the United States alone. He continues to tour and record and probably will for a long time to come.
Keep rockin’, Neil! We’re all behind you, cheering you on!