Neil Diamond

Neil Leslie Diamond was born January 24, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in a Jewish family; he attended New York University as a pre-med student on a fencing scholarship but left college shortly before graduation to pursue songwriting after accepting a staff position with a music publisher in the Brill Building scene. Diamond began his career writing for other artists; his early success included the Jay and the Americans hit 'Sunday and Me' and a string of compositions recorded by the Monkees — most famously 'I'm a Believer,' which became a No. 1 hit in 1966 and established Diamond's reputation as a songwriter as well as a performer. After signing with Bang Records and later Uni and Columbia, Diamond launched a prolific recording career with hits including 'Solitary Man,' 'Cherry, Cherry,' 'Sweet Caroline' (1969), 'Cracklin' Rosie' (1970), 'I Am... I Said' (1971), and 'Song Sung Blue' (1972). He also scored the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973), which earned him a Grammy and raised his profile as a composer for film. Across decades Diamond continued recording and touring; his catalog and performances made him a staple of American popular music, regularly played on radio and at major public events. He has sold tens of millions of records worldwide and has received multiple honors for songwriting and performance, maintaining a high public profile through live performances and reissues of his work.