Neil Diamond has been wowing audiences since the 1950’s, with such hits as ‘Cherry, Cherry’, ‘Solitary Man’, ‘Kentucky Woman’, ‘Sweet Caroline’ and scores more. His appeal crosses generations, and his most recent tour has been selling tickets like wildfire. Don’t wait, get your tickets now to see Neil Diamond live in 2008!
Neil Leslie Diamond was born on January 24th, 1941. He received his first guitar at the age of 16, which gave him the opportunity to further explore his love of music. Early on in his endeavors, it was noticed that Neil was following the path of other singers instead of blazing his own trail. He made a couple of attempts at recording for record labels to no avail. Neil landed his first job as a songwriter for Sunbeam Music, where he gained the knowledge and experience that would help him be successful throughout his career.
It wasn't long before Neil was getting recognition in the music industry. He had a new approach to writing that was working for him. One of his first successful hits, 'Cherry Cherry' landed in the top ten on the Billboard charts and became a huge radio hit. Neil got another big break when the manager of the Monkees heard a song Neil was going to record for his next album. Neil agreed to let the Monkees record 'I'm A Believer' and it parked itself at the top of the Billboard charts for the next seven weeks.
In 1966, Neil founded his own production company and headed off on his first national tour the following year with Dick Clark's group. He got a lot of notoriety from the tour and gained a lot of experience. However, his greatest accomplishment was found in the two songs he had written while on the road, which were titled 'Kentucky Woman' and 'Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon'. Once released these songs propelled Neil Diamond's status. After a dispute over the song 'Shilo', he was forced to change labels. The song was eventually released and has become a favorite of fans worldwide. It reached the top 20's on the Billboard charts and is still a favorite of fans today.
Neil Diamond hit a milestone in his career and etched his name into rock and roll history in 1969. He was staying at a hotel in Memphis when he sat down to write the song 'Caroline'. The song gave him national recognition, and his fame was boosted even more when Elvis Presley recorded his own version of it. His next big hit was 'Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show', which became popular amongst his fans not so much for the song itself but for the live performance that accompanied it. It was with this song that Diamond showed the world his ability to truly be an entertainer. To this day, his concerts are still reveled over and are a memorable event for anyone who has the opportunity to see him perform live.
Neil wrote and released the hit 'I Am I Said' in 1971 and followed with the hit release of 'Song Sung Blue' in 1972. It became an instant top ten hit despite its simple structure and basic message. Neil set upon his biggest concert ever in 1972. 'Hot August Night' resulted in an album that reached gold status within its first 2 weeks of release. It was in 1973 Neil received critical acclaim for the score he produced for the movie 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'. Two songs from the soundtrack, 'Be' and 'Skybird', made appearances on the Billboard charts.
Diamond continued to release hit songs throughout the years with songs like 'I've Been This Way Before', 'Longfellow Serenade' and 'Desiree'. It was 1970 that brought one of his most successful and memorable songs ever written, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers'. Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand recorded the song as a duet and gave him the popularity to land the starring role in the remake of 'The Jazz Singer'.
Neil has had continued success on the charts throughout his career. With a handful of platinum albums and an array of top 10 hits Neil Diamond is one of the most influential artists in music history. His contrib
