Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond (born Neil Leslie Diamond on January 24, 1941) is an American singer/songwriter who has had a number of hits in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and who has maintained a very loyal following with popular live performances to this day.

Diamond was born and raised in Brooklyn, attending high school with Barbra Streisand (and singing with her in the school choir). He learned to play guitar after receiving one as a gift on his 16th birthday.

He spent his early career as a writer in the Brill Building, and had an early success writing the song "I'm A Believer" for The Monkees.

When he first auditioned to record, he used the moniker Eice Cherry, but the name did not stick, so he eventually used his real name.

He signed a deal with Bang! Records, and had a string of singles as the primary performer, including "Kentucky Woman", "Cherry, Cherry", and "Solitary Man".

He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1970, and signed a deal with MCA Records (then called Uni Records). His sound mellowed, with such songs as "Sweet Caroline" and "Song Sung Blue". "Sweet Caroline" has since become a rallying cry of Red Sox Nation, however unlikely this may seem.

In 1973, Diamond hopped labels again, this time to Columbia Records, where he recorded the soundtrack to Jonathan Livingston Seagull. In 1974, he released the album Serenade (songs: "Longfellow Serenade", "I've Been This Way Before"). In 1976, he released Beautiful Noise, produced by The Band's Robbie Robertson.

In 1977, Niel released an album I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight, which included the track "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". The song was covered by Barbra Streisand on her album Songbird, which led one disc jockey to combine the two in a virtual duet. The popularity of the virtual duet motivated Diamond and Streisand to record the real thing, which became a very large hit in 1978. A movie version of the song (starring Diamond and Streisand) was planned, but plans fell through when Diamond starred in a remake of the Al Jolson classic The Jazz Singer in 1980, opposite Sir Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz. Though the movie was not a blockbuster hit at the box office, the soundtrack was a hugely successful album, spawning the singles "America", "Love On The Rocks", and "Hello Again". This would be the apex of his recording career.

In 2000, he was awarded the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Today, Diamond continues to tour, and still releases new studio and live compilation box sets of his greatest hits, and most recently recorded an album of movie songs. Members of his family now perform in his back-up band.

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Neil Diamond NEWS and Info

See Neil Diamond's official homepag for more on each of the news stories below

May 22, 2005

New album to be released July 26th: Neil's long awaited CD (as yet untitled) is being produced by legendary producer Rick Rubin. Click here to read a fascinating article about the album: Neil Diamond, Unplugged and Unsequined, from the New York Times.

May 12, 2005

Neil Diamond is in the GMTV studios live on Friday 13th May to chat about his upcoming UK Tour and to perform for us live. For more info see the GMTV Website.

May 2, 2005

Neil on TV! See Neil on the Today Show Friday May 6th, and on Ellen Degeneres Monday, May 9th.

Don't forget tickets on sale May 9th for Neil's 2005 US Tour - see you there!

April 15, 2005

Tour dates announced for the first leg of Neil's US Tour. Check out our Tour Dates Section for all the details!

April 12, 2005

Billboard Magazine reports that Neil's new CD (produced by Rick Rubin) will be released before his US tour kicks off this July.

March 5, 2005

Neil opened his 2005 world tour last night in Wellington, New Zealand. Visit our Neil Diamond TourBlog 2005 to see the set list, with reviews and (hopefully) photos coming soon. See photo from the New Zealand Herald at left.

March 2, 2005

April 15, 2005

Tour dates announced for the first leg of Neil's US Tour. Check out our Tour Dates Section for all the details!

April 12, 2005

Billboard Magazine reports that Neil's new CD (produced by Rick Rubin) will be released before his US tour kicks off this July.

March 5, 2005

Neil opened his 2005 world tour last night in Wellington, New Zealand. Visit our Neil Diamond TourBlog 2005 to see the set list, with reviews and (hopefully) photos coming soon. See photo from the New Zealand Herald at left.

March 2, 2005

Send us your photos of Neil from his concert tour this year, and we will post them in a special fan photo gallery to appear soon on our Neil Diamond TourBlog. This gallery will be the premier place for fans to see photos from the 2005 tour, so check back soon for the opening of the gallery, and please contribute photos when the show comes to your town.

Please keep in mind that the Neil Diamond TourBlog 2005 is your source for up to the minute reviews and information about upcoming shows. This is the section of our site to go to if you want to hear the latest on the tour, see newspaper articles and reviews from the cities Neil is visiting, see the newest concert photos, etc

February 23, 2005

Did anyone notice that Diamondville was updated yesterday? The new PBI contains the winning A2A reviews. The winning one, written by Glenda Atchison, is a hoot to read!

See Neil Diamond's official homepag for more on each of the news stories above

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