Biography
Who is Neil Diamond?
Early life and education
Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to a Jewish family. His grandparents were immigrants from Poland and Ukraine, and his father worked as a dry-goods merchant. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, where he sang in the chorus alongside Barbra Streisand, before his family moved to Brighton Beach, where he attended Abraham Lincoln High School and joined the fencing team.
For his sixteenth birthday, Neil received his first guitar and soon began writing his own songs after seeing folk singer Pete Seeger perform at a camp in upstate New York. He later attended New York University as a pre-med major on a fencing scholarship, but he spent his time cutting classes to take the train to Tin Pan Alley to pitch his songs to local music publishers.
Songwriting and early career
Neil left college during his senior year after Sunbeam Music Publishing offered him a job writing songs for fifty dollars a week. After his time with Sunbeam ended, he spent years writing songs in and out of publishing houses, surviving on modest earnings while working above the Birdland Club in New York City. During this period, he wrote songs that slowly began to make an impact on the music charts.
His early success as a songwriter grew when artists like the Monkees recorded his compositions, including the smash hit I'm a Believer. In 1966, he signed a deal with Bang Records and released Solitary Man, which became his first true hit as a solo artist. He followed this with popular tracks like Cherry, Cherry and Kentucky Woman before seeking a more ambitious musical direction.
Career highlights and hits
Neil signed with Uni Records in 1968 and continued building a big catalog of hit music. Over the course of his career, he wrote and recorded ten singles that reached the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. These major chart-toppers included Cracklin' Rosie, Song Sung Blue, and You Don't Bring Me Flowers, which he performed as a duet with Barbra Streisand.
His extensive list of accomplishments includes being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2011 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. In addition to his music career, he starred in the 1960 musical drama film The Jazz Singer.
Personal life and height
Neil Diamond stands at a height of 183 centimeters. Throughout his life and career, he has remained dedicated to his craft as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist, shaping the world of American pop rock and folk music.
He has one child and has earned widespread recognition across the music industry for his enduring contributions to songwriting and recording.
Birthday and age
Neil Diamond was born on January 24, 1941, which makes Neil 85 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Neil shares the date with 38 other famous people.
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