Neil Diamond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Diamond
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Diamond in 2012
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Neil Leslie Diamond
January 24, 1941 New York City, U.S.
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| Years active | 1962–present |
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| Children | 4 |
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Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is a famous American singer and songwriter. He has sold over 130 million records around the world. This makes him one of the best-selling music artists ever.
Neil Diamond has written and recorded many hit songs. Ten of his songs reached No. 1 on the U.S. music charts. Some of these include "Cracklin' Rosie," "Song Sung Blue," and "America." His song "Sweet Caroline" is also very popular. It is often sung at sporting events.
He has also acted in movies. His first film was the musical drama The Jazz Singer in 1980. Neil Diamond has received many awards for his music. He was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. He also joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2018, he received a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Early Life and School
Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His family was Jewish. His grandparents came from Poland and Russia. His parents were Rose and Akeeba Diamond. His father was a merchant.
Neil grew up in Brooklyn. He also lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for four years. His father was in the army there. In Brooklyn, he went to Erasmus Hall High School. He was in the school chorus. His classmate was Barbra Streisand, who also became a famous singer. Neil said they were not close friends back then.
For his 16th birthday, Neil got his first guitar. When he was in high school, he went to a camp. A folk singer named Pete Seeger performed there. Neil saw other kids singing their own songs for Seeger. This made Neil want to write his own music. He bought a guitar and started taking lessons. He quickly began writing songs. He said songwriting was his "first real interest." It helped him express himself.
Neil also wrote poems for girls he liked. This often helped him win their attention. His male friends then asked him to write poems for them too. After high school, he worked as a waiter. He met Jaye Posner there, who later became his first wife.
Neil went to New York University. He studied to become a doctor. He was on the fencing team with his friend Herb Cohen. But he found writing songs more interesting than his classes. He would often skip class to go to Tin Pan Alley. This was a place where music publishers worked. He tried to get his songs heard there. In his last year of college, he was offered a job. He would write songs for $50 a week. He decided to leave college to take the job.
Music Career Highlights
Starting Out in the 1960s
After his first job, Neil Diamond started writing and singing his own songs. He recorded some songs with a friend as "Neil and Jack." These songs were not very successful. In 1962, he signed with Columbia Records as a solo artist. He released a single called "Clown Town." It got good reviews but did not become a hit. Columbia Records then dropped him. He spent the next seven years writing songs.
Neil wrote songs wherever he could. He even wrote on buses. He used a piano above the Birdland Club. He found that his early songs had too many words. Music publishers wanted catchy parts, called "hooks." He only sold about one song a week. He barely had enough money for food. But being alone above the Birdland Club helped him focus. He started writing "interesting songs." These included "Cherry, Cherry" and "Solitary Man." "Solitary Man" was his first song to make the charts. It is still one of his favorites.
Neil worked in the Brill Building, a famous place for songwriters. His first big success as a songwriter was "Sunday and Me" in 1965. It was a Top 20 hit for another group. He wrote many hits for the Monkees. These included "I'm a Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You." He wrote these songs for himself. But the Monkees' versions came out first. This made Neil famous as a songwriter. "I'm a Believer" became a huge hit very quickly.
Other famous artists also recorded his early songs. These included Elvis Presley and Deep Purple. In 1966, Neil signed with Bang Records. His first hit as a solo artist was "Solitary Man." He followed this with "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman." He opened concerts for bands like Herman's Hermits and the Who.
Neil started to feel limited by Bang Records. He wanted to record more thoughtful music. He wrote "Brooklyn Roads" and "Shilo." "Shilo" was about an imaginary childhood friend. Bang Records thought it was not commercial enough. So, it was put on an album instead of being a single. Neil also had problems with his earnings. He tried to sign with another record label. This led to many lawsuits. These lawsuits lasted until 1977. Neil won and got the rights to his early recordings.
In 1968, Neil signed with Uni Records. His first album with them was Velvet Gloves and Spit. It did not make the charts. His next album, Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, was recorded in Memphis.
Success in the 1970s
In 1969, Neil moved to Los Angeles. His music became softer. He released songs like "Sweet Caroline" (1969) and "Cracklin' Rosie" (1970). "Cracklin' Rosie" and "Song Sung Blue" (1972) both reached No. 1. Neil said he wrote "Sweet Caroline" for Caroline Kennedy. But later, he said he wrote it for his wife, Marcia. He couldn't find a good rhyme for "Marcia," so he used "Caroline." The song "I Am...I Said" (1971) was a very personal song. It took him over four months to finish.
In 1971, Neil played seven sold-out concerts. These were at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. The theater added a new sound system for his shows. He had a 35-piece orchestra and backup singers. One newspaper called it "the finest concert in Greek Theater history."
In August 1972, he played ten more shows at the Greek Theater. Tickets sold out very fast. He used a special sound system for a full surround sound experience. One of these shows was recorded. It was released as the live album Hot August Night. Many people think this is his best work. It became a classic album. In Australia, it was No. 1 for 29 weeks. It stayed in the top 20 for two years.
In late 1972, Neil performed for 20 nights in New York City. This was at the Winter Garden Theater. It was the first time a single artist had headlined there since the 1930s. Every show was sold out. This made Neil the first rock star to headline on Broadway.
After these shows, Neil took a break from live performances. He did not perform again until 1976. He spent this time working on music for the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He also recorded two albums. He said he needed to spend time with his son. He also wanted to have a more private life.
In 1973, Neil signed with Columbia Records again. His first project was the soundtrack for Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The movie did not do well. But the soundtrack was a big success. It reached No. 2 on the charts. Neil won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. He also won a Grammy Award.
Neil returned to live shows in 1976. He toured Australia. He also performed at the Greek Theater again. This concert was called Love at the Greek. He started wearing colorful, beaded shirts for his concerts. These shirts helped everyone in the audience see him.
In 1976, he released Beautiful Noise. He also performed at The Band's farewell concert, The Last Waltz. He sang "Dry Your Eyes," a song he wrote with Robbie Robertson. Neil was paid a lot of money to open a new theater in Las Vegas. He played sold-out shows there. Many famous people attended the opening night.
In 1977, Neil released I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight. This album included "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." He wrote the music for this song. Barbra Streisand covered the song. Later, Neil and Barbra recorded it as a duet. This version became a No. 1 hit in 1978. They performed it together at the 1980 Grammy awards.
His last album of the 1970s was September Morn. It had a new version of "I'm a Believer." In 1979, Neil collapsed on stage. He had surgery to remove a tumor on his spine. He had been losing feeling in his right leg. He had a long recovery. He even wrote farewell letters to his friends.
The 1980s and Beyond
In 1980, Neil starred in the movie The Jazz Singer. The movie got mixed reviews. But the soundtrack had three Top 10 songs. These included "Love on the Rocks" and "Hello Again." The song "America" was also a hit. This song was very important to Neil. He said it was about his grandparents' story. He called it his "gift to them." The song was used for many important events. It played when hostages returned home. It was also played at the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.
The movie was not a big success. Neil had never acted professionally before. He felt like "a fish out of water." He even won an award for Worst Actor. But he was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the same role.
Another Top 10 song was "Heartlight." It was inspired by the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Neil's record sales slowed down in the 1980s and 1990s. But his concerts were still very popular. Billboard magazine said he was the most profitable solo performer in 1986. In 1987, Neil sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl. His song "America" was used in a presidential campaign. The British band UB40 had a big hit with their version of his song "Red Red Wine."
The 1990s and 2000s
In the 1990s, Neil released six studio albums. He covered many classic songs. He also released two Christmas albums. His popularity grew again in the 1990s. "Sweet Caroline" became a popular song at sporting events. It was sung at many college games. It was also played at sports events in other countries. It became a theme song for the Boston Red Sox baseball team.
In 2005, Neil released the album 12 Songs. It was produced by Rick Rubin. The album debuted at No. 4 on the charts. Critics said it was his best album in a long time. In 2007, Neil was added to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
In 2008, Neil was a guest mentor on American Idol. The contestants sang his songs. He also performed a new song, "Pretty Amazing Grace." His album Home Before Dark was released in May 2008. It topped the charts in New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
In June 2008, Neil played at the Glastonbury Festival in England. Over 100,000 fans watched him. In August, he recorded his four-night shows at Madison Square Garden. This became the DVD Hot August Night/NYC. It was very popular. In 2009, Neil was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year. He also sang at the Independence Day celebration in Boston.
The 2010s and Recent Years
In 2010, Neil released Dreams. This album had his versions of favorite songs by other artists. In 2011, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also received a lifetime achievement award from the Kennedy Center. In 2012, he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In April 2013, Neil made a surprise appearance at Fenway Park. He sang "Sweet Caroline" after the Boston Marathon bombing. In 2014, he signed with Capitol Music Group. This meant all his recorded music would be together for the first time.
His album Melody Road was released in October 2014. He then started a "Melody Road" World Tour in 2015. He used social media a lot during the tour. He streamed shows live and showed fan tweets. This helped him connect with more fans.
In 2016, he released Acoustic Christmas. It had new songs and acoustic versions of holiday classics. In 2017, he started his final concert tour. In 2019, his song "Sweet Caroline" was added to the National Recording Registry. This means it is important to American culture.
In March 2020, Neil posted a video. He sang "Sweet Caroline" with new lyrics about washing hands. This was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, it was announced that a musical about his life would open. It is called A Beautiful Noise. It opened on Broadway in December 2022.
In 2022, Universal Music Group bought Neil Diamond's songwriting catalog. They also got the rights to his recordings. This included many unreleased songs and videos. In June 2022, Neil sang "Sweet Caroline" at a Red Sox game. He was joined by Will Swenson, who plays him in the musical.
Retirement from Touring
In January 2018, Neil Diamond announced he would stop touring. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This is a condition that affects movement. He canceled his tour dates in Australia and New Zealand. He said he was not stopping music completely. He would still write and record new projects.
In July 2018, Neil and his wife visited firefighters in Colorado. They thanked them for fighting a large fire. Neil performed a short acoustic concert for them.
Personal Life
Neil Diamond has been married three times. In 1963, he married Jaye Posner. She was his high school sweetheart. They had two daughters. They divorced in 1969.
In 1969, Neil married Marcia Murphey. They had two sons. Their marriage ended in the mid-1990s.
In 2011, Neil announced his engagement to Katie McNeil. They married in 2012. Katie is also his manager. She produced a documentary about him. Neil said his 2014 album Melody Road was inspired by their relationship. He said being in love is a great inspiration for creative work.
Discography
Filmography
- Mannix, "The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher" (1967) as himself
- The Jazz Singer, starring role as Jess Robin
- Saving Silverman appearing as himself
- Keeping Up With The Steins appearing as himself
- Trevor Noah: Where Was I appearing as himself (2023)
See also
In Spanish: Neil Diamond para niños
