Neil Diamond Originally a pre-med student, Neil Diamond went on to write songs for The Monkees, sing with Streisand, and have bombshell Uma Thurman lip-synch to one of his songs in the Quentin Tarantino directed Pulp Fiction. His fame has spanned decades. The label-hopping Diamond released his first recordings in the 60s and still boasts a loyal following to this day. Neil Diamond was born on January 24, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York. Like so many before him, he left college to follow his dreams of making it in the music industry. Fame, however, would prove to be elusive for several years. In 1960, he and his high school friend Jack Packer released the single What Will I Do. The single however, received little attention, which was also the case for two songs released by Columbia Records two years later. His 1966 deal with Bang!Records would prove to be the turning point in Diamond’s thus far unsuccessful career. He released the singles Kentucky Woman, Solitary Man and the platinum Sweet Caroline, which would eventually become an anthem for Red Sox Fans. Opening for successful groups Herman’s Hermit’s and The Who gave Diamond more exposure, and he was finally becoming known to a wider audience. In 1970, Diamond moved to Los Angeles and left his label to sign with MCA records. His recording of a sold out concert at The Greek Theatre in LA was released as an album titled Hot August Night. The recordings achieved amazing success, topping the Australian charts for twenty-nine weeks. After again leaving his label, this time to sign on with Columbia Records, Diamond continued his successful career throughout the 1970s. He recorded the soundtrack to the film adaptation of Jonathon Livingston Seagull, and released albums Serenade and Beautiful Noise, among others. When legendary Barbara Streisand covered his single You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, it led the pair to record the song as a duet, which was an extremely popular single in the late 1970s. Diamond began the 80s by starring in and recording the soundtrack for The Jazz Singer. While the movie was unsuccessful, the album sold five million copies in the US and reached number three on the Billboard charts.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, Diamond continued to release albums which reached varying degrees of success, including several greatest hits compilations as well as Christmas albums. In 2000, he was awarded the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. In his long career, Diamond has sold 120 million records worldwide. This number will probably grow as his music is once again becoming popular with a new generation of fans as well as those that have loved his music for decades. Today, he continues to tour to sold out crowds, and recently released the album 12 Songs, which debuted at number four on the Billboard album charts. Diamond’s first marriage was to Jaye Posner in 1963. Before their divorce in 1969, the couple had two children, Marjorie and Elyn. He later met production assistant Marcia Murphey while making a television appearance, and fell in love again. The resulting 1969 marriage would prove to be costly for the star. They had two sons, Jesse Michael and Micah Joseph, but divorced in 1995. Marcia’s settlement was for an incredible 150 million, making it one of the largest in history. Diamond, perhaps not surprisingly, has never remarried. |
