![]() "I see my peers and contemporaries as songwriters – people like Woody Guthrie, Alan J. With only a piano for company, Diamond found his voice and began turning out the kinds of songs that would mark him as a singular talent.Although he didn't have a partner like many of his Brill Building colleagues, Diamond still identifies himself most closely with the songwriting fraternity. However, the constant scrutiny and commotion of the Brill Building got to him, so he disembarked for the solitary setting of a small rented room above the Birdland jazz club. At one point he worked in the prestigious Brill Building, briefly serving in the employ of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. (He would return to Columbia in the Seventies, after recording for Bang and Uni.)Diamond undertook pre-med studies at New York University but dropped out six months shy of graduation in order to write songs for $50 a week for Sunbeam Music. His first solo single, "At Night" b/w "Clown Town," would be his only release during a brief affiliation with Columbia Records in 1963. 'Blue Destiny' actually touched my 17-year-old heart and got me started on a lifetime journey of expressing myself through songs."His first release was the Everly Brothers-style single "What Will I Do." Credited to Neil and Jack – a duo he'd formed with Jack Packer, a high school pal, it was released in 1961 on the Duel label. it made an immediate emotional connection. He recalls the first self-penned tune that convinced him songwriting was in his blood: "On my fifth try I came up with 'Blue Destiny,' the song that got me hooked," he wrote in his notes for In My Lifetime box set. ![]() ![]() He received a guitar for his 16th birthday, took some lessons, grew interested in songwriting and began making demos. He was born and – except for a few childhood years spent in Cheyenne, Wyoming – raised in Brooklyn. A charismatic and captivating performer, he's been referred to as the "Jewish Elvis." In reality, he's bridged generations with his music, serving as a missing link between the iconic poles of Elvis Presley (rock and roll) and Frank Sinatra (adult pop).Diamond is a product of New York. He has sold more than 125 million records and set attendance records at venues all over the world. Diamond's prolific half-century as a professional musician has yielded one of the most enduring catalogs in American popular music.To date he has placed 56 singles in Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart and 48 albums (including compilations) on its Top 200 album chart. He is among the top-grossing performers and best-selling recording artists of all time. Neil Diamond (vocals, guitar, piano born January 24, 1941) Neil Diamond is among the greatest pop songwriters of the modern age.
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