Neil Diamond Wiki: 5 Facts To Know About 'Sweet Caroline' Singer

Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 24, 1941, to Akeeba Diamond (Kieve) who operated and owned a series of dry goods stores in New York City and Rose Diamond. Diamond is a well known American singer/songwriter, a trouper of The Bill Building song factory and one of the most successful singers. The trademark style of Diamond was his quasi-gospel, baritone voice which led him to make 125 million records around the world including 18 platinum certified albums. Diamond has worked with several record groups including Columbia Records, Bang and MCA. Songs like "I’ve Been this way Before", "Song Sung Blue", "Cracklin’ Rose", and "Desiree" became extremely popular and made him the most successful adult contemporary artist on popular music charts. Diamond’s recent albums include 12 Songs (2005) and Home Before Dark.

Son of a shop owner, Diamond spent most of his youth in Brooklyn. He did live in Wyoming for some time while his father served in the military. Diamond got his first guitar when he was 16. Before long, Diamond began writing his own songs. He landed a fencing scholarship to New York University. While a pre-med student at the University, he continued to pursue his interest in music. In the early 1960’s, Diamond released his first single, "What Will I Do", which he recorded with Jack Packer. The duo released the song under the name Neil & Jack. Eventually dropping out of college, Neil Diamond worked as a songwriter for several companies. He joined forces with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, two talented songwriters, and producers. The trio began to market Diamond as both a singer and a songwriter.

In 1965, Diamond had his first success as a songwriter with the song "Sunday and Me", which he wrote for Jay and the Americans. A string of other successful singles followed including, "I’m a Believer", and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". He signed a record deal with Bang Records in the following year. Diamond had his first taste of pop success with the 1966 single "Solitary Man". That same year, Diamond penned the Monkees' No. 1 hit, "I'm a Believer". Despite working with Bang Records, he felt that he had not yet reached his maximum potential. Thus, in 1968, he signed a record deal with MCA Records. In 1970, he moved to Los Angeles and delivered hits like "Cracklin’ Rosie", "Song Sung Blue", and "Sweet Caroline", which all rose to the top of the music charts. "Sweet Caroline" earned him a gold record certification for sales of one million singles. The next year, he came up with one of the best hits of his career, "I Am ... I Said", which took him nearly 4 months to complete. Diamond’s autobiographical "I Am ... I Said" was very much a confessional song and became the major hit of the time. In 1970, Diamond scored his first solo No. 1 pop single with "Cracklin' Rosie". He hit the top of the charts again with "Song Sung Blue" two years later. Also in 1972, Diamond released the hugely popular "Hot August Night", which was recorded at a series of concerts he did at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre. He also composed the soundtrack for the 1973 film "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", which was based on the Richard Bach book. "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" was a flop at the box office, but the soundtrack earned Diamond a Grammy Award. Diamond had another big hit with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which was his 1978 duet with Barbra Streisand. In 1980, Diamond tried for success on the big screen with his remake of "The Jazz Singer". Critics were less than kind regarding his efforts, but the film's soundtrack featured such hits as "Love on the Rocks" and "America". The "Jazz Singer" album sold more than 5 million copies. In the 1980s, his record sales collapsed with the last single making the Billboard charts in 1986. From 1993 to 1998 his popularity was resurgent when he released some albums under Columbia Records including, Up on the Roof Songs from the Brill Building, The Christmas Album 2, Tennessee Moon and The Movie Album, As Time Goes By. Diamond teamed up with Rick Rubin for 12 Songs (2005), which was heralded as a comeback for Diamond. Home Before Dark, one of his albums released in 2008 was featured at the top of the charts in New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States. It became one of his greatest selling albums to date. The next year, he released another hit album, A Chery Cherry Christmas. Cracklin' Rosie was the singer's most recent albums from 2009 to 2011 include Dreams and other compilation albums including The Essential Neil Diamond, Icon, The Bang Years and The Very Best of Neil Diamond the Original Studio Recordings. Diamond continued to record and tour even after turning 70. He released his latest album Melody Road in 2014. Working with producer Don Was, Diamond created a record that reminded many of his best work from the 1970s and took to the road in 2014 and 2015 to support his latest effort.

In 1963, Diamond married Jaye Posner with whom he has two daughters. The couple divorced six years later in 1969. He then married Marcia Murphey, with whom he had two sons. Diamond divorced his second wife in 1994 or 1995, according to different sources. On April 12, 2012, Diamond married Katie McNeil in front of family and friends. Before marrying Katie, he was in a brief relationship with Rae Farley.

Diamond’s net worth is estimated at a massive $175 million. Owing to the sales of his albums and singles, concert tour and online sales, the net worth of Diamond is known to be growing more. According to sources, Diamond had to part his net worth with Murphey when he divorced her. As compared to other popular singers, the net worth of Diamond is one of the highest.

On 22 January 2018, Diamond abruptly announced his retirement from touring due to his recent diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often causing tremors. In the midst of the year-long 50th Anniversary world tour, he canceled the final leg, scheduled for Australia and New Zealand.

We can hope Diamond gets to enjoy his retirement because he has earned it. "Sweet Caroline" singer Diamond hopes to continue writing and recording for some time to come.