His parents were Rose (née Rapaport) and Akeeba 'Kieve' Diamond, a dry-goods merchant.

On the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, he has had eleven No. 1 singles: 'Cracklin' Rosie', 'Song Sung Blue', 'Longfellow Serenade', 'I've Been This Way Before', 'If You Know What I Mean', 'Desiree', 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers', 'America', 'Yesterday's Songs', 'Heartlight'.ĭiamond was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family descended from Russian and Polish immigrants. Additionally, he received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and in 2011 was an honoree at Kennedy Center. His songs have been covered internationally by performers from a variety of musical genres.ĭiamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. With 38 songs in the Top 10, he is the second most successful artist in the history of the Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10 charts. One of the world's best-selling artists of all time, he has sold over 135 million records worldwide since the start of his career in the 1960s. “I’ve had a pretty amazing life, it’s true.Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor. It’s like all the systems of my mind and my body are working as one. “I’ve been doing it for 50 years and I enjoy it. “I can still sing,” he said in the CBS interview. “I didn’t like looking at myself in many of the scenes … I was a little embarrassed, I was flattered, and I was scared.”Īt the opening night of A Beautiful Noise, Diamond surprised the audience with a singalong of Sweet Caroline on stage – one of his first public performances since his retirement. “The show is part of my psychotherapy, and it hurt,” he said. The CBS interview also covered the Broadway musical A Beautiful Noise, which opened last December and is based on Diamond’s life and music. He had already performed shows across the US and Europe before he announced his retirement from touring. But I’ve come to accept what limitations I have and still have great days.”ĭiamond’s diagnosis in 2018 scuppered the Australian leg of his 50th anniversary tour. You can’t just say, OK, enough already, let’s get back to life. “There’s no cure, there’s no getting away from it. “OK, so this is the hand that God’s given me and I have to make the best of it. “I’m still doing it and I don’t like it,” he said. I’m easier on myself and the beat goes on and it will go on long after I’m gone.”Įven so, he told Mason, acceptance is still a difficult process.

Neil diamond play me live