Both as a hit songwriter and leading performer, Neil Diamond has enjoyed an
incredibly successful career with over 115 million worldwide record sales. Born
January 24, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family descended from Russian
and Polish immigrants, he originally planned to be a doctor, but was diverted
when his musical talent was noticed and he was offered a job writing songs for a
publishing company. He made his recording debut in the duo Neil & Jack with
school friend Jack Packer. Although they failed to achieve success, his
breakthrough as a songwriter came when The...