Neil Diamond is an American singer-songwriter who began writing songs while studying at New York University. His own hits include "Sweet Caroline," "America" and "Heartlight." He also wrote "I'm A Believer," performed by The Monkees, and his song "Red, Red Wine" was a big hit for band UB40 in 1983. Diamond was born and raised in Brooklyn, attending high school with Barbra Streisand (and singing with her in the school choir). He learned to play guitar after receiving one as a gift on his 16th birthday.

Diamond moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1970, and signed a deal with MCA Records (then called Uni Records). His sound mellowed, with such songs as "Sweet Caroline" and "Song Sung Blue". "Sweet Caroline" has since become a rallying cry of Red Sox Nation. Diamond married Marcia Murphey, whom he had met while doing a television appearance. They had two sons, Jesse Michael Diamond born in 1970 and Micah Diamond, born February 14, 1978. Neil and Marcia divorced in 1995.

In 1973, Diamond hopped labels again, this time to Columbia Records, where he recorded the soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." In 1974, he released the album "Serenade." In 1976, he released Beautiful Noise, produced by The Band's Robbie Robertson. In 1977, he released an album "I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight," which included the track "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." The song was covered by Barbra Streisand on her album "Songbird," which led one disc jockey to combine the two in a virtual duet. The popularity of the virtual duet motivated Diamond and Streisand to record the real thing, which became a very large hit in 1978. A movie version of the song (starring Diamond and Streisand) was planned, but plans fell through when Diamond starred in a remake of the Al Jolson classic "The Jazz Singer" in 1980, opposite Sir Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz.

Though the movie was not a blockbuster hit at the box office, the soundtrack was a hugely successful album, spawning the singles "America," "Love On The Rocks," and "Hello Again." This would be the apex of his recording career.

In 2000, he was awarded the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Diamond continued to record and tour into his seventies. 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 this latest effort.

On January 22, 2018, Diamond abruptly announced his retirement from touring due to his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. In the midst of the year-long 50th Anniversary World Tour, he canceled the final leg, scheduled for Australia and New Zealand. Despite the diagnosis, Diamond said he fully expected to continue writing and recording. He also showed he was not completely through with performing, as he delivered a surprise one-man show for firefighters who were battling Utah's massive Lake Christine Fire that summer.

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