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Neil Diamond music biography continued...

Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City on January 24, 1941, Diamond took to music early and by the time he was 15 had written his first song. In 1958, he entered New York University's pre-med program to become a doctor, but his music wouldn't wait and he dropped out at the end of his junior year only 10 credits shy of graduation. Diamond, however, soon found work as a songwriter and penned "I'm a Believer", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," and "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow") all hits recorded by the Monkey in the late 60s.
Diamond hit pay dirt as a performer himself when he moved to Los Angeles and scored a deal with MCA Records, which saw him release such classic Neil Diamond songs as "'Cracklin' Rosie," "Sweet Caroline," and the country-and-western tinged "Song Sung Blue," which reached #1 on the Hot 100. In 1972, Diamond played ten sold out concerts at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. One performance was recorded and released as the live double album Hot August Night, which demonstrated Diamond's skills as a high energy entertainer and revitalized his back catalogue of hits. In 1976, Diamond released an album titled I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight, which included the selection "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"—a tune he ultimately recorded as a duet with Barbara Streisand. It was to be Diamond's third song to top the Hot 100. He would continue to write and record hit songs throughout the 80s.
According to critic William Ruhlmann, as of 2001, Diamond claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart. As of May 2005 he had sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S. Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. To the delight of fans around the globe, Diamond continues to perform and convert skeptics into true believers wherever he goes.