In Brooklyn, New York, Neil Leslie Diamond was born in 1941 to Jewish merchant parents. Diamond showed a keen interest in music as a child.
He joined the choir in high school, where he even got to meet a young Barbra Streisand. He joined the fencing team after switching to a different high school.
When Neil Diamond turned 16, he received a guitar, and he soon began writing his own songs and learning the instrument. As he wrote more songs, he developed a liking for poetry and frequently wrote poems for his high school crushes.
After finishing high school, Diamond received a fencing scholarship to attend New York University, where he majored in pre-medicine.
Yet as time went on, his interest in music developed and his excitement for his academic work waned. In the end, he dropped out of school just before he was set to graduate.
During his college years, Diamond frequently visited Tin Pan Alley, a section of New York City where numerous songwriters and music publishers had established businesses.
Under an agreement with Sunbeam Music Publishing, he, at last, started receiving a $50 weekly composition salary. As his contract expired, Sunbeam did not rehire him, forcing him to pursue a solo career and put out unsuccessful singles in the early 1960s.
Is Neil Diamond in the Hall of Fame?
Yes, Neil Diamond has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was admitted into the Hall of Fame, and in 1984, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Neil Diamond was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 by Paul Simon at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
What did Neil Diamond want to change his name to?
When Neil Diamond first entered the music business, he thought about changing his name from Neil Leslie Diamond to Noah Kaminsky or Ice Charry since he was teased for it. He ultimately decided to use his birth name, nevertheless.