Neil Diamond Parents: Meet Akiva Diamond and Rose Diamond

Neil Leslie Diamond, an American singer-songwriter born on January 24, 1941, is among the best-selling musicians of all time with more than 130 million records sold.

Eleven of his singles—including well-known songs like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” and “Sweet Caroline”—have peaked at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary and Billboard Hot 100 lists in the United States.

Diamond has experience in both acting and music. In the 1980 musical drama The Jazz Singer, he made his film acting debut.

For his contributions to the music industry, Diamond was elected into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Diamond was born to Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York. His grandparents were immigrants from Poland and Russia.

In addition to spending four years in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where his father was stationed in the military, he spent his early years in several Brooklyn homes.

Barbra Streisand attended Erasmus Hall High School with Diamond, who took part in the Freshmen Chorus and Choral Club. Yet at the time, they weren’t very close.

Also, he attended Abraham Lincoln High School, where he fought in fencing alongside his good friend Herb Cohen, who later went on to represent his country in the Olympics.