Neil Diamond
Born: Neil Leslie Diamond
January 24, 1941
New York City, NY
"I've always thought of music as something which gives the words their flight and their wings and the music often comes first, although sometimes I'll have a concept, a title idea, a lyric idea that I want to write and the lyric will come first."
~Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond Tops
The Charts
Courtesy BBC News
Singer Neil Diamond has reached the top of the US Billboard album chart for the first time in his career.
'Home Before Dark,' the 67-year-old’s 29th studio album, made its chart debut in pole position after shifting 146,000 copies in its first week on release.
His previous highest chart position was in 1973 when his soundtrack to the film 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' got to two. Diamond, who will play Glastonbury in June, was in London this week for a live session at the BBC Radio Theatre.
The concert, which saw him perform such classics as 'Hello Again,' 'Beautiful Noise' and 'Forever in Blue Jeans' as well as new material, will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 this Saturday at 1900 BST. Video footage will be available for digital television viewers on the red button and online via the Radio 2 website.
European Tour
Diamond recorded his previous highest position in the Billboard chart when his last album, '12 Songs,' reached number four in 2005.
Both that album and 'Home Before Dark' were produced by the Grammy award-winning Rick Rubin.
The veteran singer-songwriter begins a European tour on 24 May in Rotterdam that will include June dates in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and London.
Earlier this week he told BBC 6 Music why he accepted the invitation to play at Glastonbury.
“I know it’s one of the ultimate festivals and maybe the biggest,” he said, adding he hoped he would not be “laughed out of the country”.