Introduction:
Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York, into a Jewish family with roots from Russian and Polish immigrants. His parents, Rose (née Rapaport) and Akeeba “Kieve” Diamond, ran a fabric business. Diamond grew up in various homes across Brooklyn, with a significant portion of his childhood spent in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where his father was stationed for several years.
For his 16th birthday, Neil received his first guitar, a gift that would go on to shape his future as one of the most successful singer-songwriters in history. During his time in Brooklyn, he attended Erasmus Hall High School, where he was a member of the Chorus Club and the Choral Club. It was at Erasmus Hall that he crossed paths with fellow student Barbra Streisand. While they weren’t close friends at the time, Diamond recalls, “We were just two poor kids from Brooklyn, often hanging out in front of the school and smoking cigarettes.” After his family moved, he transferred to Abraham Lincoln High School, where he also participated in fencing and became part of the school’s team.
At 16, still in high school, Diamond spent some weeks at Lake Surprise Camp, a Jewish summer camp in the suburbs of New York. During his time there, he witnessed a concert by folk singer Pete Seeger, which had a profound impact on him. Seeger’s performance, combined with seeing other campers sing self-written songs, awakened Diamond’s interest in songwriting. He later reflected on this experience, stating, “The next thing I knew, I had a guitar when we got back to Brooklyn, started learning to play it, and almost immediately began writing songs.” This was a pivotal moment in his life, sparking his deep interest in songwriting, which he described as his “real first passion” growing up.
Additionally, Diamond began to use his newfound songwriting skills in a more personal way—writing poetry for girls at school. His poetic charm helped him win the hearts of many, and soon, his male classmates asked him to write poems for them to sing, which proved successful for them as well.
After graduating high school, Diamond spent the summer working as a waiter at a Catskills resort, where he met Jaye Posner, who would later become his wife. This period marked the beginning of his professional journey, but he soon realized that his true calling was not in conventional careers.
Diamond then enrolled at New York University, where he received a fencing scholarship and began preparing for a career in medicine. His exceptional skills in fencing helped him become a member of the NCAA men’s fencing team in 1960. However, Diamond soon grew dissatisfied with his studies. He found his classes boring and started skipping them, spending more time in Tin Pan Alley, trying to get his songs heard by local music publishers.
Finally, in his final year, with just 10 lessons left before graduation, Sunbeam Music Publishing offered him a 16-week job writing songs for $50 a week. He chose to leave college and pursue music full-time. This marked the beginning of his songwriting career, and he never looked back, eventually becoming one of the most successful and beloved figures in the music industry.