Happy Birthday To Mr. “America” « 100.3 Jack FM

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Today is [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Neil Diamond[/lastfm]‘s birthday!!

Time for Jack FM to get the sequined shirt out of the closet.

With over 115 million albums sold worldwide and 37 Top 40 singles under his belt, Neil Diamond is truly a music legend.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Neil spent his early career writing songs for other artists such as [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jay and the Americans[/lastfm] and the [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Monkees[/lastfm]. In 1966, he released his own debut album, The Feel of Neil Diamond. While the album itself was a modest success on the charts, it did produce three hit singles: “Solitary Man,” “Cherry, Cherry” and “I Got the Feelin’ (Oh No No).”

During the 1970s, Neil Diamond released such platinum-selling albums as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Beautiful Noise, I’m Glad You’re Here With Me Tonight and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers. He also scored numerous No. 1 hits with songs like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “I’ve Been This Way Before” and “Desiree.”

In 1980, Neil starred in a remake of the Al Jolson classic, The Jazz Singer. Although the movie was panned by critics and a box-office flop, the soundtrack was anything but. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 5 million copies, becoming Neil’s biggest-selling album in the U.S. The singles “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again” and “America,” which is Jack’s Song of the Day, were all Top 10 hits on the pop chart.

After nearly 50 years in the business, Neil Diamond finally scored his first No. 1 album with 2008′s Home Before Dark. It was also his first No. 1 in the U.K. as well.

Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer continues to record and perform for his devoted fans. On June 1st, he’ll kick off a North American tour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It’ll wrap September 1st in Las Vegas.

Here’s Neil performing his hit “Solitary Man.” And like him, we, too, are a solitary man.