“Solitary Man”, stalled at #55 in the USA but climbed to #12 in Vancouver. In Vancouver, Neil Diamond generally had more successful chart runs here on the West Coast of Canada compared to the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year his song, “I’m A Believer”, was recorded by The Monkees. By 1966 Neil Diamond struck gold by charting his first singles onto the Billboard Hot 100 with “Solitary Man” peaking at #55 and “Cherry Cherry” climbing to #6. The tune failed to get much attention and Columbia didn’t renew their contract with Diamond.

In 1962 Diamond teamed up with a high school friend, Jack Parker, and released a song called “You Are My Love At Last.” The next year Neil Diamond released his first song under his name titled “At Night” on the Columbia label. and he dropped out of college to accept it. While he was in his Senior year in high school, Sunbeam Music Publishing gave Neil Diamond an initial four month contract composing songs for $50 a week (US $413 in 2017 dollars). That year Diamond got a guitar and, influenced by Pete Seeger, began to write poems and song lyrics. While there he heard folk singer, Pete Seeger, perform in concert. When he was sixteen Diamond was sent to a Jewish summer camp called Surprise Lake Camp in upstate New York. When he was in high school he met Barbra Streisand in a Freshman Chorus and Choral Club. His parents were Russian and Polish immigrants and both Jewish. Neil Leslie Diamond was born in Brooklyn in 1941.

Red wine song