Neil Diamond presents: "Home Before Dark"

By: Melissa Pulsifer

Neil Diamond is one of the most influential singer-songwriters of our time. His music features a fusion of rock, pop, folk and country sounds and is seen as the voice of a generation.

Diamond began his now illustrious career in the early 1960's, as a songwriter. Modern day classics such as I'm a Believer, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You and Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow), were all written by a young Diamond and all became instant hits. I'm a Believer in particular, became the most popular song of 1966 and allowed Diamond to build a name for himself in the rock community as a songwriter.

After achieving success as a songwriter, Diamond's singing and performing career began to skyrocket as well. To date, Diamond has created over twenty-five albums and released a collection of hit singles. Diamond's biggest hits include Solitary Man, Cherry, Cherry, Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Red, Red Wine, I'm a Believer, You Don't Bring me Flowers, Will you Love me Tomorrow and perhaps his biggest hit Sweet Caroline.

By 1984, Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2000, was given the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, Diamond's hit Sweet Caroline has become a cult classic among sports fans, namely Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, which dubbed it the official theme song for "Red Sox Nation". Neil Diamond classics, such as "Sweet Caroline" and "Solitary Man" have also been covered and performed live over the years by a spectrum of legendary musicians, ranging from Johnny Cash to Elvis Presley.

In early May 2008, Neil Diamond released Home Before Dark. Home Before Dark is Diamond's twenty ninth studio album and unlike many of his past releases, focuses on a more pure representation of rock music. It combines mainly acoustic guitar melodies with emotionally heavy lyrics and presents a familiar Neil Diamond, in a new light. To celebrate the album's release, Diamond has announced plans to kick off a massive concert tour. The "Neil Diamond Solo Acoustic Tour" will feature the musician performing all of his greatest hits, as well as selected tracks from the new album. The concert series will last from late May to late September of 2008 and will hit various venues in Europe and North America.