I am more than willing to be upfront about my feelings for Neil Diamond.  I love the guy.  He has written many of my favorite songs and there is nothing like that baritone voice.  I also have to like a huge rock star who has a song on an album at the peak of his career entitled “Kol Nidre/My Name Is Yussel”.  (The album is The Jazz Singer for you Kol Nidre fans.)  His original Hot August Night album is one of the best live albums of all-time.

So needless to say I was excited to read the New York Times’ profile on Neil Diamond.  I’m really glad he’s still going strong and not surprised he is still playing to packed houses.  The man puts on one helluva show.  It also seems incredible that his most recently released album Home Before Dark was recently #1 on the Billboard charts.   I consider it a crime that he is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As best we can tell, Diamond usually plays Gibson or Epiphone acoustic guitars.  Epiphone released an all black Neil Diamond Gibson Epiphone Signature Guitar with diamonds on it a few years back.  That is the one he’s playing in the photo.

The Marathon Man of Pop (New York Times)
Neil Diamond Home Before Dark MP3’s (Amazon)

Photo Courtesty of Whiper via Creative Commons License