Diamond's talent, enduring popularity make him stand out

Neil Diamond has to be considered one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the last half century.He's sold more than 130 million records worldwide and has a number of hit songs that almost everyone knows.And when I say "everyone," I'm not just talking about Americans.Last week in London, in an NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears, Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" played between quarters.Tens of thousands of people sang along, seemingly hanging on every word.And yet, Diamond hasn't been awarded all the accolades given to many of his contemporaries.Despite all of his success, he wasn't inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until 2011.And — to some, at least — he's struggled to maintain a "cool" factor that many musicians possess.I recognize that will sound ridiculous to some who are reading this, but let me explain.In 1974, when Robbie Robertson was organizing the final concert for The Band, a big show in San Francisco that became "The Last Waltz," a film by Martin Scorsese, he recruited a number of rock legends to perform.Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell and others all did sets.Diamond was also there.Robertson explained that he wanted someone to represent the Tin Pan Alley, a legendary collection of New York City songwriters who penned some of the songs of the 1960s.Diamond fit that bill. But did he fit the bill of "The Last Waltz?"In his memoir, "This Wheel's on Fire," the Band's drummer and singer Levon Helm indicated that he didn't think so.And when someone told Helm the concert was running long and an act might need to be cut, Helm said "Tell Neil Diamond we don't know who he is."Diamond did perform, even though he seemed somewhat out of place.Watching the film, you get the sense that Diamond recognizes as much. Wearing dark sunglasses, he nervously tells the audience, "I'm only going to do one song, but I'm gonna do it good."Diamond performed "Dry Your Eyes," a song co-written with Robertson. He did fine, though I must admit, when I watch the film, I usually skip to the next song.For me, while I recognized Diamond's talent as a songwriter, I was never a huge fan. But that was mainly because as a child, it felt like "Coming to America" was on the radio 20 times a day.As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate him more. He wrote what I consider to be The Monkees' best song, "Daydream Believer" and as a performer "Solitary Man" and "Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon" are excellent pieces of work.A musical about Diamond's career, "A Beautiful Noise," is playing at Cleveland's Playhouse Square. While I have yet to see it, my mother has, and her enthusiastic review caused me to play more Neil Diamond than I usually do.You recognize just how talented the man is, and you can appreciate how special of a career he's had.He'll always be popular, and there is good reason for that. Zach Baker is the sports editor for The Courier.