WISCONSINREPORT.COM (10/28/2010) - Thousands of people want to see Neil Diamond in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That is, thousands of people at Facebook have clicked on "LIKE", but, if they want their names included on a petition to be sent to the Hall of Fame Committee, they must also go to the website outside of Facebook and sign up. The website to go to is at neil2011.com, and the place to hear his music is in the mix at GreatGoldHits.com.

Even though he has been eligible since 1987, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame has announced that Neil Diamond has finally received his first nomination for the 2011 award ceremony. About 500 people are part of the decision makers to determine who will be included in the 2011 inductees. The induction ceremony for the new crop of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be held in mid-December, 2010.

Neil Leslie Diamond (born on January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. As a successful pop music performer, Diamond scored a number of hits worldwide in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Diamond has sold well over 115 million records worldwide, including more than 48 million records in the U.S. He is the third most successful Adult Contemporary artist ever, ranking behind only Barbra Streisand and Elton John in popularity due to record sales.

Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, to a Jewish family descended from Russian and Polish immigrants. His father, Kieve Diamond, was a dry-goods merchant. During Neil's senior year at New York University, a music publishing company made him an offer to write songs for $50 a week. So, he gave up his ambition to be involved in medicine, and began his road to stardom, instead.

Diamond’s first recording contract was billed as "Neil and Jack," an Everly Brothers type duo, where Diamond appeared with a high school friend, Jack Packer. They recorded two unsuccessful singles, "You Are My Love At Last" b/w "What Will I Do" and "I'm Afraid" b/w "Till You've Tried Love" both released in 1962. Later in 1962, Diamond signed with the Columbia Records label as a solo performer. Columbia Records released the single "At Night" b/w "Clown Town" in July, 1963. Columbia Records dropped Diamond from its roster. Soon after that, Diamond was back to writing songs.

His first success as a songwriter came in November, 1965 with the song "Sunday and Me," performed by Jay and the Americans, which was a top 20 hit. Greater early success as a writer followed with "I'm a Believer", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," and "Love to Love," recorded and released by the Monkees. Diamond had written and recorded these songs to release himself, but the cover versions were released before his own. The happy, consequence of this was that Diamond began to gain fame not only as a singer and performer, but also as a songwriter.

"I'm a Believer" was the Popular Music Song of the Year in 1966. Other notable artists who recorded early Neil Diamond songs were Elvis Presley, who interpreted “Sweet Caroline” as well as “And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind,” Mark Lindsay, former lead singer for Paul Revere & the Raiders, also covered "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind," the English hard rock band Deep Purple which interpreted “Kentucky Woman,” Lulu, who covered “The Boat That I Row,” and Cliff Richard, who released versions of “I’ll Come Running,” “Solitary Man,” "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", “I Got The Feelin’ (Oh No No),” and “Just Another Guy.”

In 1966 Diamond signed a deal with Bert Berns's Bang Records label, which was then a subsidiary company of Atlantic Records. His first release on that label, "Solitary Man", was his first hit. Diamond followed it with "Cherry, Cherry", "Kentucky Woman", "Thank the Lord for the Night Time", "Do It," and others.

After Diamond had signed a deal with the MCA Records label of Universal Pictures' parent company, MCA Inc., his sound mellowed, with such songs as "Sweet Caroline", "Holly Holy", "'Cracklin' Rosie," and "Song Sung Blue", the last two of which reached #1 on the Hot 100. It is said that Diamond wrote "Sweet Caroline" for Caroline Kennedy after seeing her on the cover of Life Magazine in an equestrian riding outfit.

The 1971 "I Am...I Said" was a top five hit in both the U.S. and UK, and was his most intensely personal effort to date, taking upwards of four months to complete.

Some of the other, numerous songs he has recorded, include, Longfellow Serenade, You Don't Bring Me Flowers, September Morn, Forever in Blue Jeans, Love on the Rocks, (They're Coming To) America, Heartlight, and many other songs.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and in 2000 received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, and, now he has a chance to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If you agree that he should be among the music stars that belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you might want to include your name at http://www.neil2011.com. That's all the website will ask you, just your first and last name.

And, to hear the many songs of Neil Diamond played in the streaming song mix at GreatGold Classic Hit Oldies on your computer, go to http://GreatGoldHits.com a/k/a http://ClassicHitOldies.com a/k/a http://GreatGold.fm .

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