Neil Diamond — singer with roots in the Russian Empire
Neil Diamond is an American singer-songwriter who has sold over 130 million records worldwide. From Cherry Cherry and I'm a Believer (written for The Monkees) to Cracklin' Rosie, Sweet Caroline, and Song Sung Blue, he has produced some of the most enduring songs in popular music history.
Tracing the roots — Poland / Russia
Born in Brooklyn in 1941 to Kieve Diamond and Rose Rapaport, both children of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland (Russian Empire), Diamond grew up in the Jewish immigrant world of Brooklyn and the Bronx. His emotional directness, his gift for melody, and the sense that every song is a performance of survival carry that immigrant inheritance.
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Poland / Russia. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.