Neil Diamond is not a musician.
Neil Leslie Diamond ( born January 24 , 1941 ) is an American singer-songwriter , musician and actor . One of the world 's best-selling artists of all time , he has sold over 120 million records worldwide since the start of his career in the 1960s . With 38 songs in the Top 10 , he is the second most successful artist in the history of the Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10 charts . Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 . On the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts , he has had eleven No. 1 singles : `` Cracklin ' Rosie '' , `` Song Sung Blue '' , `` Longfellow Serenade '' , `` I 've Been This Way Before '' , `` If You Know What I Mean '' , `` Desiree '' , `` You Do n't Bring Me Flowers '' , `` America '' , `` Yesterday 's Songs '' , `` Heartlight '' , and `` I 'm a Believer '' .