Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond's new CD 12 Songs is the result of his work with the producer Rick Rubin, who previously put his personal touch on albums from Jay Z, Tom Petty and Johnny Cash, to name a few. The move is a departure from the work Diamond is better known for: hummable hits like "Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," and "Cherry Cherry."

Diamond has sold 128 million records and written and recorded 37 Top 40 songs. But in the early 1960s, rock historian Ed Ward says, Diamond was writing songs for other musicians while struggling to get his own career off the ground.