May 19, 2018
In the late 1970s, when Neil Diamond was asked to star in the movie the Jazz Singer, his career was at the peak of popularity, and he had not only established himself as an elite performer, but also an accomplished songwriter. Similarly, Gilbert Bécaud, who had reached stardom more than a decade before Diamond, was also revered as a top performer and songwriter in France and other European countries.
These two men came together in the late 1970s for a writing partnership that would ultimately produce about a dozen songs, including the first single from the Jazz Singer soundtrack – a song that would become one of the biggest recordings in Diamond’s career.
On this episode of Documenting Popular Music, veteran journalist Robert Neil spotlights the remarkable songwriting collaboration and offers details about the Diamond/Bécaud partnership that have not been highlighted before.