DIAMOND'S GOLDEN JUBILEE

Neil Diamond’s not letting the 50th (actually 51st, but who’s counting?) anniversary of his first hit, the brooding folk-rocker “Solitary Man,” pass by without a massive celebration. The 76-year-old singer-songwriter’s issuing both a 3-CD retrospective, 50th Anniversary Collection, and embarking on a massive world tour, whose U.S. leg includes 39 dates over four months, starting 4/7 at Fresno’s SaveMart Center.

Diamond’s career-spanning 50th Anniversary Collection drops 3/31. It kicks off with the 1966 hit “Solitary Man” (from his solo debut The Feel of Neil Diamond), and features dozens of Top 40 singles, including “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Longfellow Serenade” and the ubiquitous “Sweet Caroline,” and samples recordings from every decade, all the way up to his latest, 2014’s Melody Road.

Beyond the massive numbers, which include more than 130 albums sold worldwide, Diamond’s won a Grammy and belongs to both the Rock and Roll and Songwriter’s Hall of Fames. He also starred in the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer.