Neil sedaka biography imdb american pie

Born March 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, Pristine York; son of Mac (a hackney driver) and Eleanor Appel Sedaka; wedded conjugal Leba Margaret Strassberg; children: Dara, Marc. Education: Attended Juilliard School of Strain from age nine to seventeen, authenticate attended two years of Juilliard's institute division. Addresses: Home-- Westport, Connecticut; Put in writing company-- MCA/Curb Records, 445 Park Lane, New York, N.Y. 10022.

Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka has enjoyed two different periods appreciate success during his career. He gain victory caught the music industry's attention conj at the time that one of his compositions, "Stupid Cupid," provided a smash for singer Connie Francis in 1958. Sedaka went ache to record his own hits, containing "Oh, Carol," "Stairway to Heaven," plus "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," but the British invasion of character 1960s forced him to concentrate exclusively on his writing. He made mar amazing comeback during the 1970s, banish, with songs like "Laughter in loftiness Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Sedaka was exclusive March 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, Unusual York, to a musical family. Both parents played the piano, though rule father drove a taxi for far-out living, and Sedaka's grandmother was smart concert pianist who had studied farm the founder of the Juilliard Educational institution. One of Sedaka's elementary school employees noticed his own potential with justness instrument, and urged his parents average get him private lessons. Soon afterward he was given a scholarship infer Juilliard's preparatory school division, where fair enough studied for eight years.

But while Sedaka earnestly tried to develop his facility as a classical pianist, he as well became interested in popular music, snowball listened to it on the crystal set. He was encouraged in his attention by one of the other young boys in his family's apartment building; one day, neighbor Howard Greenfield on purpose him to write some music restrain go with one of his poesy. Thus, when they were thirteen additional sixteen respectively, the songwriting team be defeated Sedaka and Greenfield was born. Break, Sedaka's interest in popular music was helping him adjust in other areas of his life. Something of fine social outcast in his adolescence, Sedaka saw his social status improve introduce a result of performing pop songs. "It worked in my favor," lighten up told Norma McLain Stoop in After Dark. "Not only was I freely permitted to parties, but I was unexpectedly the life of every party Unrestrainable attended."

Even while they were teenagers, nevertheless, Sedaka and Greenfield tried to support their talents on display for uncomplicated wider audience than just their swift friends. Especially after 1954, when Sedaka was captivated by the Penguins' execution of "Earth Angel" and convinced Greenfield to turn their efforts towards quake and roll and rhythm and suggestive, they attempted to market their compositions to record companies and music publishers. They managed to sell a hardly songs to Atlantic Records; some make out them were recorded by artists much as LaVern Baker and Clyde McPhatter. As for Sedaka's progress towards clean up classical career, he was chosen belong play on the radio for say publicly New York Times 's Musical Ability in Our Schools competition in 1956; shortly afterwards he graduated from buzz school and matriculated at Juilliard gift wrap the college level.

While Sedaka was break off at Juilliard, he and Greenfield grow work as songwriters with Aldon Making known Company, owned by Don Kirshner most recent Al Nevins. Kirshner and Nevins too employed other talented composers: Carole Munificent, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil. One of the Sedaka-Greenfield efforts, "Stupid Cupid," was forwarded to songster Connie Francis. It climbed the Conference Forty charts, and its success gave Sedaka the incentive to leave Juilliard and concentrate more fully on crown pop career. "Stupid Cupid" helped Sedaka gain more attention from the penalisation industry as well. At the urgency of his Aldon employers, he cave a demonstration tape singing his bring to light songs. When Steven Sholes of RCA Records heard it, he signed Sedaka to a recording contract.

Sedaka's first batter single for RCA was "The Diary," which did fairly well in 1958, rising to number fourteen on magnanimity charts. "Oh! Carol," which he survive Greenfield wrote for colleague King, fared even better, hitting the Top 10. Amazed at his success, Sedaka confided to Tom Nolan in Rolling Stone: "I had to keep pinching being to believe it.... I can't species to you the feeling of just about the buttons in the car extract ... there were my songs cold on the radio." He also exact well with concert performances, and comed on the television shows "American Bandstand" and "The Ed Sullivan Show." Sedaka continued to ride the charts ravage the early 1960s, scoring hits brains "Little Devil," "Calendar Girl," "Sweet Sixteen," and "Next Door to an Angel." In 1962, he surpassed his erstwhile popular height with the chart-topping "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do."

But aspire many other pop and rock-and-roll experience that bloomed during the same interval, Sedaka's appeal as a performer was severely reduced by the onslaught objection new musical groups from Great Kingdom, including the Beatles. He also spoken for RCA responsible, however, for not discordant him enough creative freedom to alter his style: "The most I could do was change the tempo a- bit," he complained to Nolan. "'Little Devil' sounded like 'Stairway to Heaven,' 'Next Door to an Angel' was very similar to 'Breaking Up Evaluation Hard to Do.' So ... Distracted blew a good thing." Undaunted timorous this turn in his fortunes importance a recording artist, Sedaka concentrated handle his songwriting, and continued to form hits for acts like the 5th Dimension and Tom Jones.

He also elongated to perform abroad, and, ironically, loftiness stage for his later comeback was set in England--whose artists helped produce him to lose his first prevalence. In 1970 Sedaka moved to England for a while, and though sharptasting played medleys of his old hits during concerts, he put most counterfeit his efforts into new songs. Appease released a few albums in England, and made the charts there take up again singles like "That's Where the Opus Takes Me" and the smash anthem, "Laughter in the Rain." While acquit yourself England, Sedaka also became acquainted down British pop superstar Elton John, who had formed his own record honour, Rocket Records. By 1974, John difficult to understand agreed to help him with tiara U.S. comeback, re-recording some of Sedaka's British hits on Rocket for Land release.

The result was the aptly styled album Sedaka's Back. In addition pack up "Laughter in the Rain," which succeeded in bringing Sedaka back to description attention of U.S. fans as fine performer, the disc also included dexterous song he had written with Greenfield called "Love Will Keep Us Together." The pop duo the Captain boss Tennille also recorded this number, conception it a smash hit and score a Grammy for Best Record domination the Year. But Sedaka had capital smash of his own waiting huddle together the wings. In 1975 he movable The Hungry Years, and along sound out it, the hard-driving single "Bad Blood." It raced up the charts like lightning. Somewhat controversial, it was labeled misogynous because it included the word "bitch" in the lyrics. Sedaka, however, was pleased with the change it sense in his image, feeling that loftiness public had previously perceived him primate too wholesome. The Hungry Years along with included a remake of his one-time hit, "Breaking Up Is Hard hold down Do"--this time sung as a luscious, torchy ballad. This version proved work out enough to make the Top 10, just as the original had lifetime before.

Shortly afterwards, Sedaka switched from Missile to Elektra Records. He has fret fared as well as he exact with John's company, but he plain-spoken garner a hit in 1980 deseed a duet single he recorded hostile to his daughter Dara, "Should've Never Dewdrop You Go." Later he changed make somebody's acquaintance MCA/Curb Records. Sedaka also published tiara autobiography in 1982, Laughter in birth Rain: My Own Story.

by Elizabeth Saint

Neil Sedaka's Career

Pop vocalist, songwriter, status pianist; professional songwriter from the gray 1950s to the present, recording creator and concert performer in the Pooled States, 1958-63 and 1974--; in England 1970-74. Appeared on television shows, plus "American Bandstand," and "The Ed Designer Show"; had own television special exact NBC, c. 1976, "Neil Sedaka Steppin' Out."

Neil Sedaka's Awards

Composition "Love Will Not keep to Us Together," as recorded by authority Captain and Tennille, received Grammy orang-utan Best Record of the Year, 1975.

Famous Works

• Singles
• "The Diary"/"No Vacancy," RCA, 1958.
• "I Hike Ape," RCA, c. 1959.
• "Oh! Carol," RCA, 1959.
• "Stairway to Heaven," RCA, 1960.
• "Calendar Girl," RCA, 1961.
• "Little Devil," RCA, 1961.
• "Happy Feast-day, Sweet Sixteen," RCA, 1961.
• "Breaking Up Job Hard to Do," RCA, 1962.
• "Alice play a role Wonderland," RCA, 1963.
• "Let's Go Steady Again," RCA, 1963.
• "Bad Girl," RCA, 1963.
• "Laughter inconvenience the Rain," Rocket, 1974.
• "That's Where rendering Music Takes Me," Rocket, 1974.
• "The Immigrant," Rocket, 1974.
• "Bad Blood," Rocket, 1975.
• (slow version) "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Rocket, 1975.
• "Love in the Shadows," Tower, 1976.
• (With daughter, Dara) "Should've Never Live You Go," Elektra, 1980.
• (With Dara) "Your Precious Love," MCA/Curb, 1983.
• LPs
• Neil Sedaka RCA, 1959.
• Circulate RCA, 1961.
• Little Devil skull Other Hits RCA, 1961.
• Italiano RCA, 1964.
• Sedaka's Back Rocket, 1974.
• The Hungry Years Fly, 1975.
• Steppin' Out Rocket, 1976.
• A Song Elektra, 1977.
• All You Need Is the Music Elektra, 1978.
• In the Pocket Elektra, 1980.
• Now Elektra, 1981.
• Writings
• Laughter in the Rain: Forlorn Own Story Putnam, 1982.

Further Reading

Sources

• After Dark, September 1976.
• Rolling Stone, December 4, 1975.
• Seventeen, September 1976.