Sedaka's mother, Eleanor (née Appel), was an Ashkenazi Jew of Polish and Russian descent. Sedaka's paternal grandparents came to the United States from Istanbul in 1910. His father, Mordechai 'Mac' Sedaka, was a taxi driver of Sephardi Jewish descent from Turkey. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and continues to perform, mounting mini-concerts on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.Įarly life: Juilliard and the Brill Building Sedaka maintained a successful career as a songwriter, penning hits for other artists including ' Stupid Cupid' ( Connie Francis), ' (Is This the Way to) Amarillo' ( Tony Christie) and ' Love Will Keep Us Together' ( Captain & Tennille). His popularity declined by the mid-1960s, but was revived in the mid-1970s, solidified by the 1975 US Billboard Hot 100 number ones ' Laughter in the Rain' and ' Bad Blood'.

Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard 'Howie' Greenfield and Phil Cody.Īfter a short-lived tenure as a founding member of the doo-wop group the Tokens, Sedaka achieved a string of hit singles over the late 1950s and early 1960s, including ' Oh! Carol' (1959), ' Calendar Girl' (1960), ' Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen' (1961) and ' Breaking Up Is Hard to Do' (1962). Neil Sedaka ( / s ə ˈ d æ k ə/ born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist.

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