Neil Sedaka was an American singer, pianist, composer, and record producer. The wealth that Sedaka amassed was the result of his many successful albums, tours, and collaborations with other musicians.
More than 500 of his compositions have been recorded, and he has sold millions of albums; he has worked with Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody, among others, on many of these tunes. With over 25 studio albums to his name, Neil is best known for his hits like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Calendar Girl,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “Laughter in the Rain,” and “Solitaire.”
His albums “Emergence” (1971), “All You Need Is the Music” (1978), “Come See About Me” (1983), and “The Music of My Life” (2010) are all fan favorites. Sedaka released his autobiography “Laughter in the Rain: My Own Story” in 1982. Since late 2019, Neil has been hosting his monthly show “In The Key of Neil” on Sirius XM.
Neil Sedaka Biography
Neil Sedaka entered the world on March 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Mordechai, was a Sephardi Lebanese Jew and his mother, Eleanor, was of Russian-Jewish and Polish origin, making him an Ashkenazi Jew.
Neil was born and reared in Brighton Beach, where his choir instructor recommended that he begin piano lessons in the second grade. Eleanor took a part-time job at a department shop for six months to save up the money necessary to purchase a used piano. Neil began attending the Juilliard School of Music on a full scholarship in the Preparatory Division for Children in 1947.
At the age of thirteen, Sedaka’s next-door neighbor introduced him to her son, Howard Greenfield, an ambitious lyricist; Greenfield and Sedaka began writing songs together, and by age twenty-five, they were both working as composers at Manhattan’s Brill Building. Lincoln High School, from which he graduated in 1956, was where Sedaka received his formal education.
Neil Sedaka’s Net Worth
| Net Worth: | $100 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Mar 13, 1939 (83 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Brooklyn |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 5 ft 4 in (1.651 m) |
| Profession: | Musician, Record producer, Singer, Songwriter, Singer-songwriter, Multi-instrumentalist |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
As of December 2022, it is projected that this American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist will have earned $100 million. This sum is the result of his many years of hard work as a concert performer, record producer, composer, and lyricist for a wide range of successful musicals.
The likes of Bobby Darin, Tony Martin, Johnny Mathis, Clyde McPhatter, Jane Olivor, Cliff Richard, Andy Williams, Bernadette Peters, Susannah McCorkle, Jim Nabors, Jan & Dean, and Wanda Jackson are just some of the great names in pop, rock, and jazz with whom he has worked.
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Career
Shortly after Neil Sedaka graduated from high school, he and some of his classmates created a vocal group called the Linc-Tones. They were a local band that eventually made it big. But in 1957, he decided to pursue a solo career, and he officially quit the group.
His initial records were not commercially successful, but RCA Victor was nevertheless kind enough to sign him to a recording contract. Singles released by him on RCA Records Throughout the world, Victor dominated charts throughout the ’50s and ’60s.
“Stairway to Heaven,” “You Mean Everything to Me,” “Calendar Girl,” “King of Clowns,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” and “Little Devil” are just a few of his many, many hits. Not content to create and release music solely in the English language, he also recorded and released albums in Italian, Yiddish, Spanish, and German.
The rise of “Beatlemania” in the late 1960s caused a drop in Sedaka’s popularity and success in the American music industry. RCA Victor also decided to end his contract, so he is no longer affiliated with any record company.
He shrugged it off and made an effort to make amends. While also writing and composing for other artists, he played live. With this strategy in place, his song “Star Crossed Lovers” returned to the charts after an absence of four years.
After Joining Rocket Record Company Limited in 1973, He Quickly Gained Fame. In 1975, Neil’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” was the best-selling record in the United States and he also contributed to Elton John’s number-one hit “Bad Blood” with his vocals.
In the 1980s, Sedaka published the albums In the Pocket, Neil Sedaka: Now, Come See About Me, and The Good Times. In the 1990s, he released Classically Sedaka, and in 1998, he released Tales of Love (and Other Passions).
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In 2003, he appeared on the second season of “American Idol” as a guest judge and mentor, and the show’s runner-up, Clay Aiken, later recorded and published a rendition of Neil’s 1972 song “Solitaire.” As the best-selling single of 2004, Aiken’s rendition of “Solitaire” topped the “Billboard” Hot Singles Sales chart.
Awards and Nominations
Five of Neil Sedaka’s songs have been nominated for Grammys: Best Performance By A “Top 40” Artist (1959), Best Rock & Roll Recording for “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” (1962), Song Of The Year For “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975), Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male For “Bad Blood” (1975), and Song Of The Year For “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” (1962). (1976).
The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted him in 1983, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters presented him with the Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award in 2013. The Hollywood Walk of Fame honored Neil with a star in 1978.
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Personal Life
They had their first child, Dara, in 1963, and their second, Marc, in 1967, after Neil wed Leba Strassberg on September 11, 1962. Marc is a scriptwriter and Dara sang with Neil Sedaka on his 1980 song “Should’ve Never Let You Go.”Neil had a small skin growth removed from his nose in March of 2021.
“I never really enjoyed drugs,” Sedaka said in an interview with the “Daily Mail” in 2017. The smoke made me paranoid, and the cocaine gave me a horrible dental office-like aftertaste in my mouth. In other words, I enjoy a good drink. Simply provide me with vodka and wine for supper, and I will be just fine.
