10x8 Smiling portraitDate of Birth
13 March 1939, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Father of Marc Sedaka and Dara Sedaka
Was part of the famous Brill Building stable of writers, which included Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Neil Diamond and Carole King (Sedaka's former girlfriend) (1955)
Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1994.
Close personal friend and music collaborator of Connie Francis.
The song "The Diary" was inspired when he first met singer Connie Francis. They had spent all day going over songs to record and became quite bored. When Connie began writing in her diary Neil asked her if he could read it. Connie gave him a firm "no" and thus the inspiration for "The Diary" was born.
Cousin of Eydie Gormé and Helene Sedaka.
Was part of the vocal quartet, called the Linc-Tones, formed by Hank Medress in 1955. When Neil left the group to start his own solo career, the group became known as The Tokens.
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983.
In early 1965, at the height of the Cold War, he was invited to appear in concert in Moscow -- as a classical pianist at the 1966 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, not as a rock-and-roll singer! This same competition was earlier won by Van Cliburn.
Studied classical piano at the Juilliard School for over a decade.
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
Price: £30.00