Neil Sedaka Bringing Hits to Wildwood

WILDWOOD — Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka has had three careers stretching from the earliest days of rock n’ roll through the 70’s and 80’s.
He told the Herald one of his first shows may have been in Wildwood over 50 years ago. Sedaka said he has been singing for 55 years and writing songs for 60 years.
“I can’t believe it myself,” he said.
You can expect to hear all his hit records during his concert April 28 at the Wildwoods Convention Center such as “Calendar Girl,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” which charted in both the 50s and 70s. While Sedaka had hit records spanning 30 years, he also wrote a number of top selling records for other acts such as “Love Will Keep Us Together,” for the Captain and Tennille and “Puppet Man,” for Tom Jones.
Elvis, Frank Sinatra, the Monkees and ABBA have recorded his songs.
Sedaka began his songwriting career as teenager as part of the staff of New York’s Brill Building. His coworkers in the building were Carole King, Neil Diamond and Paul Simon.
At the end of the workday, the songwriters would play their best song for Don Kirshner and Al Nevins. Sedaka said the best song won out for the Chiffons, the Righteous Brothers or the Crystals.
“I was the first in the Brill Building to sing my own songs,” said Sedaka.
His first record success was 1958-1963 selling about 40 million records worldwide.
When he was 9-years-old, Sedaka begin piano instruction at the Julliard School of Music. His parents initially were not thrilled when he turned to rock ‘n roll.
“They got used to it, I bought my mother her mink stole,” he said.
Sedaka also bought a house for his parents in Ft. Lauderdale.
Songwriting doesn’t come as easy as it once did for Sedaka after writing 800 or 900 songs he said.
“You have to reinvent Neil Sedaka, you have to top it, you have to raise the bar,” he said.
Sedaka does not work at songwriting every day. He said he is more likely to be writing three to four times a year when he will compose 12-15 songs and pick the best for the next album.
Sedaka has new album on the way entitled “The Real Neil.”
He recently revisited his classical roots by writing his first piano concerto and first symphony, recording it with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
A play based on his life entitled “Laughter in the Rain,” will open in London this fall, he said.
After moving his family to England in the 1970s, he met Elton John who was starting a new record label in America, “Rocket Records.” Sedaka hit number one with the single “Laughter in the Rain.” Sedaka had another huge hit singing with Elton John on “Bad Blood.”
While Sedaka’s career sagged when the Beatles came to America, he later befriended John Lennon at the time the ex-Beatle was having trouble with U.S. Immigration. Sedaka dedicated his song “The Immigrant,” to Lennon.
Sedaka’s six-piece band had been with him more than 30 years, he said. Expect a lively show from an artist who can rock the audience or bring a tear.
The catalog of songs written by Sedaka range from the joyous “You Gotta Make Your Own Sunshine,” to the sad “Solitaire,” a hit record for the Carpenters. He said his songs have an almost “Chaplinesque” range of emotions
Leslie Gore (“It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If Want To”) opens the concert April 28 at 7 p.m. in the Wildwoods Convention Center. For ticket information call: (609) 729-4000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com
See Neil Sedaka’s video: click below