From child prodigy to teen star to cultural icon, Neil Sedaka has enjoyed a decade-spanning career thanks to his ability to pen numerous catchy songs destined to climb the charts. With an inoffensive innocence and a perpetual smile, audiences around the world have always had a soft spot for the prolific songsmith, and his impact on pop music is undeniable.

Sedaka’s musical talents were evident at an early age. His classical piano skills as a young boy were formidable enough for him to share the stage with such accomplished musicians as Arthur Rubinstein and also get him into the doors at the renowned Julliard School of Music. But despite his classical training, at heart, Neil’s heart belonged to the pop music of the day, the doo-wop vocalists and he aspired to be a part of their world. He began penning pop songs and, by the mid-50s, landed his first hit – a song written for Connie Francis called “Stupid Cupid.” This success scored him a record deal with RCA, both as a writer and performer.

Pairing up with lyricist Howard Greenfield, an old childhood friend, he proceeded to pump out hit after hit as a solo artist. In 1959, he scored a #14 hit with “The Diary” and followed with a top-10 single, “Oh Carol.” And the hits just kept coming – “Calendar Girl,” “Next Door to an Angel” and “Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen” turned him into a pop idol and led to his first #1 single, 1962’s “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Thanks to an emerging technology called multi-tracking, Neil was able to layer numerous vocal tracks on his recordings, giving each of them lush harmonies that became a signature of his musical style. By the time he reached the ripe old age of 24, Sedaka has managed to sell over 25 million records.

As the British Invasion arrived in America and his popularity took the backburner, he began to branch out into the international market, producing a series of records in such languages as Spanish, German, Japanese and Hebrew, with each album featuring the music and instrumentation of each country. He also penned numerous hits for established artists. He and Howard composed “Fallin” and “Where the Boys Are” for Connie Francis, “Magic Colours” for Leslie Gore and “When Love Comes Knocking At Your Door” for The Monkees. Another Sedaka/Greenfield composition, “Puppet Man” made it to the charts for both The Fifth Dimension and Tom Jones.

At the beginning of the 70s decade, Sedaka, now living in England, decided to bring his focus back to his own career. He paired with a new lyricist, Phil Cody, and the pair began writing songs in the spirit of what Carole King had released on her influential and mega-selling Tapestry album. As a result, he added a few British hit records to his resume with “That’s Where the Music Takes Me” and the melancholy ballad “Solitaire.” As a result of his newfound success in England, he became friends with another pianist with a penchant for penning hits, Elton John, who proceeded to sign Sedaka to his own label, Rocket Records. Soon, in 1975, Sedaka was climbing the American charts yet again with songs such as “Laughter in the Rain” and “Bad Blood” which featured Elton’s backing vocals. He also teamed again with Howard Greenfield to pen the #1 hit “Love Will Keep Us Together” for the Captain and Tennille. At the end of the song, an observant listener can hear Tennille singing the words “Sedaka is Back.” Indeed, he was.  And bringing his career full-circle, he re-recorded one of his early hits, “Breaking Up is Hard To Do.” The song was completely reinterpreted, going from a bouncy uptempo song, to a sad, torch-song jazz ballad. The result was a song that reached the top-10 in two separate decades. Meanwhile, The Carpenters and Elvis Presley both recorded their own hit versions of “Solitaire.”

Sedaka’s love for performing continues to this day and he still performs internationally to delighted fans. And he is still putting out records. In 2006, he recorded a holiday record called The Miracle of Christmas and the following year, released Neil Sedaka, The Definitive Collection, a two-CD set spanning his entire career. And with a career as prolific as Sedaka’s, it’s no wonder that, in over five decades, that warm and welcoming smile has seemingly never left his face.