Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman, 9 February 1939, Brooklyn, New York) is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.

Career

Mann and lyricist Cynthia Weil operated a publishing company called Dyad Music. Mann's first hit single as a writer was "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)", a Top 20 song for The Diamonds in 1959. Mann co-wrote the song with Gerry Goffin. In 1961, Mann had his biggest hit to that time with "I Love How You Love Me", written with Larry Kolber and a No. 5 single for The Paris Sisters. (Seven years later, Bobby Vinton would take the song into the Top 10.) Also in 1961, Mann himself hit the Top 40 as a performer with a novelty song co-written with Goffin, "Who Put The Bomp", which parodied the nonsense words of the then-popular doo-wop genre and made the Top 40.

Despite his success as a singer with "Who Put the Bomp", Mann chose to channel the bulk of his creativity into songwriting, forming a prolific partnership with Weil, a lyricist he met while both were staff songwriters at Don Kirshner's and Al Nevin's Aldon Music, whose offices were located near the famed composing-and-publishing factory, the Brill Building. Mann and Weil, who married in 1961, helped pioneer the more socially conscious side of the Brill Building-era songbook with hits such as "Uptown" by The Crystals, "We Gotta Get out of This Place" by the Animals, "Magic Town" by the Vogues and "Kicks" by Paul Revere & the Raiders. (Mann and Weil were upset when "Only in America", a song they'd written with the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally conceived for and recorded by The Drifters as a cynical broadside against racial prejudice, was re-worked by Leiber and Stoller into a uncontroversial hit for Jay & the Americans.)

, Mann's song catalog lists 635 songs. He has received 56 pop, country, and R&B; awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated, and 46 Millionaire Awards for radio performances numbering over one million plays. The song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", co-written with Weil and Phil Spector, was the most played song of the 20th century, with more than 14 million plays.

Mann has composed songs for films, most notably "Somewhere Out There", co-written with Weil and James Horner, for the 1986 animated hit "An American Tail". Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, who performed the song as a duet over the film's closing credits, saw their version released as a single, which reached No. 2 on the Billboards charts and became a gold record. "Somewhere Out There" would win two 1987 Grammy Awards, as Song Of The Year and Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television. "Somewhere Out There" was also nominated for a 1986 Oscar as best song, but lost to "Take My Breath Away" from "Top Gun". Mann's other film work includes the scores for ''I Never Sang for My Father'' and ''Muppet Treasure Island'', and songs for ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' and ''Oliver and Company''.

In 1987, Mann and Weil were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2011 they received the Johnny Mercer Award – the highest honor from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Mann and Weil were named among the 2010 recipients of Ahmet Ertegun Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Songs written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

"Absolutely Green" - Dom DeLuise (written for ''A Troll in Central Park'')

"Black Butterfly" - Deniece Williams

"Blame It on the Bossa Nova" - Eydie Gorme

"Christmas Vacation" - film title song

"Coldest Night of the Year" - Twice As Much featuring Vashti Bunyan

"Don't Know Much" - Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt (written with Tom Snow)

"Don't Make My Baby Blue" - The Shadows

"Good Time Living" - Three Dog Night

"Here You Come Again" - Dolly Parton

"He's Sure the Boy I Love" - The Crystals

"Hungry" - Paul Revere & the Raiders

"I Just Can't Help Believing" – B. J. Thomas, Elvis Presley

"I'm Gonna Be Strong" - Gene Pitney; Cyndi Lauper

"(Walking) In the Rain" - The Ronettes

"It's Getting Better" - Cass Elliot

"It's Not Easy" - Colin Blunstone

"I Will Come to You" - Hanson

"Just a Little Lovin' (Early in the Morning)" - Dusty Springfield, Carmen McRae, Billy Eckstine

"Just Once" - James Ingram with Quincy Jones

"Kicks" - Paul Revere & the Raiders

"Looking Through the Eyes of Love" - Gene Pitney, Marlena Shaw

"Love Led Us Here" - John Berry, Helen Darling

"Magic Town" - The Vogues

"Make Your Own Kind of Music" - "Mama" Cass Elliot

"Never Gonna Let You Go" - Sérgio Mendes

"None of Us Are Free" (Mann, Weil, Brenda Russell) - Ray Charles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Solomon Burke

"On Broadway" - The Drifters George Benson

"Only in America" - Jay and the Americans

"Proud" - Johnny Crawford

"Rock and Roll Lullaby" - B. J. Thomas

"Saturday Night at the Movies" - The Drifters

"Shades of Gray" and "Love is Only Sleeping" - The Monkees

"Shape of Things to Come" - Max Frost and the Troopers

"She's Over Me" - Teddy Pendergrass

"Somewhere Out There" - James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt (written with James Horner for the film, ''An American Tail'') - a double Grammy Award winner

"Sweet Sorrow" - Conway Twitty

"Too Many Mondays" - Barry Mann, Wicked Lester (unreleased)

"Uptown" - The Crystals

"We Gotta Get out of This Place" - The Animals

"We're Over" - Johnny Rodriguez

"(You're My) Soul & Inspiration" - The Righteous Brothers

"A World of Our Own" - Closing theme song from ''Return to the Blue Lagoon'' - Surface

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - The Righteous Brothers (written with Phil Spector)

See also

Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

Grammy Award for Song of the Year

Academy Award for Best Original Song

List of Christmas carols

List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

External links

[ Barry Mann biography] at Allmusic website

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil Official website

Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:Songwriters from New York Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:Grammy Award winners

de:Barry Mann sv:Barry Mann

name	Carole King
background	solo_singer
birth name	Carol Klein
birth date	February 09, 1942
origin	New York City, United States
instrument	PianoVocalsGuitar
genre	Folk rock, Pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1958–present
label	RockingaleOde/Epic/CBS RecordsPriority/EMI Records
associated acts	James TaylorThe CityDanny KortchmarNeil Sedaka
website	CaroleKing.com }}

Carole King (born February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King's album ''Tapestry'' topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks, in 1971, and remained on the charts for more than six years.

She was most successful as a performer in the first half of the 1970s, although she was a successful songwriter long before and long after. She had her first No. 1 hit as a songwriter in 1961, at age 18, with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", which she wrote with Gerry Goffin. In 1997, she co-wrote "The Reason" for Celine Dion.

In 2000, Joel Whitburn, a ''Billboard Magazine'' pop music researcher, named her the most successful female songwriter of 1955–99, because she wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being ''Tapestry''. Her most recent non-compilation album is ''Live at the Troubadour'', a collaboration with James Taylor, which reached No.4 on the charts in its first week, and has sold over 400,000 copies.

She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her songwriting. In 2009, Carole King was inducted into the "Hit Parade" Hall of Fame. She holds the record for the longest time for an album by a female to remain on the charts and the longest time for an album by a female to hold the No.1 position, both for ''Tapestry''.

Early life

Born Carol Klein (she added the "e" to her first name) in 1942 to a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York, King grew up in Brooklyn. She learned the piano, then began singing with a vocal quartet called the Co-Sines at James Madison High School. As a teenager dreaming of having a successful entertainment career, she decided to give herself a new last name, stumbling upon "King" in a telephone directory. She attended Queens College, where she was a classmate (and girlfriend) of Neil Sedaka and inspired Sedaka's first hit, "Oh! Carol." She responded with "Oh! Neil." At Queens College, she befriended Paul Simon and Gerry Goffin.

Partnership with Gerry Goffin

Goffin and King formed a songwriting partnership for Aldon Music at 1650 Broadway in New York. Their partnership's first success was "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", recorded by The Shirelles. It topped the American charts in 1961, becoming the first No. 1 hit by a girl group. It was later recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Ben E. King, Dusty Springfield, Laura Branigan, Little Eva, Roberta Flack, The Four Seasons, Bryan Ferry, Dave Mason, Dionne Warwick, and Melanie Safka as well as by King herself, and Amy Winehouse.

Goffin and King married in September 1960 and had two daughters, Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin. Both are musicians.

In 1965, Goffin and King wrote a theme song for Sidney Sheldon's television series, ''I Dream of Jeannie,'' but an instrumental by Hugo Montenegro was used instead. Goffin and King's 1967 song, "Pleasant Valley Sunday", a No.3 for The Monkees, was inspired by their move to suburban West Orange, New Jersey. Goffin and King also wrote "Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)" for ''Head'', the Monkees' film. (King also co-wrote "As We Go Along" with Toni Stern for the same film soundtrack.)

Goffin and King divorced in 1968 but Carole consulted Goffin on music she was writing. King lost touch with Goffin because of his declining mental health and the effect it had on their children.

Solo career

In 1967, King had a hit "Windy Day" with The Executives. In 1968, she was hired with Toni Stern to write for Strawberry Alarm Clock – "Lady of the Lake" and "Blues for a Young Girl Gone"—which appeared on the album, ''The World in a Seashell''.

King sang backup vocals on the demo of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion". She had had a modest hit in 1962 singing one of her own songs, "It Might As Well Rain Until September" (22 in the US and top 10 in the UK, later a hit in Canada for Gary and Dave), but after "He's a Bad Boy" made 94 in 1963, it took King eight years to reach the Hot 100 singles chart again as a performer. As the '60s waned, King helped start Tomorrow Records, divorced Goffin and married Charles Larkey (of the Myddle Class), with whom she had two children (Molly and Levi). Moving to the West Coast, Larkey, King and Danny Kortchmar formed The City, which made one album, ''Now That Everything's Been Said'', a commercial failure. King made ''Writer'' (1970), also a commercial failure.

King followed ''Writer'' in 1971 with ''Tapestry'', featuring new folk-flavored compositions, as well as reinterpretations of two of her songs, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." ''Tapestry'' was an instant success. With numerous hit singles – including a Billboard No.1 with "It's Too Late" – ''Tapestry'' held the No.1 spot for 15 consecutive weeks, remained on the charts for nearly six years, sold 10 million copies in the United States, and 25 million worldwide. The album garnered four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Record of the Year ("It's Too Late," lyrics by Toni Stern); and Song of the Year, become the first woman to win the award ("You've Got a Friend"). The album signalled the era of platinum albums, though it was issued prior to the invention of the platinum certification by the RIAA. It would eventually be certified Diamond.

''Tapestry'' was the top-selling solo album until Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'' in 1982. The album was later placed at 36 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. In addition, "It's Too Late" was placed at No.469 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

''Carole King: Music'' was released in December 1971, certified gold on December 9, 1971. It entered the top ten at 8, becoming the first of many weeks ''Tapestry'' and ''Carole King: Music'' would occupy the top 10 simultaneously. The following week, it rose to 3, and finally No.1 on January 1, 1972, staying there for three weeks. The album also spawned a top 10 hit, "Sweet Seasons" (US No.9 and AC #2). ''Music'' stayed on the Billboard pop album charts for 44 weeks. ''Carole King: Music'' was eventually certified platinum.

''Rhymes and Reasons'' (1972), and ''Fantasy'' (1973) followed, each earning gold certifications. ''Rhymes and Reasons'' produced another hit, "Been to Canaan" (US No.24 and AC #1), and ''Fantasy'' produced two hits, "Believe in Humanity" (US #28) and "Corazon" (US No.37 and AC #5), as well as another song that charted on the Hot 100, "You Light Up My Life" (US No.68 and AC #6).

In 1973, King performed a free concert in New York City's Central Park with 100,000 attending.

In September 1974, King released her album ''Wrap Around Joy,'' which was certified gold on October 16, 1974 and entered the top ten at 7 on October 19, 1974. Two weeks later it reached 1 and stayed there one week. She toured to promote the album. ''Wrap Around Joy'' spawned two hits. Jazzman was a single and reached 2 on November 9 but fell out of the top ten the next week. Nightingale, a single on December 17, went to No.9 on March 1, 1975.

In 1975, King scored songs for the animated TV production of Maurice Sendak's ''Really Rosie'', released as an album by the same name, with lyrics by Sendak.

''Thoroughbred'' (1976) was the last studio album she made under the Ode label. In addition to enlisting her long-time friends such as David Crosby, Graham Nash, James Taylor and Waddy Wachtel, King reunited with Gerry Goffin to write four songs for the album. Their partnership continued intermittently. King also did a promotional tour for the album in 1976.

In 1977, King collaborated with another songwriter Rick Evers on ''Simple Things'', the first release with a new label distributed by Capitol Records. Shortly after that King and Evers were married; he died of a heroin overdose one year later. ''Simple Things'' was her first album that failed to reach the top 10 on the Billboard since ''Tapestry'', and it was her last Gold-certified record by the RIAA, except for a compilation entitled ''Her Greatest Hits'' the following year. Neither ''Welcome Home'' (1978), her debut as a co-producer on an album, nor ''Touch the Sky'' (1979), reached the top 100.

''Pearls – The Songs of Goffin and King'' (1980) yielded a hit single, an updated version of "One Fine Day." ''Pearls'' marked the end of King's career as a hitmaker and a performer, no subsequent single reaching the top 40.

Later life and work

King moved to Atlantic Records for ''One to One'' (1982), and ''Speeding Time'' in 1983, which was a reunion with Tapestry-era producer Lou Adler. In 1983, she played piano in "Chains and Things" on the B.B. King album ''Why I Sing The Blues''. After a well-received concert tour in 1984, journalist Catherine Foster of the Christian Science Monitor dubbed King as "a Queen of Rock." She also called King's performing as "all spunk and exuberance."

In 1985, she wrote and performed "Care-A-Lot," theme to ''The Care Bears Movie''. Also in 1985, she scored and performed (with David Sanborn) the soundtrack to the Martin Ritt-directed movie ''Murphy's Romance''. The soundtrack, again produced by Adler, included the songs "Running Lonely" and "Love For The Last Time (Theme from 'Murphy's Romance')," although a soundtrack album was apparently never officially released. King made a cameo appearance in the film as Tillie, a town hall employee.

In 1989, she returned to Capitol Records and recorded ''City Streets'', with Eric Clapton on two tracks and Branford Marsalis on one, followed by ''Color of Your Dreams'' (1993), with an appearance by Slash of Guns N' Roses. Her song, "Now and Forever," was in the opening credits to the 1992 movie ''A League of Their Own'', and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

In 1988, she starred in the off-Broadway production ''A Minor Incident'', and in 1994, she played Mrs Johnstone on Broadway in ''Blood Brothers''. In 1996, she appeared in ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' in Ireland, directed by Peter Sheridan. In 1991, she wrote with Mariah Carey the song "If It's Over", for Carey's second album ''Emotions''. In 1996, she wrote "Wall Of Smiles / Torre De Marfil" with Soraya for her 1997 album of the same title.

In 1997, King wrote and recorded backing vocals on "The Reason" for Celine Dion on her album ''Let's Talk About Love''. The song sold worldwide, including one million in France. It went to number 1 in France, 11 in the UK, and 13 in Ireland. The pair performed a duet on the first VH1 Divas Live benefit concert. King also performed her "You've Got A Friend" with Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain as well as "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" with Aretha Franklin and others, including Mariah Carey. In 1998, King wrote "Anyone at All", and performed it in ''You've Got Mail'', starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

In 2001, King appeared in a television ad for the Gap, with her daughter, Louise Goffin. She performed a new song, "Love Makes the World," which became a title track for her studio album in autumn 2001 on her own label, Rockingale, distributed by Koch Records. The album includes songs she wrote for other artists during the mid-1990s and features Celine Dion, Steven Tyler, Babyface and k.d. lang. ''Love Makes the World'' went to 158 in the US and No.86 in the UK. It also debuted on ''Billboard's'' Top Independent Albums chart and Top Internet Albums chart at #20. An expanded edition of the album was issued six years later called ''Love Makes the World Deluxe Edition''. It contains a bonus disc with five additional tracks, including a remake of "Where You Lead (I Will Follow)" co-written with Toni Stern. The same year, King and Stern wrote "Sayonara Dance," recorded by Yuki, former lead vocalist of the Japanese band Judy and Mary, on her first solo album ''Prismic'' the following year. Also in 2001, King composed a song for ''All About Chemistry'' album by Semisonic, with the band's frontman Dan Wilson.

King launched her Living Room Tour in July 2004 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. That show, along with shows at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and the Cape Cod Melody Tent (Hyannis, Massachusetts) were recorded as ''The Living Room Tour'' in July 2005. The album sold 44,000 copies in its first week in the US, landing at 17 on the Billboard 200, her highest-charting album since 1977. The album also charted at 51 in Australia. It has sold 330,000 copies in the United States. In August 2006 the album reentered the Billboard 200 at 151. The tour stopped in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A DVD of the tour, called ''Welcome to My Living Room'', was released in October 2007.

In November 2007, King toured Japan with Mary J. Blige and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas. Japanese record labels Sony and Victor reissued most of King's albums, including the works from the late 1970s previously unavailable on compact disc. King recorded a duet of the Goffin/King composition "Time Don't Run Out on Me" with Anne Murray on Murray's 2007 album ''Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends''. The song had previously been recorded by Murray for her 1984 album ''Heart Over Mind''.

In 2010, King and James Taylor staged their Troubadour Reunion Tour together, recalling the first time they played at The Troubadour in Los Angeles in 1970. The pair had reunited two and a half years earlier with the band they used in 1970 to mark the club's 50th anniversary. They enjoyed it so much that they decided to take the band on the road. The touring band featured players from that original band: Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, and Danny Kortchmar. Also present was King's son-in-law, Robbie Kondor. King played piano and Taylor guitar on each others' songs, and they sang together some of the numbers they were both associated with. The tour began in Australia in March, returning to the United States in May. It was a major commercial success, with King playing to some of the largest audiences of her career. Total ticket sales exceeded 700,000 and the tour grossed over 59 million dollars, making it one of the most successful tours of the year.

During their Troubadour Reunion Tour, Carole King released two albums, one with James Taylor. The first, released on April 27, 2010, ''The Essential Carole King'', is a two-disc compilation album. The first disc features many songs Carole King has recorded, mostly her hit singles. The second disc features recordings by other artists of songs that King wrote, most of which made the top 40, and many of which reached #1. The second album was released on May 4, 2010 and is a collaboration of King and James Taylor called ''Live at the Troubadour'', which debuted at No.4 in the United States with sales of 78,000 copies. ''Live at the Troubadour'' has since received a gold record from the RIAA for shipments of over 500,000 copies in the US and has remained on the charts for 34 weeks, currently charting at No.170 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

On December 22, 2010, Carole King's mother, Eugenia Gingold, died in the Hospice Care unit at Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach, Florida at the age of 94. King stated that the cause of death was congestive heart failure. Gingold's passing was reported by the Miami Herald on January 1, 2011.

The City

In 1968 King formed The City, a music trio consisting of Charles Larkey, bass, Danny Kortchmar, guitar and vocals, and King on piano and vocals. The trio was assisted by Jim Gordon on drums. The City produced one album, ''Now That Everything's Been Said'' in 1968, but King's reluctance to perform live meant sales were slow, and after a change of distributors it got deleted early, and the group disbanded in 1969. The album was re-released in 1999 as a CD, though despite a reappraisal by Kortchmar that the album sowed the seeds for ''Tapestry'' the CD was also deleted.

Acting career

King has appeared sporadically in acting roles, notably three appearances as guest star on the TV series ''Gilmore Girls'' as Sophie, the owner of the Stars Hollow music store. King's song "Where You Lead (I Will Follow)" was also the theme song to the series, in a version sung with her daughter Louise.

Political and environmental activism

After relocating to Idaho in 1977, King became involved in environmental issues. Since 1990, she has been working with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and other groups towards passage of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA). King has testified on Capitol Hill three times on behalf of NREPA: in 1994, 2007 and again in 2009.

King is also politically active in the United States Democratic Party. In 2003, she began campaigning for John Kerry, performing in private homes for caucus delegates during the Democratic primaries. On July 29, 2004, she made a short speech and sang at the Democratic National Convention, about two hours before Kerry made his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for President. King continued her support of Kerry throughout the general election.

In 2008, King appeared on the March 18 episode of ''The Colbert Report'', touching on her politics once more. She stated that she was supporting Hillary Clinton and mentioned that the choice had nothing to do with gender. She also expressed that she would have no issues if Barack Obama were to win the election. Before the show's conclusion, she returned to the stage to perform "I Feel the Earth Move".

Tributes and covers

An all-star roster of artists paid tribute to King on the 1995 album ''Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King.'' From the album, Rod Stewart's version of "So Far Away" and Celine Dion's cover of "A Natural Woman" were both Adult Contemporary chart hits. Other artists who appeared on the album included Amy Grant ("It's Too Late"), Richard Marx ("Beautiful"), Aretha Franklin ("You've Got a Friend"), Faith Hill ("Where You Lead"), and the Bee Gees ("Will You Love Me Tomorrow?").

Former Monkee Micky Dolenz released ''King for a Day'', a tribute album consisting of songs written or co-written by King, in 2010. The album includes "Sometime in the Morning", a King-penned song originally recorded by the Monkees in 1967. Dolenz had previously recorded another of King's Monkees compositions, "Porpoise Song", on his lullaby-themed CD ''Micky Dolenz Puts You to Sleep''.

Many other cover versions of King's work have appeared over the years. Most notably, "You've Got a Friend" was a smash No.1 hit for James Taylor in 1971 and a top 40 hit for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway that same year. Isaac Hayes recorded "It's Too Late" for his No.1 R&B; live album ''Live at the Sahara Tahoe''. Barbra Streisand had a top 40 hit in 1972 with "Where You Lead" twice – by itself and as part of a live medley with "Sweet Inspiration." Streisand also covered "No Easy Way Down" in 1971, "Beautiful" and "You've Got A Friend" in 1972, and "Being At War With Each Other" in 1974. The Carpenters recorded King's "It's Going to Take Some Time" in 1972 ,and reached number 12 on the Billboard charts. Richard Carpenter produced a version of "You've Got A Friend" with then teen singer/actor Scott Grimes in 1989. Martika had a number 25 hit in 1989 with her version of I Feel the Earth Move, and "It's Too Late" reappeared on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1995 by Gloria Estefan. Linda Ronstadt recorded a new version of "Oh No Not My Baby" in 1993. Celine Dion also recorded King's song "The Reason" on her 1997 album ''Let's Talk About Love'' with Carole King singing backup and it became a million-seller and was certified Diamond in France. "Where You Lead" (lyrics by Toni Stern) became the title song of TV show ''Gilmore Girls''.

In 1996, a film very loosely based on her life, ''Grace of My Heart,'' was released. In the film an aspiring singer sacrifices her own singing career to write hit songs that launch the careers of other singers. Mirroring King's life, the film follows her from her first break, through the pain of rejection from the recording industry and a bad marriage, to her final triumph in realizing her dream to record her own hit album.

Awards and recognition

In 1987, Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 1988, Goffin and King received the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1990, King was inducted, along with Goffin, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category for her songwriting achievements.

In 2002, King was given the "Johnny Mercer Award" by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 2004, Goffin and King were awarded the Grammy Trustees Award.

King was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Discography and certifications

The years given are the years in which the albums and singles were released and not necessarily the years in which they achieved their peak positions.

U.S. Billboard Top 10 Albums

1971 – ''Tapestry'' (#1)

1971 – ''Carole King: Music'' (#1)

1972 – ''Rhymes and Reasons'' (#2)

1973 – ''Fantasy'' (#6)

1974 – ''Wrap Around Joy'' (#1)

1976 – ''Thoroughbred'' (#3)

2010 – ''Live at the Troubadour'' (with James Taylor) (#4)

U.S. Billboard Top 10 'Pop' Singles

1971 – "I Feel the Earth Move" (#1)

1971 – "It's Too Late" (#1)

1971 – "Sweet Seasons" (#9)

1974 – "Jazzman" (#2)

1974 – "Nightingale" (#9)

Albums and singles certifications

!Song title	!Certification
"It's Too Late"	Gold
!Album title	!Certification
''Tapestry''	Diamond
''Carole King: Music''	Platinum
''Rhymes and Reasons''	Gold
''Fantasy''	Gold
''Wrap Around Joy''	Gold
''Thoroughbred''	Gold
''Simple Things''	Gold
''Live at the Troubadour''	Gold

See also

List of songwriter tandems

References

External links

www.caroleking.com

Articles on Carole King

Rachel Louis Snyder on Carole King, ''Salon,'' June 19, 1999

Franck Scheck on Carole King, ''Hollywood Reporter,'' July 15, 2005

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:A&M; Records artists Category:American female pop singers Category:American pop pianists Category:American singer-songwriters Category:E1 Music artists Category:Female rock singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jewish American composers and songwriters Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Long Island Category:People from West Orange, New Jersey Category:Queens College, City University of New York alumni Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees

an:Carole King da:Carole King de:Carole King es:Carole King fr:Carole King gl:Carole King ko:캐롤 킹 io:Carole King it:Carole King he:קרול קינג nl:Carole King ja:キャロル・キング no:Carole King pl:Carole King pt:Carole King ru:Кинг, Кэрол sc:Carole King simple:Carole King fi:Carole King sv:Carole King tl:Carole King th:คาโรล คิง zh:卡洛爾·金

Name	Neil Sedaka
Background	solo_singer
Born	March 13, 1939
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Instrument	Vocals, Multiple instruments
Genre	Pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, record producer
Years active	1955–present
Label	RCA Victor Records, MGM Records, Polydor Records, Rocket Records, Elektra Records, Neil Sedaka Music, Razor & Tie Records
Website	www.neilsedaka.com }}

Neil Sedaka (born March 13, 1939) is an American pop singer, pianist, and songwriter. His career has spanned over 50 years, during which time he has written many songs for himself and others, often working with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody.

Early life: Juilliard and The Brill Building

Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Mac Sedaka, a taxi driver, was of Sephardic Turkish-Jewish descent. ("Sedaka" is a variant of tzedaka, which translates in both Hebrew and Arabic as the word ''charity''). Sedaka's mother, Eleanor Appel Sedaka, was of Polish-Russian Jewish descent (or generally referred to as Ashkenazi-Jewish descent). He grew up in an apartment in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Sedaka is the cousin of singer Eydie Gormé, who retired from her professional career in 2009; her husband and former music duo partner, Steve Lawrence, continues to perform as a solo act.

Sedaka demonstrated musical aptitude in his second-grade choral class, and when his teacher sent a note home suggesting he take piano lessons, his mother took a part-time job in an Abraham & Straus department store for six months to pay for a second-hand upright. He took to the instrument immediately. In 1947, he auditioned successfully for a piano scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music's Preparatory Division for Children, which he attended on Saturdays. It was his mother's dream for him to become a renowned classical pianist such as the contemporary of the day, Van Cliburn. But although he practiced faithfully, another type of music was becoming a distraction.

He was discovering pop music, and when he was 13, a neighbor heard him playing and introduced him to her 16-year-old son, Howard Greenfield, an aspiring poet and lyricist. They became two of the legendary Brill Building's composers, often remembered with the Tin Pan Alley music of the early 20th century. But as many people don't know, there were technically ''two'' "Brill Buildings" — the regal original located at 1619 Broadway at 49th Street in Manhattan, and a second building that also took on the moniker of a "Brill Building," located at 1650 Broadway at 51st Street, unofficially referred to as "Allegro Studios." It was at this second location, at music titan Don Kirshner's Aldon Music, from where many of the biggest hits of the late 1950s, well into the late '70s and beyond, were composed. In this 1½-block stretch of Broadway, the "Brill Building Sound" was brought forth, all with legendary composers working within roughly the same decade: Burt Bacharach & Hal David; Boyce & Hart; Neil Diamond; Carole King & Gerry Goffin; Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry; Leiber & Stoller; Laura Nyro; Paul Simon (working solely as a songwriter during this period); and Phil Spector. This is just a small list of the contemporaries that Sedaka and Greenfield worked among in the "Brill Building Sound"; they worked for Kirshner at Aldon Music, but routinely interacted with songwriters such as these and many more in the Brill music-block area.

They wrote songs together throughout much of their young lives, with Sedaka going on to being a major teen pop star and the pair also writing hits for a litany of other artists as well as for Sedaka's own career. However, when The Beatles and the British Invasion took American music in a wildly different direction, Sedaka was left without a recording career and decided a major change in his life was necessary, moving his family to the UK in the early 1970s. They mutually agreed that their partnership reached an end with "Our Last Song Together," and Sedaka began a new, highly successful composing partnership with British lyricist Phil Cody. After Sedaka returned to the US, however, the Sedaka/Greenfield team would eventually be reunified and continue until Greenfield's death in 1986.

Early career

Rise to Fame

After graduating from Lincoln High School, Sedaka and some of his classmates formed a band called The Tokens. The band had minor regional hits with songs like "While I Dream," "I Love My Baby," "Come Back Joe," and "Don't Go," before Sedaka launched out on his own in 1957. However, after a few personnel changes, in 1961, The Tokens would hit #1 on the ''Billboard'' pop charts with the international smash "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Meanwhile, the very young Sedaka's first three solo singles, "Laura Lee," "Ring-a-Rockin'," and "Oh, Delilah!" failed to become hits (although "Ring-a-Rockin'" earned him the first of many appearances on Dick Clark's ''American Bandstand''). But they demonstrated his ability to perform as a solo singer, so RCA Victor signed him to a recording contract.

His first single for RCA, "The Diary," a song that he had previously offered to Little Anthony and the Imperials, reached #14 on the Billboard charts for Sedaka in 1958. His second single, "I Go Ape," was a modest success at #42, and his third single, "Crying My Heart Out for You," was a flop at #111 (although it went to #6 on the pop charts in Italy). Desperate for another hit, he bought several hit singles and listened to them repeatedly, studying the song structure, chord progressions, lyrics and harmonies — and he discovered that the hit songs of the day all shared the same basic musical anatomy. Armed with his newfound arsenal of musical knowledge, he set out to craft his next big hit song, and he promptly did exactly that: "Oh! Carol" delivered Sedaka his first domestic Top 10 hit, reaching #9 on the Hot 100 in 1959 and going to #1 on the Italian pop charts in 1960, giving Sedaka his first #1 ranking. The song was dedicated to his then-girlfriend, Carole King, a fellow Brill Building composer and rising pop star of her own. King would respond with her own novelty song, "Oh! Neil" later that year.

After establishing himself in 1958, Sedaka kept churning out new hits from 1960 to 1962. His flow of Top 30 hits during this period included: "Stairway to Heaven" (#9, 1960); "You Mean Everything to Me" (#17, 1960); "Run, Samson, Run" (#27, 1960); "Calendar Girl" (#4, 1961); "Little Devil" (#11, 1961); "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" (#6, 1961); his signature song, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" (#1, 1962), "Next Door to an Angel" (#5, 1962); Singles not making the Top 30 during this time period included "Sweet Little You" (#59, 1961) and "King of Clowns" (#45, 1962). RCA issued four LPs in the US and Britain of his works during this period, and also produced ''Scopitone'' and ''Cinebox'' videos of "Calendar Girl" in 1961, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in 1962, and "The Dreamer" in 1963. He made regular appearances on such TV programs as ''American Bandstand'' and ''Shindig'' during this period.

Writing for other performers

Connie Francis

When Sedaka was not recording his own songs, he and Howard Greenfield were writing for other performers, most notably in their earliest days Connie Francis. As Francis explains at her concerts, she began searching for a new hit after her 1958 single "Who's Sorry Now?" She was introduced to Sedaka and Greenfield, who played every ballad they had written for her. Francis began writing in her diary while the two played the last of their songs. After they finished, Francis told them they wrote beautiful ballads but that they were too intellectual for the young generation. Sedaka suggested to Greenfield a song they had written that morning for a girl group. Greenfield protested because the song had been promised to the girl group, but Sedaka insisted on playing "Stupid Cupid." Francis told them they had just played her new hit. Francis' song reached #14 on the Billboard charts.

While Francis was writing in her diary, Sedaka asked her if he could read what she had written. After she refused, Sedaka was inspired to write "The Diary," his own first hit single. Sedaka and Greenfield wrote many of Connie Francis' hits, such as "Fallin'" and the "Theme from ''Where the Boys Are''," the film in which she starred. Although the latter hit the Top 5 on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart and Francis had several #1 singles, "''Where the Boys Are''" eventually became her signature song.

Jimmy Clanton

Sedaka and Greenfield also wrote some of Jimmy Clanton's hits, such as "Another Sleepless Night," "What Am I Gonna Do?" and "All the Words in the World." Sedaka himself recorded each of these three songs: "Another Sleepless Night" appears on his ''Rock With Sedaka'' debut album; "What Am I Gonna Do?" was the B-side of "Going Home to Mary Lou" and appeared on his 1961 album ''Neil Sedaka Sings "Little Devil" and His Other Hits''; and "All the Words in the World" was recorded but was kept in the RCA vaults until 1977, at the height of Sedaka's return to popularity, when it was released on the album ''Neil Sedaka: The '50s and '60s''.

Foreign-language recordings

Neil Sedaka was very popular in Italy. Many of his English-language records were released there and proved quite successful, especially "Crying My Heart Out For You" (Italian #6, 1959) and "Oh! Carol" (Italian #1, 1960).

In 1961, Sedaka began to record some of his hits in Italian, starting with "Esagerata" and "Un Giorno Inutile", local versions of "Little Devil" and "I Must Be Dreaming". Other recordings were to follow, such as "Tu Non Lo Sai" ("Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"), "Il Re Dei Pagliacci" ("King of Clowns"), "I Tuoi Capricci" ("Look Inside Your Heart"), and "La Terza Luna" ("Waiting For Never"). "La Terza Luna" reached #1 on the Italian pop charts in April 1963. ''Cinebox'' videos exist for "La Terza Luna" and "I Tuoi Capricci". From a language standpoint, his recordings in Italian were flawless, with very little American accent, and most pronunciations were spotless. RCA Victor's Italiana office distributed his records in Italy and released three compilation LPs of Sedaka's Italian recordings.

Sedaka also recorded in Spanish, German, Hebrew, and Japanese. He enjoyed popularity in Latin America for his Spanish-language recordings. Many of these were pressed onto 78 rpm discs.

The Mid-1960s and The British Invasion

Neil Sedaka would find that 1962 would provide him with one of his career's most important years, as "Next Door to an Angel" would make the Top 5, and this period's defining hit, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do," would hit #1. But after 1962, Sedaka would find that his popularity had begun to wane. While 1963 singles "Alice In Wonderland" (#17), "Let's Go Steady Again" (#26), and "Bad Girl" (#33) all managed to hit the Top 40, "The Dreamer" (#47) did not, and, in fact, it would be more than another decade before Sedaka would see one of his singles hit the Top 10 again. After the release of "Bad Girl," Sedaka's career went into a sharp decline, hastened by The Beatles' arrival on the radio and especially their much-hyped February 1964 appearance on CBS' ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and the rest of the so-called "British Invasion." When describing The Beatles' effect on his career in the mid-'60s, he puts it brusquely: "The Beatles — not good!" This negative effect is seen in the fact that, from 1964-66, only three of his singles even made it onto the Hot 100 at all: "Sunny" (#86, 1964), "The World Through a Tear" (#76, 1965), and "The Answer to My Prayer" (#89, 1965).

The ultimate insult came in the summer of 1964 when, after Sedaka had recorded the entire orchestration including himself on the piano and backing vocals along with a set of female backing vocals, he would hear what would go on to be the third Top 10 hit for rising star Gene Pitney with "It Hurts to Be in Love." Everything sounded very eerily the same to Neil...all except the man singing the song. By then, with the British Invasion already underway and RCA Victor clearly not pleased with Sedaka's recent declining performance on the record charts, the fact that Sedaka did not record the master recording track of the song in one of RCA's own studios — a well-understood requirement under the terms of his recording contract — RCA refused to accept Sedaka's radio-ready master recording, neither producing and distributing the single at retail nor promoting the song at major radio markets. Allegedly Sedaka was particularly angry about RCA's decision to let this song go, especially since it had been all of Neil's work, and he was convinced that it would be his "comeback" song (even though he had #1 and #5 singles less than two years earlier; output in the early '60s was demanding). As it turned out, his premonition was correct. Pitney was also eager for a hit single after a lengthy (by 1960s standards) dry spell, and since Gene had a similar, high-tenor vocal range to Neil's, the newly-available acquisition of Sedaka's master track of "It Hurts to Be in Love" allowed Pitney and his record label, Musicor, a perfect opportunity to recharge his own career. The only thing needed to do was to remove Sedaka's lead vocal track and replace it with Pitney's. Both Sedaka's original piano and backing vocals remained exactly intact, along with the female backing vocals. Discerning listeners can clearly hear Sedaka's backing vocals on the original version. Once Pitney's "Sedaka version" of the single was out and was a hit, he and his record company recorded new, alternate versions of "It Hurts to Be in Love," especially varying the drum tracks. But the main issue was to not let Pitney's popularity wane, so by issuing Sedaka's version with Pitney's vocal as quickly as possible, Pitney hit the Top 10, and the objective was achieved.

The same, however, could not be said for Neil Sedaka. When his contract with RCA expired at the end of 1966, RCA chose not to renew it, leaving Sedaka without a record label.

Although Sedaka's stature as a recording artist was at a low ebb in the late 1960s, he was able to maintain his career through songwriting. Thanks to the fact that his publisher, Aldon Music, was acquired by Screen Gems, two of his songs were recorded by The Monkees, and other hits in this period written by Sedaka included The Cyrkle's version of "We Had a Good Thing Goin'" and "Workin' on a Groovy Thing," a Top 40 R&B; hit for Patti Drew in 1968, and a Top 20 pop hit for The 5th Dimension in 1969. Also, "Make the Music Play" was included on Frankie Valli's charting album ''Timeless''.

On an episode of the quiz show ''I've Got a Secret'' in 1965, Sedaka's secret was that he was to represent the United States in classical piano at the 1966 Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, and he made quite an impression on the panelists with his bravura performance of Frederic Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu" on the show. Prior to his piano performance, panelist Henry Morgan challenged Sedaka with the fact that the Soviet bureaucracy despises — and, in fact, outlaws — rock 'n' roll music and that any Western music that young Russians have was by underground smuggling. This exchange continued before the panel learned that Sedaka was to represent the USA at the Tchaikovsky classical piano competition, which Van Cliburn had won in 1958. Unfortunately, Morgan's warning turned out to be true. Despite Sedaka's classical roots, because of Sedaka's "other" life as a pop star, he was disqualified by the USSR as the U.S.' entrant for the competition.

Sedaka also made an appearance in the 1968 movie ''Playgirl Killer'', with a scene of him performing a song called "The Waterbug."

The late 1960s to early '70s

Sedaka worked to revive his solo career in the early 1970s. Despite his waning chart appeal in the USA in the late 1960s, he remained very popular as a concert attraction, notably in the UK and Australia. Years later he thanked Bob Rogers and Australia for standing by him. "... You know, Bob, in my lean years — I called them ''The Hungry Years'' — it was Bob Rogers and Australia who welcomed me." He made several trips to Australia to play cabaret dates, and his commercial comeback began when the single "Star-Crossed Lovers" became a major hit there. The song went to #5 nationally in April 1969 — giving Sedaka his first charting single anywhere in four years. It also came in at #5 in ''Go-Set'' magazine's list of the Top 40 Australian singles of 1969.

Later that year, with the support of Festival Records, he recorded a new LP of original material entitled ''Workin' on a Groovy Thing'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''Sounds of Sedaka'') at Festival Studios in Sydney. It was co-produced by Festival staff producer Pat Aulton, with arrangements by John Farrar (who later achieved international fame for his work with Olivia Newton-John) and backing by Australian session musicians including guitarist Jimmy Doyle (Ayers Rock) and noted jazz musician-composer John Sangster.

The single lifted from the album, "Wheeling, West Virginia," reached #20 in Australia in early 1970. The LP is also notable because it was Sedaka's first album to include collaborations with writers other than longtime lyricist Howard Greenfield; the title track featured lyrics by Roger Atkins and four other songs were co-written with Carole Bayer Sager, who subsequently embarked on an enormously successful collaboration songwriting with Aussie expat singer-songwriter Peter Allen, who would become known as "The Boy from Oz" in addition to being married to Liza Minnelli and having the incomparable Judy Garland for a mother-in-law.

In 1971, Sedaka released the ''Emergence''. Singles from that album included "I'm A Song (Sing Me)," "Silent Movies," "Superbird," and "Rosemary Blue." ''Emergence'' and the next year's ''Solitaire'' album were both released on the RCA Victor label, marking a short-lived reunion between Sedaka and RCA. Good friend and New York music impresario Don Kirshner attempted to make the U.S. release of ''Emergence'' a comeback for Sedaka, but the album and single releases had no appreciable success. After the failure of ''Emergence'' in the U.S., Sedaka left his hometown of New York and moved his family to the UK.

In 1972, Sedaka embarked on a successful English tour and in June recorded the ''Solitaire'' album at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, working with the four future members of 10cc (best known to American audiophiles for "I'm Not in Love" and "The Things We Do for Love"). As well as the title track, which was successfully covered by Andy Williams (UK Top 5 singles chart) and The Carpenters (US Top 20), it included two UK Top 40 singles, including "Beautiful You," which also charted briefly in America, Sedaka's first US chart appearance in ten years; but its minor performance did little to generate interest in restarting Sedaka's career.

The mid- to late 1970s

A year later he reconvened with the Strawberry team, who had by then charted with their own debut ''10cc'' album, to record ''The Tra-La Days Are Over'' for MGM Records, which started the second phase of his career and included his original version of the hit song "Love Will Keep Us Together" (also a US #1 hit two years later for The Captain & Tennille). This album also marked the effective end of his writing partnership with Greenfield, commemorated by the track "Our Last Song Together." They would reunite, however, and begin composing together again before Greenfield's death in 1986. From 1974 onward, Sedaka's records were issued in Europe and around the world on the Polydor label. His first album of new material with Polydor was ''Laughter in the Rain''.

In the US, Sedaka's records were issued first on the Rocket label from 1974–77 and on the Elektra label from 1977-81. It was Sedaka's association with Rocket Records that helped resurrect his career in the States, for Elton John signed Sedaka to Rocket Records upon discovering that Sedaka had no formal U.S. recording contract. "We couldn't believe our luck," John remembered in Elizabeth Rosenthal's "His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John." Sedaka returned to the U.S. album charts with the release of ''Sedaka's Back'', a compilation of songs from three British albums he had already recorded in Britain, namely "Solitaire," "The Tra-La Days Are Over," and "Laughter In The Rain." It was only the second Sedaka album ever to chart in the U.S. Sedaka was known principally as a singles artist to that point, his only other American charting album being "Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits," a compilation of his early singles, according to Rosenthal's research.

Although the single was released in the autumn of 1974 and was slow in building, eventually Sedaka found himself once again topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles charts with "Laughter in the Rain" in early 1975. One of Sedaka's most well-received compositions during this period was the second single, "The Immigrant" (US pop #22, US AC #1). Critics hailed its beautiful orchestration and evocative lyrics: wistful, nostalgic, and no doubt enhanced and embellished by both pride and disillusion with the state of affairs in the contemporary life in the nation in which Sedaka was raised. It was at one time welcoming of strangers from afar, willing to allow emigrants from faraway lands to enter our shores as immigrants, being allowed to try to find a place in that new home of their dreams – possibly not necessarily as perfect as initially hoped – but still the great land called America.

But it was also was a protest ode dedicated to his friend (ironically, a former Beatle who had shooed him across the Atlantic in the opposite direction), John Lennon. The U.S. Government was repeatedly denying him permanent resident status. Eventually, he did receive that request, only to be assassinated by a deranged fan's bullet in Sedaka's own hometown of New York City, slightly more than five years after this song was on the charts and the radio. The third consecutive Billboard Top 25 hit from ''Sedaka's Back'' was the uptempo rocker "That's When the Music Takes Me" (US pop #25, US AC #7). This song was a rarity at the time as it was one of the few songs Sedaka wrote by himself, without a collaborator. It remains today his standard curtain-call concert closer.

Sedaka and Greenfield co-wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together," a No. 1 hit for The Captain & Tennille and the biggest hit for the entire year of 1975. Toni Tennille paid tribute to Sedaka's welcome return to music-business success with her ad lib of "Sedaka is back" in the outro while she was laying down her own background vocals for the track. "Captain" Daryl Dragon and Toni also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song the same year that cracked the top half of ''Billboard'''s Hot 100 chart ("Por Amor Viviremos," US pop #49).

In 1975, Sedaka was the opening act for The Carpenters on their world tour. According to ''The Carpenters: The Untold Story'' by Ray Coleman, manager Sherwin Bash fired Sedaka at the request of Richard Carpenter, allegedly because Sedaka was becoming more popular than the Carpenters. The firing resulted in a media backlash against The Carpenters after Sedaka publicly announced he was off the tour. This, however, was before Karen and Richard recorded Sedaka's "Solitaire" which became a Top 20 hit for the duo. Richard Carpenter denied that he fired Sedaka for "stealing their show", stating they were proud of Sedaka's success. However, Bash was fired as The Carpenters' manager a short time after.

In late 1975, Sedaka earned more chart success with the release of his second Rocket album, ''The Hungry Years''. This album was an American edition of Sedaka's British Polydor album "Overnight Success". Near the close of 1975 and lasting into early 1976, Sedaka would have another big single with "Bad Blood". The song stayed at #1 for three weeks and was certified Gold^® by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the most individual commercially successful single of his career. Elton John provided uncredited backing vocals for "Bad Blood" and has been credited by Sedaka as being responsible for his breakthrough back into the US pop music scene.

Another highlight from "The Hungry Years" was Sedaka's new version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." His 1962 original, a #1 hit single, was an upbeat pop song, while the remake was a ballad, based on a similar arrangement used by Lenny Welch when he recorded a version of it in 1970. Sedaka's ballad version hit #8 on the Hot 100 in early 1976, making him the only artist to ever record entirely reworked and rearranged versions of the same song to reach the Top 10 by the same artist. Sedaka's second version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in 1976. The same year, Elvis Presley recorded the Sedaka song "Solitaire". This was followed by Sedaka's Top 20 hit "Love in the Shadows", also from 1976.

Later in 1976, Sedaka released a second (and final) collaboration with Elton John, with Elton once again on uncredited backing vocals on the title song to Sedaka's third and final Rocket album "Steppin' Out". While it would crack the Hot 100's Top 40, it would also signal the beginning of a slowdown in Sedaka's music sales and radio play not unlike what he experienced in 1964 when The Beatles and the "British Invasion" arrived. In this version of another fading of his music sales, it was the arrival of the disco era. In 1977, Sedaka, now with Elektra Records, released his next album "A Song" which had moderate success. While Sedaka attempted to release disco-themed music himself in the late 1970s, his album sales were weak and singles could not get a foothold on the radio. In 1980, Sedaka had his final Top 20 hit with "Should've Never Let You Go", which he recorded as a duet with his then 17-year-old daughter, Dara.

Throughout the 1970s, Sedaka's old record company, RCA, would re-issue his 1960s-era songs on several compilation LPs on the RCA Victor and RCA Camden labels, a practice which continues to this day. Sedaka also released one final album of new material with RCA, consisting of a live concert he gave in Sydney, Australia. The album was released on the RCA International label in Australia and Europe as ''Neil Sedaka on Stage'' in 1974. It saw a US release on the RCA Victor label in 1976 as ''Sedaka Live In Australia''. The songs on the album were mostly cover versions of rock and pop songs from the previous twenty-five years, such as "Proud Mary", "Everything Is Beautiful", and "The Father Of Girls." RCA and Sedaka have been at odds for decades over ownership rights over Sedaka's original master tapes from his late 1950s/early 1960s hits. RCA has released assorted repackaging of his old hits, forcing Sedaka to re-record his old hits and make them sound as close and authentic to the originals as possible.

The '80s and '90s: The struggles return

A change in record companies in the early 1980s also required him to, for the first time in his career, record cover versions of other artists' "oldies". Only two singles on two albums, spaced three years apart, managed to land on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart; none charted on the Hot 100 at all. Another duet with Dara, a remake of the Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell 1967 Top 5 smash "Your Precious Love", placed high enough on the AC chart (making the Top 15) for one final album to be released. But the second album's only release did not fare well on the AC chart, barely cracking its Top 40, and by 1985, Sedaka was once again without a recording contract. Concertgoers filled theatre seats while Sedaka created his own music label. That would assure that his catalog of hits would find the marketplace, and he released occasional CDs of self-produced new, original material.

Other successes

Ben Folds, an American pop singer, credited Sedaka on his "iTunes Originals" album as an inspiration for song publishing. Hearing Sedaka had a song published by the age of 13 gave Folds the goal of also getting a song published by his 13th birthday, despite the fact that Sedaka did not actually publish his first song until he was 16.

In 1985, songs composed by Sedaka were adapted for the Japanese anime TV series ''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam''. These included the two opening themes "Zeta - Toki wo Koete" (originally in English as "Better Days Are Coming") and "Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete" (originally in English as "For Us to Decide", but the English version was never recorded), as well as the end theme "Hoshizora no Believe" (written as "Bad and Beautiful"). Due to copyright, the songs were replaced for the North American DVD.

In 1994, Sedaka provided the voice for Neil Moussaka, a parody of himself in Food Rocks, an attraction at Epcot from 1994-2006.

A musical comedy based around the songs of Sedaka, titled ''Breaking Up Is Hard to Do'', was written in 2005 by Erik Jackson and Ben H. Winters; it is now under license to Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

A biographical musical, ''Laughter in the Rain'', produced by Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield, starring Wayne Smith as Sedaka, had its world premiere at the Churchill Theatre, in the London borough of Bromley, on 4 March 2010. Sedaka attended the opening and joined the cast onstage for an impromptu curtain call of the title song.

The 21st century: Popularity yet again, a golden honor and ''The Music of'' His ''Life''

Sedaka maintains a rigorous concert schedule in the second decade of the 21st century, in the U.S. and around the world, despite having passed the age of 70. He was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1983, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was an October 2006 inductee of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. His ardent fans have appealed for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, due to his longevity, contributions to contemporary music, and hit songwriting for himself and other artists.

''American Idol''

In May 2003, near the end of the second season of the hit Fox TV series ''American Idol'', Sedaka appeared as a guest judge and mentor to the five remaining finalists. (The "guest judge" aspect of the series has long since been discontinued.) Several of the contestants' performances from Sedaka's songbook sparked particular praise from the guest judge. One of those performances came from eventual third-place finalist Kimberley Locke, who sang the "Theme from ''Where the Boys Are''." The Sedaka/Greenfield composition was originally recorded by Connie Francis and has gone on to become her signature song. Francis also starred in the film of the same name. Sedaka termed Locke's performance "ear-licious."

Eventual Season 2 runnerup Clay Aiken chose Sedaka's 1972 song "Solitaire" for his performance. As Aiken explained to the studio and TV audiences, host Ryan Seacrest, and the four total judges, "Solitaire" had long been one of his mother's all-time favorite songs. When she learned that Sedaka was going to be a guest judge and that the finalists would be singing Sedaka's songs, she begged him to sing "Solitaire." The performance was uniformly given extraordinarily high praise by the judges (including perennial skeptic Simon Cowell), Sedaka was dissolved in tears, and he told Aiken that "Solitaire" now officially belonged to Clay, and offered to record and produce a single of the song or an entire CD with him.

Aiken signed a recording contract under 19 Entertainment, which always handles the season winner's radio/download-ready single at the conclusion of the season and then handles production of the winner's CD, which is worked on by the winner immediately after the season's conclusion and up to (and often during) the Top 10 summer tour, and then after the conclusion of the tour. (The winner of Season 2 was Ruben Studdard.) The objective is to have the CD ready for purchase or download for the holiday season. 19 Entertainment also provides management and finds recording companies for several of the best just-completed season's finalists.

Although it did not appear on his debut CD itself, Aiken recorded and added "Solitaire" as the B-side to the single "The Way," whose sales were faltering. "Solitaire" was quickly moved to the A-side, and radio airplay and single and download sales responded immediately. "Solitaire" hit #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Singles Sales chart and was, in fact, the top-selling single for all of 2004. It also hit the Top 5 on ''Billboard'''s Hot 100. Sedaka was invited back to ''American Idol'' to celebrate the success of "Solitaire" several times, as it continued to reach new milestones. Since then, Aiken has mined the Sedaka songbook again, recording a cover of probably Sedaka's best-known song, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," on the "deluxe version" of his 2010 CD release, ''Tried and True''.

Sedaka continues to be seen in the ''American Idol'' studio audience on at least an annual basis — most recently on May 19, 2011, when host Ryan Seacrest had Sedaka stand and greet the audience on-camera during Season 10's "Top 3" results show.

Guinness World Record

When Sedaka moved his family to the UK, British singer Tony Christie recorded and released the Sedaka/Greenfield composition "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?" in 1971. The song did relatively well on the UK singles chart, peaking in the Top 20. The song would lie dormant for more than three decades, when UK comic Peter Kay lip-synched the song for a 2002 video in his TV series ''Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights''. Three years later, for the 2005 annual Comic Relief charity drive, he solicited a number of celebrity friends of his and updated the video, and it became an enormous hit. The original 1971 Tony Christie single was re-released to radio and CD/download sales, and hit #1 for seven weeks and was the biggest hit in Britain for all of 2005. When interviewed for an "extras" feature for a DVD set of a concert filmed in London on 7 April 2006 (see below), Neil jokingly had heard that Christie had retired and was "golfing in Spain." The sudden revival of "Amarillo" summoned Christie back to the UK for an unexpected return to fame. Sedaka also released the song in the U.S. in 1977 as the shortened "Amarillo," but it was only a mid-chart entry, peaking just shy of the Top 40. In early 2006, the song received new life yet again when it received a dance beat and revised lyrics to become a novelty hit for the UK team's FIFA World Cup finals with "Is This the Way to the (England) World Cup?" It was used yet again later that summer by the Central Band of the Royal British Legion prior to the Men's Finals of the 2006 Wimbledon tennis tournament.

On 7 April 2006, Sedaka was appearing at the Royal Albert Hall and filming for the above-referenced CD/DVD package, when he was interrupted mid-concert by a gentleman who walked onstage from the wings. The planned scenario was that Sedaka was to begin performing "Amarillo," and after one verse, the audience was to be surprised by the appearance of Christie for an eventual duet. But at the interruption, a seemingly annoyed Sedaka asked, "What is this?" As Sedaka would soon learn, the interloper was a representative from Guinness Records, and he was there to present Sedaka with an award from ''Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums'' for composing "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?," the most successful UK single of the 21st century (up to that date, of course). (Sedaka's co-composer, Howard Greenfield, had passed away in 1986.) By all indications, the award presentation was indeed a surprise, and certainly a welcome one. Sedaka genuinely seemed bewildered by the sudden appearance of the Guinness representative from the wings (especially since Christie was due to appear from the opposite side of the stage, and not for at least 90 seconds). After the presentation, Sedaka proceeded into "Amarillo," Christie entered onstage to an eruption of cheers from the audience, and after the successful duet performance, the two men walked offstage together as the first half of Sedaka's concert came to a close – with the entertainer the latest recipient of a new Guinness World Record.

New recording contract, new chart success

Since Sedaka had lost his recording contract in the mid-1980s, he had used his own business, 'Neil Sedaka Music,' to finance the recording, production, and distribution of new CDs and repackaging of his existing catalog of music. Because of ongoing disputes with RCA Victor Records over the ownership of Sedaka's original late 1950s/early 1960s hits, in 1991, Sedaka re-recorded those early recordings, note-for-note. Sedaka had taken meticulous care of his voice over the years and still sang in the original keys recorded in his youth (and still does today). This allowed him to repackage his catalog to include both his early recordings along with his mid-to-late '70s hits and later recordings.

In early 2007, Sedaka signed his first recording contract in more than two decades with Razor and Tie Records, a small-but-growing, New York-based independent label with an talent roster that also includes Joan Baez, Vanessa Carlton, Foreigner, Joe Jackson, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The first release was ''The Definitive Collection'', a life-spanning compilation of his hits, along with outtakes and songs previously released but unavailable in CD and/or download format. It debuted in the Top 25 on ''Billboard'''s Top 200 Albums chart in May 2007, one of the highest-charting albums of his entire career. Best known as a "singles artist," this album chart activity was considered a significant comeback for the veteran entertainer. The last time Sedaka had an album on the Top 200 albums chart was in 1980, with his '79 album ''In the Pocket'' – when "Should've Never Let You Go," the 1980 duet with Sedaka and daughter Dara, was Sedaka's last Top 20 hit on the Hot 100 singles chart.

''Waking Up Is Hard to Do'' was Sedaka's next release with Razor and Tie, hitting the albums chart in May 2009. The CD was a children's album that used the melodies of many of Sedaka's best-known songs but changed the lyrics to fit, and hopefully have fun with, the everyday lives of babies and toddlers, along with their parents, grandparents, babysitters, and other caregivers. The CD title is an example. Lastly, ''The Music of My Life'' entered the albums chart in February 2010 and comprised almost all new material. The first track, "Do You Remember?" was produced by music producer, composer, and pianist David Foster. "Right or Wrong," co-written with original music partner Howard Greenfield, was done in traditional street-corner, layered doo-wop vocal harmonies with Sedaka overlaying his own voice to achieve the effect for which he was well known in his "early" heyday of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The final track, "You", has been previously released, but was remastered for this project. Neil Sedaka Music continues to be listed as co-producer along with Razor and Tie.

A concert performance on 26 October 2007 at the Lincoln Center in New York City paid homage to the 50th anniversary of Sedaka's debut in show business. Music impresario (and producer for ''The Music of My Life'' track "Do You Remember?") David Foster served as emcee. Other guests included The Captain and Tennille; Natalie Cole; Connie Francis; recording legend and decades-long Sedaka friend and former manager Don Kirshner; and new ''Solitaire'' "owner" Clay Aiken, amongst many others.

During his 2008 Australian tour, Sedaka premiered a new classical orchestral composition entitled "Joie de Vivre (Joy of Life)." Sedaka also toured The Philippines for his May 17, 2008 concert at the Araneta Coliseum.

In early 2010, his original uptempo version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (performed by a group of uncredited singers) was being heard as the impetus for a series of insurance TV commercials, featuring actor Dennis Haysbert assuring that TV viewers not insured by Allstate ''can'' break up with their current insurer without much ado at all.

On September 11, 2010, Sedaka performed to a public and TV audience at the Hyde Park, London, venue of the "Proms in the Park" for the BBC. The UK continues to be probably Sedaka's most welcoming nation, and has been since first moving his family there (temporarily) four decades ago. The irony of the place whose music scuttled his "first" career, namely The Beatles and the British Invasion, and yet has constantly welcomed him with open arms for more than 40 years, is not lost on him, he has stated in many interviews. Indeed, it was his work with the musicians who would, in a few years, become the hit-making group 10cc that brought him back to the U.S. as a major star with #1 hits and a number of other major Top 40 singles. The UK always takes up a major portion of Sedaka's touring year in the 21st century.

In early 2011, Sedaka recorded two duets (''Brighton'' and ''The Immigrant'') with the singer Jim Van Slyke for his Neil Sedaka tribute album,''The Sedaka Sessions.'' LML Records released this album in August of 2011.

Personal life

Sedaka attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, graduating in 1956. He has been married to his wife, Leba (Strassberg), since 1962. They have two children: a daughter, Dara, a recording artist and vocalist for television and radio commercials (who sang the female part on the Sedaka duet "Should've Never Let You Go"), and a son, Marc, a screenwriter who lives in Los Angeles with his wife Samantha and three children.

Pop culture references

In the ''Friends'' episode "The One With the Two Parties," Ross says that he is wearing the same eyeglass frames as Neil Sedaka.

In the lyrics to mini-opera "Billy the Mountain," on the album ''Just Another Band from L.A.'' by Frank Zappa and The Mothers, it is alleged that Studabacher Hoch "could sing like Neil Sedaka."

In the ''Boy Meets World'' episode "Killer Bees," Alan Matthews is being sarcastic when he says he could not find tickets to the Neil Sedaka concert.

In the ''That '70s Show'' first season episode "Career Day," there is a scene featuring Kitty and Eric in the car, and Fez and Hyde's mother in the lunchroom, singing along to "Bad Blood" while it's playing on the radio.

The indie compilation album ''Young Savage Florida'' contains a cover of "Stupid Cupid" by The Vodkats.

Sedaka appeared on an episode of ''King Of Queens'' entitled "Sandwiched Out" in 2005. On a different episode of ''King Of Queens'', Deacon sings karaoke to "Laughter In The Rain."

On the Canadian sketch comedy show ''Second City Television'', Eugene Levy portrays Sedaka during a sketch entitled 'Farm Film Report Celebrity Blowup.' The sketch also features John Candy and Joe Flaherty who make references to Sedaka's career and then watch as he explodes while performing.

Discography

Filmography

1968 - ''Playgirl Killer''

Autobiography

''Laughter in the Rain: My Own Story''. New York: Putnam 1982. ISBN 0-399-12744-5

References

Sources

Bloom, Ken. ''American song. The Complete musical Theater Companion. 1877–1995'', vol. 2, 2nd edition, Schirmer Books, 1996.

Clarke, Donald. ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Viking, 1989.

Ewen, David. ''American Songwriters. An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary'', H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.

diMartino, Dave. ''Singer-Songwriters, Pop Music's Performer-Composers, from A to Zevon'', Billboard Books, 1984.

Friedrich, Gary; Brown, Len. ''Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', Tower Publications, 1970.

Lablanc, Michael. ''Contemporary Musicians'', vol. 4, Gale Research, 1991.

Larkin, Colin. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Macmillan, 1992.

Lyman, Darryl. ''Great Jews in Music'', J. D. Publishers, 1986.

Sadie, Stanley; Hitchcock, H. Wiley (Ed.). ''The New Grove Dictionary of American Music''. Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1986.

Stambler, Irwin. ''Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul'', St. Martin's Press, 1974.

Sumrall, Harry. ''Pioneers of Rock and Roll. 100 Artists Who Changed the Face of Rock'', Billboard Books, 1994.

White, Mark. ''You Must Remember This ... Popular Songwriters 1900-1980'', Frederick Warner, 1983.

External links

Neil Sedaka's official site

Neil Sedaka For Fans

Petition: Send Neil Sedaka to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

The Neil Sedaka videos

Neil Sedaka's Biography by Michael Turner

The Neil Sedaka Appreciation Society

Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn, New York) alumni Category:Jewish American composers and songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American pop pianists Category:People from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn Category:American male singers Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:American people of Turkish descent Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:People from New York City Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Turkish Jews Category:Rocket Records artists

an:Neil Sedaka ast:Neil Sedaka bg:Нийл Седака da:Neil Sedaka de:Neil Sedaka es:Neil Sedaka fr:Neil Sedaka gl:Neil Sedaka it:Neil Sedaka he:ניל סדקה hu:Neil Sedaka nl:Neil Sedaka ja:ニール・セダカ pl:Neil Sedaka pt:Neil Sedaka ru:Седака, Нил sk:Neil Sedaka fi:Neil Sedaka sv:Neil Sedaka tr:Neil Sedaka zh:尼尔·萨达卡

name	Don Kirshner
birth name	Donald Kirshner
birth place	Bronx, New York, U.S.A.
death place	Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A.
occupation	Songwriter, publisher, music producer, manager
years active	1950s – 2011
spouse	Sheila Grod Kirshner (1959–2011)
children	2
othername	}}

Don Kirshner (April 17, 1934 – January 17, 2011), known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees and The Archies.

Early life

Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor, and Belle Jaffe in The Bronx, New York. He attended the Bronx High School of Science (classmate of Bobby Darin), and Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey.

Aldon Music

Kirshner achieved his first major success in the late 1950s and early 1960s as co-owner of the influential New York-based publishing company Aldon Music with partner Al Nevins, which had under contract at various times several of the most important songwriters of the so-called "Brill Building" school, including Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Jack Keller.

As a producer-promoter, Kirshner was influential in starting off the career of singers and songwriters, including Bobby Darin, (with whom he collaborated on a number of advertising jingles and pop ditties, their first was called "Bubblegum Pop"), Neil Diamond, Carole King, and Sarah Dash of Labelle, as well as discovering the occasional rock act such as Kansas.

Don Kirshner's record labels

Kirshner also had three record labels. The first was Chairman Records, a subsidiary of London Records. Although he was responsible for scores of hits in the 1960s, he was only to have one on the Chairman label, 1963's "Martian Hop" by The Ran-Dells, which reached #16 nationally. Kirshner later had two other record labels, Calendar, which had early hits by The Archies and the Kirshner label, which had later hits by The Archies and Kansas. Calendar/Kirshner recordings were first distributed by RCA Records, then CBS Records. He was also involved in Dimension Records.

The Monkees

In the early 1960s, Kirshner was a successful music publisher as head of his own company, Aldon Music, with Al Nevins, bringing performers such as Bobby Darin together with songwriters and musicians.

Kirshner was hired by the producers of The Monkees to provide hitworthy songs to accompany the television program, within a demanding schedule. Kirshner quickly corralled songwriting talent from his Brill Building stable of writers and musicians to create catchy, engaging tracks which the band could pretend to perform on the show.

This move was not because of any lack of Monkee talent — Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were already experienced musicians, and Davy Jones was an established musical performer; but as a working band they had little experience, and Micky Dolenz was completely new to drums — but to churn out ready-to-go recordings to give each new episode its own song. Each Monkee was retained for vocal duties, but they were not allowed to play on the records.

The formula worked phenomenally well: singles "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer"; the first two Monkees albums were produced and released in time to catch the initial wave of the television program's popularity. Future Taj Mahal and John Lennon guitarist Jesse Ed Davis sat in on guitar. After a year, the Monkees wanted another chance to all play their own instruments on the records. They also wanted additional oversight into which songs would be released as singles. Further, when word belatedly came out that the band had not played on the first season's songs, a controversy arose, and the public expressed a desire to hear the television stars perform their own music.

The matter reached a breaking point over a disagreement regarding the Neil Diamond-penned "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" in early 1967. The song, released by Kirshner as a single without Columbia Pictures' consent, led to his dismissal. The initial B-side was replaced with a Nesmith song, performed by the Monkees, and they performed on the next year's recordings, featured in the show's second season. Monkees record sales dropped by nearly half after Kirshner's departure.

Kirshner's later venture was The Archies, an animated series where there were only the studio musicians to be managed.

''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert''

In the fall of 1972, Kirshner was asked by ABC Television to serve as executive producer and "creative consultant" for their new "In Concert" series, which aired every other week in the 11:30 p.m. slot normally showing ''The Dick Cavett Show''. The following September, Kirshner left "In Concert" to produce and host his own syndicated weekly rock-concert program called ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert''. With its long-form live performances, as compared to rehearsed, often lip-synced performances that were the staple of earlier television shows like ''Shindig!'', it was a new direction for pop music presentation. The last show aired in 1981, the year that MTV was launched.

The program presented many of the most successful rock bands of the era, but what was consistent week-to-week was Kirshner's deliberately flat delivery as the program host. In its final season ''Rock Concert'' was mostly hosted by Kirshner's son and daughter, whose delivery was the same as their father's.

Kirshner's wooden presentation style was later lampooned on ''Saturday Night Live'' by Paul Shaffer, most notably in Shaffer's introduction of the Blues Brothers during the duo's television debut. Shaffer and Kirshner worked together on the short-lived situation comedy, ''A Year at the Top'', which Kirshner co-produced with Norman Lear, and in which Shaffer starred.

In the Blue Öyster Cult song "The Marshall Plan", from the album ''Cultösaurus Erectus'', Don Kirshner's voice is sampled to introduce the fictitious Johnny: "This is Don Kirshner. And tonight on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, a new phenomenon in the music world — with six million albums to his credit in just two short years, my good friend, here's Johnny!"

Later career

Kirshner received the 2007 Songwriters Hall of Fame Abe Olman Publishing Award. He was a creative consultant for Rockrena, a company founded by Jack Wishna, launching in 2011, to promote new music talent online. He died of heart failure in a Boca Raton, Florida hospital on January 17, 2011, at age 76, survived by his wife of 50 years, Sheila, his two sons and five grandchildren.

References

External links

IMDb: Don Kirshner Productions Company profile

"Return of The Hit Man: On Music Legend Don Kirshner's To-Do List: Become Global Mogul". David Segal. ''The Washington Post''. December 20, 2004.

"Don Kirshner and Aldon Music". History of Rock

Don Kirshner Official Website

Category:1934 births Category:2011 deaths Category:American record producers Category:American Jews Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in Florida Category:Deaths from heart failure Category:People from Florida Category:People from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:The Monkees

da:Don Kirshner de:Don Kirshner fr:Don Kirshner pt:Don Kirshner

Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1940, New York) is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann.

Weil was trained as an actress and dancer but soon demonstrated a songwriting ability that led to her collaboration with Barry Mann whom she would marry in August, 1961. At the ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria, which was telecast on the Fuse TV cable network, songwriter Carole King inducted Mann and Weil and other songwriting colleagues from the 1950s and early 1960s, including Ellie Greenwich (posthumously) and Jeff Barry, Otis Blackwell (posthumously), Mort Shuman, and Jesse Stone (posthumously). "From the bottom of my heart and with the greatest humility," Ms. Weil said in her acceptance. "I thought you guys would never ask." Eric Burdon of The Animals and Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes performed at the ceremony. In 2011 Mann and Weil received the Johnny Mercer Award -- the highest honor from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Songs written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

"A World of Our Own" - Closing theme song from ''Return to the Blue Lagoon'' - Surface

"Black Butterfly" - Deniece Williams

"Blame It on the Bossa Nova" – Eydie Gormé

"Christmas Vacation" - Title song for the movie of the same name

"Don't Know Much" – Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt (also, earlier, Bill Medley and Bette Midler)

"He's Sure the Boy I Love" – The Crystals

"Here You Come Again" – Dolly Parton

"Hungry" - Paul Revere & the Raiders

"I Just Can't Help Believing" – B. J. Thomas, Elvis Presley

"I'm Gonna Be Strong" – Gene Pitney and covered by Cyndi Lauper

"I Will Come to You" - Hanson

"Just a Little Lovin' (Early in the Morning)" - Dusty Springfield, Carmen McRae, Barbra Streisand, Billy Eckstine, Bobby Vinton

"Just Once" - James Ingram with Quincy Jones

"Kicks" – Paul Revere & the Raiders

"Let Me In" (Rick Derringer/Cynthia Weil) - Derringer

"Looking Through the Eyes of Love" - Gene Pitney, Marlena Shaw

"Love Doesn't Ask Why" - co-written with Phil Galdston. Recorded by Celine Dion.

"Love is Only Sleeping" - The Monkees

"Magic Town" – The Vogues

"Make Your Own Kind of Music" – "Mama" Cass Elliot

"Never Gonna Let You Go" - Sérgio Mendes and Dionne Warwick

"None of Us Are Free" (Mann, Weil, Brenda Russell) - Ray Charles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Solomon Burke

"On Broadway" – The Drifters and later George Benson

"Only in America" – Jay and the Americans

"Running with the Night" (Lionel Richie & Cynthia Weil) - Lionel Richie

"Remember" - Song from Movie Troy - Covered by Josh Groban

"Shades of Gray" - The Monkees

"Shape of Things to Come" – Max Frost and the Troopers

"Somewhere Out There" - co-written with James Horner for the film ''An American Tail'', won a pair of Grammys in 1987, including Song of the Year; recording by Ronstadt and Ingram.

"Uptown" – The Crystals

"Walking in the rain" - The Ronettes also Roy Clark, 1978, ''Labor of Love'' album

"(You're My) Soul & Inspiration" – The Righteous Brothers and later Donny & Marie Osmond

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" co-written with Phil Spector - The Righteous Brothers and later numerous other artists including Dionne Warwick, Hall & Oates, and a Roberta Flack-Donny Hathaway duet. , the Righteous Brothers' rendition was radio’s most-played song of all time, with 14 million airplays to date.

References

External links

[ Cynthia Weil biography] at Allmusic website

Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:Songwriters from New York Category:People from New York City Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:Grammy Award winners

de:Cynthia Weil ja:シンシア・ワイル sv:Cynthia Weil