Neil Sedaka was born on March 13, 1939 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Neil Sedaka earned a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music's Preparatory Division for Children. He soon discovered pop music and teamed up with Howard Greenfield to write songs for other artists. Sedaka and some of his classmates formed the band called the Tokens which had the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" whcih hit #1 on Billboard's List. His hit "Oh Carol" made #9 on on the Hot 100 in 1959. Throughout the 1960's Neil Sedaka had several hits including "Stairway to Heaven", "You Mean Everything to Me", "Calendar Girl","Little Devil", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" and "Next Door to an Angel". 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." Sedaka found himself once again topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts with "Laughter in the Rain" in early 1975. This song re-established the popularity of Sedaka in America. Sedaka also 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. He contunued to release songs in the 1970's and 1980's under the RCA label. In May 2003 Sedaka appeared as a guest judge and mentor to the five remaining finalists on American Idol.
Sedaka continues to be seen in the American Idol studio audience on at least an annual basis, most recently on May 19, 2011.
Neil Sedaka co-authored a children's book entitled Dinosaur Pet with Marc Sedaka. This title made The New York Times Best Seller List for 2012.