Casino Press Releases
NEIL SEDAKA, THE LEGEND OF POP SEPTEMBER 26TH - 30TH, 2007
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- Parent Category: Casino Press Releases
- Category: Orleans Press Releases
It is hard to imagine the history of rock and roll without the contributions of Neil Sedaka. For over four decades, Neil's timeless standards have helped change the face of popular music. With countless hit singles, and platinum and gold records, he is recognized as one of rock and pop music's legendary pioneers, and remains as vital a force today as he was in the 1950's.
In high school, Neil formed a vocal group called the Tokens and, they recorded two singles that became regional hits. Soon to follow was Neil's introduction to Howard Greenfield. Together they began a successful songwriting partnership. As Neil has noted, "for a long period of time, we wrote a song a day." In the four years between 1959 and 1963, the songwriting team sold over twenty-five million records and their collaboration was to last for thirty years.
In 1958, at the age of eighteen, Neil was catapulted into stardom after Connie Francis recorded his Stupid Cupid. She then sang the theme song Neil and Howard had written for the 1960 MGM spring break movie classic, Where The Boys Are which would end up being her biggest hit. As a result, Neil signed a contract with RCA as a writer and performer and began recording his own material. Neil recorded chart toppers like The Diary, Oh, Carol, Stairway to Heaven, Calendar Girl, Little Devil, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Next Door To An Angel and Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.
Following the "British Invasion" by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the United States, Neil continued to develop his gift for songwriting. He wrote for other performers such as Tom Jones (Puppet Man), The Fifth Dimension (Workin' on a Groovy Thing), and the Monkees (When Love Comes Knocking At Your Door). Neil has also recorded albums in Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese.
Neil was reintroduced to American audiences by recording two albums, Sedaka's Back and The Hungry Years. Both became top selling albums around the world. His comeback was further heralded by two of his songs, Bad Blood and the timeless Laughter in the Rain. The singles reached the #1 position on the music charts.
Neil's single Breaking Up Is Hard To Do was released as a ballad in 1975 and made music history when it reached #1 on the charts, becoming the first song recorded in two different versions by the same artist to reach the Top Ten. During this time, Neil also helped launch the career of The Captain and Tennille with their version of Love Will Keep Us Together.
Recently Neil returned to the classical roots of his early years. With original romantic lyrics written by Neil and set to the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky, he has released a collection of these songs on Classically Sedaka, which went on to earn a gold record in Europe. Following the smash success of this record, Neil released Turnweaver, and made another departure with the release of Tales of Love and Other Passions, recording both old standards and original Sedaka songs with a jazz trio.
The Orleans Showroom is an 827 seat venue featuring theater style seating. Show time is 8PM. Tickets priced from $39.95 plus tax can be purchased by calling the box office at 702-365-7075.