Neil Sedaka.

OK, girls and boys, one for the recent birthday boy (86!): As a teenager, this Brooklynite was selected by Arthur Rubinstein to play the piano at NY classical radio station WQRX. At 13 he teamed up with lyricist Howie Greenfield, with more than 1,000 tunes to their credit. He cut his teeth with The Linc-Tones and The Tokens. His popularity waned in '63, only to re-emerge in the 70s backed by Elton John. We're STILL trying to get him into the R&R Hall Of Fame (don't get me started!)! He was a high school classmate and ex-boyfriend of Carol Klein aka Carole King - his "Oh! Carol" is dedicated to her. Artist? Answer: Neil Sedaka. Born March 13th, 1939. He has always been one of my favorites. We had the privilege of seeing him in Vegas years ago - memorable concert! Every one of his early songs was recorded in both English and Spanish (excellent Spanish, BTW!). I grew up listening to him in Spanish on WKVM in San Juan. Not until I moved to Philly in '73 did I listen to him in English. Can you believe that neither he nor Paul Anka are in the R&R Hall of Fame?!

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