He was becoming obsessed with pop music, and while his mother disapproved, he soon was making a career out of it when a neighbour of his introduced him to Howard Greenfield, an aspiring poet. Sedaka was soon playing his piano in every moment he could, and even successfully auditioned to study a weekend course for children at the Julliard School of Music, however he was not interested in playing the classical music that Julliard, not to mention his mother, wanted him to play. After working for six months at a branch of Abraham and Straus, Sedaka’s mother saved up enough to buy a piano for the young Neil to practise on, and it’s safe to say that it proved to be a wise investment.
Born to a Jewish family in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, Neil Sedaka was recognised as a musical prodigy from a young age.
