Fans of legendary crooner of yesteryear - Neil Sedaka - were treated to an intimate meet & greet at a book signing with the artist at Book Soup this afternoon in the heart of the creative city (West Hollywood).
When Mr. Sedaka strolled into the room towards the podium, I was immediately struck by the warmth of the man.
His kind face, twinkling eyes, and gentle nature spoke volumes too.
Mr. Sedaka - who was casually-attired in a simply-styled blue shell windbreaker (teamed with matching slacks and a tasteful dress-down shirt) - was on hand to chat up book-lovers about his latest writing endeavour - a children's book titled "Dinosaur Pet" - which he is mighty keen on.
The curious tale is about a young boy who stumbles on a dinosaur egg - and the hilarious scenarios that magically unfold - when it hatches and spreads untold havoc at his family home.
"Dinosaur Pet" is the pop singer's second book.
The first - "Waking up is Hard to Do" - was quite popular (and racked up sales) on Amazon.com, so I expect the one he was flogging today will fair just as well.
For avid trivia buffs, the afternoon was quite revealing, too.
Mr. Sedaka noted that "The Diary" was written for Connie Francis.
"The idea of a woman who writes in her diary and locks up her thoughts with a key intrigued me," he confided to the rapt crowd.
When asked about "Stairway to Heaven", he was quick on the uptake.
"My Stairway to Heaven was written before Led Zeppelin's," he chortled, after noting that titles for songs could not be copy written (hence the two different tunes from artists who are jarring opposites in the musical realms).
During the Q & A, I noted that because I was blessed with older sisters, I was introduced to his music when I was a mere lad.
After blurting out that "Oh, Carol" was one of my favorite songs, I proceeded to quiz Mr. Sedaka on his inspiration for the hit single.
"Was there a Carol," I probed innocently.
He paused for a moment - a bit surprised perhaps? - then fessed up.
"I was in love with a girl named Carol who I dated for over a year," he informed us matter-of-fact.
"Her name was Carol King."
The guests in the room nearly fainted dead away.
Understandably!
At this juncture, Sedaka reflected on one oddity in respect to his boyhood haunts.
"Carol King, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand and I all lived in the same neighborhood."
Was there something in the water, do you suppose, that turned out such a bumper-crop of wildly successful (distinctive) pop vocalists of the day?
I wonder!
At one point, Sedaka fondly recalled his career ties with Dick Clark, and the showman's generosity.
"He introduced me on American Bandstand when I was an unknown artist."
And, the down-to-earth Sedaka also noted for the record, that he appeared on Dick Clark's first New Year's Broadcast way back when.
When one rapt music-lover probed Sedaka about his composing process, he was pretty forthcoming.
Sometimes he starts with the lyric, other times the melody.
"I call the tunes sandwiches. A bit of bread here, a bit of meat in the middle, with more bread at the other end."
No wonder fans have gobbled up his music over the decades!
By the way, Sedaka's parents pushed Neil to pursue a classical music career when he was a boy.
"So, I attended Julliard," he shrugged.
Obviously, judging from his training and background, it has not been just a "God-given" talent that has propelled his career along over the years.
After graduating from Lincoln High School, Sedaka formed a band called "The Tokens".
The close-knit group soon racked up hits like "While I Dream", "I Love My Baby", "Come Back, Joe", and "Don't Go".
Then, Sedaka launched out on his own in 1957.
Early on, the outgoing performer demonstrated a unique ability as a solo singer - and as a result - he was snapped up by RCA Victor.
Sedaka started churning out top singles from 1960 to 1962 which included "Stairway to Heaven", "You Mean Everything to Me", "Calendar Girl", and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do", to name a few.
At that point, there was no looking back as Sedaka became successful in the American mainstream.
Much continued success, Neil!
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