Where Is Leba Strassberg Now? Inside the Lifelong Partnership Behind Neil Sedaka's Historic Career
By James H. Sterling
By 1966, the American music scene shifted drastically. The British Invasion, spearheaded by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, pushed early-1960s pop crooners off the airwaves. Neil’s recording contracts dried up, concert bookings shrank, and American labels wrote him off as an artifact of the past. Depression set in. Neil was uncertain whether he had a future as a performing artist.
Leba Strassberg stepped into the void. Recognizing that British audiences held deep reverence for American rock-and-roll pioneers, she convinced Neil to uproot their family and relocate to London in 1972. It was a risky gamble that drained a substantial portion of their savings. It also saved his career.
Leba took over day-to-day management duties directly. She booked tours across northern England, negotiated with British record producers, and connected Neil with the musicians who would later form 10cc. When Elton John, an ardent admirer of Sedaka’s early writing, heard Neil's fresh recordings, he signed him immediately to his fledgling US label, The Rocket Record Company.
The result was one of the most stunning comebacks in pop history. Back-to-back Number One singles, "Laughter in the Rain" (1974) and "Bad Blood" (1975), catapulted Sedaka back to the top of the American charts. Industry insiders recognized what Neil stated repeatedly in print: without Leba running the operation, the comeback never happens.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
