15 Facts About Howard Greenfield

Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building.

Howard Greenfield is best known for his successful songwriting collaborations, including one with Neil Sedaka from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, and near-simultaneous songwriting partnerships with Jack Keller and Helen Miller throughout most of the 1960s.

Howard Greenfield co-wrote numerous other top 10 hits for Sedaka ; Francis ; the Everly Brothers ; Jimmy Clanton and the Shirelles.

Howard Greenfield co-wrote the theme songs to numerous 1960s TV series, including Gidget, Bewitched, The Flying Nun and Hazel.

At this point, though their songs were being recorded, the income derived from these songs was minimal, and Howard Greenfield worked as a messenger for National Cash Register.

Howard Greenfield collaborated with other Aldon songwriters, including Helen Miller, with whom he co-wrote "Foolish Little Girl", "It Hurts to Be in Love", originally intended for Neil Sedaka but ultimately recorded by Gene Pitney, as well as a new theme for the TV series Hazel for its fourth season.

Howard Greenfield collaborated with Bill Buchanan recording a novelty record called "The Invasion" as Buchanan and Greenfield in 1964.

Sedaka and Howard Greenfield continued to work together as Sedaka's schedule allowed.

Howard Greenfield moved to Los Angeles in 1966, but still continued to collaborate with Sedaka and Keller, both of whom moved to California within a year or two of Howard Greenfield.

Sedaka and Howard Greenfield were increasingly argumentative near the end of their collaboration and ended their songwriting partnership in 1973.

Sedaka and Howard Greenfield would reunite in the late 1970s for Sedaka's Elektra Records albums; only one of these collaborations, "Should've Never Let You Go," was a hit, reaching the top 40 as a duet between Sedaka and his daughter Dara.

Howard Greenfield was openly gay and was in a domestic partnership with cabaret singer Tory Damon from the early 1960s until his death; the two lived together in an apartment on East 63rd Street in Manhattan before moving to California in 1966.

Howard Greenfield died in Los Angeles in 1986 from complications from AIDS, eleven days before his 50th birthday.

Howard Greenfield was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

In 1991, Howard Greenfield was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.