IT would be impossible for Neil Sedaka to sing his entire back catalogue at York Barbican this autumn. He has written more than 1,000 compositions and still rising.

Now 74, the prolific singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York, had clocked up 25 million record sales by the age of 23 and went on to have a street named after him in his birthplace.

His many hit singles since I Go Ape hit number nine in the British charts in spring 1959 include Oh! Carol, Stairway To Heaven, Calendar Girl, Little Devil, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do and Laughter In The Rain.

He has seen plenty of his songs turned into hits by the likes of Tony Christie (Is This The Way To Amarillo); Elvis Presley and Andy Williams (Solitaire); Connie Francis (Stupid Cupid); Frank Sinatra (The Hungry Years); and Captain And Tennille (Love Will Keep Us Together).

In 2013, fully 54 years since his 1959 debut album Rock With Sedaka, Sedaka released his latest album of original material, The Real Neil.

“The most challenging task for a songwriter is to write a simple tune but still bring an emotional feeling to it,” he says.

“After 60 years of writing, I am very proud of these songs. This is my first acoustic album. Piano and voice, the pure form of the song, just the way I write them. The songs are very personal and come from my soul. It’s the culmination of all the years of writing. No frills. No production gimmicks.”

• Tickets for Sedaka’s October 25 show go on sale at 10am tomorrow morning at £45 on 0844 854 2757 or yorkbarbican.co.uk Or buy in person from York Barbican box office, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm.