Born: July 30, 1941
Anka had been writing and performing his own songs since the age of 12 in his hometown of Ottawa and across the river in Quebec. When he was 14 he visited his uncle in Los Angeles and convinced him to drive to Culver City to talk to Ernie Freeman at Modern Records about a new song he had been working on called "Blau-Wile Deveest Fontaine". Freeman signed Anka as the only white act on the label. That song became the flipside to another song, "I Confess", and was released as a single in 1956 and was only moderately successful but Anka was inspired enough to continue writing.
He took in all the big acts who came to Ottawa and even resorted to sneaking backstage at a rock n' roll revue of Fats Domino, the Platters, Chuck Berry, and Clyde McPhatter. He ran into the show's promoter, Irvin Feld, who blatantly told Anka to get out. He left quietly but made certain that Feld took down his name "because one day Feld would have to hire him to be on one of his shows". He also met and befriended such Canadian acts as the Four Lads, the Diamonds and the Rover Boys.
In 1956 Paul's parents gave him $100 to go to New York to visit some record companies and music publisher's with some of the new songs he had written. In New York he stayed with the Rover Boys at their suite in the President Hotel and they introduced him to Don Costa, a producer from ABC/Paramount. Costa was impressed and Anka recorded "Diana" which topped the charts and sold over 10 million copies. He soon got calls from promoters wanting to send him on tour; ironically it was Irvin Feld who put Anka in his newest rock n' roll tour and eventually became his manager.
With hit records through 1958-60, Anka became a household word, playing in all corners of the globe including being the first North American pop star to play behind the Iron Curtain. In 1959 he appeared in "Girls Town" (with Mamie Van Dorn) and "The Private Lives Of Adam And Eve" (with Mickey Rooney). He also did a set of concert dates at the Olympia in Paris, breaking all previous attendance records. It was in 1959 that Anka appeared in Feld's biggest rock n' roll show of all - it featured Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, Dion and the Belmonts, and others. Fate sidestepped Anka when Feld told him the he wanted him to stay because he'd promised his father he'd keep an eye on him, thus missing the fateful plane crash of February 3, 1959 that killed Holly, the Big Bopper and Valens.
At about this time the constant rock n' roll grind was starting to repress Anka's considerable talents; he was aware that he couldn't be a teeny-bop idol forever, but he was afraid there were few places to play as a lounge act. His fears were unfounded after playing the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas and other, eastern clubs and was the youngest performer ever to play the Copa in June 1960. At this point Anka was 20, a millionaire and had already written over 200 songs professionally.
In the early '60's he began scoring songs for films that he appeared in such as "Look In Any Window" (1961) and "The Longest Day" (1962). During this period he was dating Annette Funicello (for whom he wrote "Puppy Love"), but the tight schedules of their careers made it impossible for them to continue their relationship. Anka finally married Anne DeZogheb (one of Europe's top teen models) in Paris, 1963.
Then all hell broke loose as America was invaded by a new musical phenomenon: the Beatles, who put a stranglehold on many of the other teen idols vying for the dollar of teenage girls and boys across North America. Anka had already expected the winds-of-change and was already catering to a much older, and richer audience. During this period he was performing and writing; he only returned to recording after the British Invasion. It was during this time he wrote the theme song for Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show".
One of his greatest songs, "My Way", was written for Frank Sinatra in 1966 based on a French song, "Comme d'Habitude" by Claude Francois, which Anka had purchased the copyright to. He has also written songs for the likes of Tom Jones, Wayne Newton, Sammy Davis Jr., Engelbert Humperdinck, and others. He has also helped out the careers of other artists such as John Prine, Steve Goodman and Odia Coates (Having My Baby, One Man Woman).
In the early '90's Anka became part owner of the new NHL franchise in his birth town of Ottawa. Anka in turn sued the Ottawa Senators in 1992 for $41 million on an undisclosed breech of contract claim.
Also in 1992, Anka starred in and wrote songs for the soundtrack of 'Ganesh', which was his first Canadian movie role.
In 1996 Anka sued his dentist after having a tooth fall out and into the audience of a show he was performing at Bally's in Las Vegas during his monster hit "Diana".
Anka has five daughters and divorced from his wife of 37 years in 2004. Anka still works several weeks a year in Las Vegas at The Trump Plaza Casino.
with notes from Patricio Calderon.
Singles
1956 I Confess/Blau-Wile Deveest Fontaine (RPM/Modern)
1957 Diana/Don't Gamble With Love (Sparton)
1957 I Love You Baby/Tell Me That You Love Me (Sparton)
1958 You Are My Destiny/When I Stop Loving You (Sparton)
1958 Just Young/So It's Goodbye (Sparton)
1958 Let The Bells Keep Ringing/Crazy Love (Sparton)
1958 Midnight/Verboten (Forbidden) (Sparton)
1958 The Teen Commandments [with George Hamilton IV & Johnny Nash] (Sparton)
1958 (All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings/That's Love (Sparton)
1959 I Miss You So/Late Last Night (Sparton)
1959 Lonely Boy/Your Love (Sparton)
1959 Put Your Head On My Shoulder/Don't Ever Leave Me (Sparton)
1959 It's Time To Cry/Something Has Changed Me (Sparton)
1959 Puppy Love/Adam And Eve (Sparton)
195? As If There Were No Tomorrow/Every Day A Heart Is Broken (Sparton)
195? I Went To Your Wedding/I Wish (Sparton)
1960 My Home Town/Something Happened (Sparton)
1960 I Love You In The Same Old Way/Hello Young Lovers (Sparton)
1960 Summer's Gone/I'd Have To Share (Sparton)
1960 The Story Of My Love/Don't Say You're Sorry (Sparton)
1960 It's Christmas Everywhere (Sparton)
1961 Tonight My Love, Tonight/I'm Just A Fool Anyway (Sparton)
1961 I Talked To You (On The Telephone)/Dance On Little Girl (Sparton)
1961 Cinderella/Kissin' On The Phone (Sparton)
1961 The Bells At My Wedding/Loveland (Sparton)
1962 The Fools Hall Of Fame (Sparton)
1962 Love Me Warm And Tender/I'd Like To Know (RCA)
1962 A Steel Guitar And A Glass of Wine/I Never Knew Your Name (RCA)
1962 Every Night/There You Go (RCA)
1962 Eso Beso (That Kiss!)/Give Me Back My Heart (RCA)
1962 Love Makes The World Go Round/Crying In The Wind (RCA)
1962 I'm Coming Home/Cry (RCA)
1962 I'd Never Find Another You (RCA)
1963 Remember Diana/Tonight (RCA)
1963 Hello Jim/You've Got The Nerve To Call This Love (RCA)
1963 Wondrous Are The Ways Of Love (RCA)
1963 Did You Have A Happy Birthday?/For No Good Reason (RCA)
1963 From Rocking Horse To Rocking Chair/Cheer Up (RCA)
1964 It's Easy To Say (RCA)
1964 My Baby's Comin' Home/No, No (RCA)
1964 Sylvia (RCA)
1965 The Loneliest Boy In The World/Dream Me Happy (RCA)
1966 Oh, Such A Stranger/Truly Yours (RCA)
1966 I Wish (RCA)
1966 I Can't Get Along Very Well Without Her/I Can't Help Loving You (RCA)
1966 I'd Rather Be A Stranger/Poor Old World (RCA)
1966 Poor Old World/Melody In Rhyme (RCA)
1967 But For Love (RCA)
1967 That's How Love Goes/Woman Is A Sentimental Thing (RCA)
1967 Until It's Time For You To Go/Would You Still Be My Baby (RCA)
1968 Can't Get You Out Of My Mind/When We Get There (RCA)
1968 Goodnight My Love/This Crazy World (RCA)
1969 In The Still Of The Night (RCA)
1969 Sincerely (RCA)
1969 Happy/Can't Get You Out Of My Mind (RCA)
1971 Do I Love You (RCA)
1972 Jubilation (RCA)
1973 Hey Girl (RCA)
1973 Let Me Get To Know You/Flashback (RCA)
1974 (You're Having) My Baby/Papa (United Artists)
1974 One Man Woman, One Woman Man (United Artists) [with Odia Coates]
1975 I Don't Like To Sleep Alone/How Can Anything Be Beautiful (United Artists) [with Odia Coates]
1975 (I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love (United Artists)
1975 Times Of Your Life/Water Runs Deep (United Artists)
1976 Anytime (I'll Be There)/Something About You (United Artists)
1976 Happier/Closing Doors (United Artists)
1976 Make It Up To Me In Love (United Artists) [with Odia Coates]
1977 My Best Friend's Wife/Never Gonna Fall In Love Again (United Artists)
1977 Everybody Ought To Be In Love (United Artists)
1977 I'll Help You/Never Gonna Fall In Love (United Artists)
1978 This Is Love (RCA)
1979 As Long As We Keep Believing (RCA)
1979 You And I (RCA) [duet with Mireille Mathieu )
1981 Think I'm In Love Again (RCA)
1981 I've Been Waiting For You All Of My Life (RCA)
1983 Hold Me 'Til The Mornin' Comes (Columbia)
Albums
1958 Paul Anka (Sparton)
1959 My Heart Sings (Sparton)
1960 Paul Anka Swings For Young Lovers (Sparton)
1960 Anka At The Copa (Sparton)
1960 Paul Anka Sings His Big 15 (Sparton)
1960 It's Christmas Everywhere (Sparton)
1961 Paul Anka Sings His Big 15 Volume 2 (Sparton)
1962 Paul Anka Sings His Big 15 Volume 3 (Sparton)
1962 Young, Alive And In Love (RCA)
1962 Let's Sit This One Out (RCA)
1963 Our Man Around The World (RCA)
1963 Songs I Wished I'd Written (RCA)
1963 Paul Anka And Others (RCA)
1963 Paul Anka's 21 Golden Hits (RCA)
1964 Excitement On Park Avenue (RCA)
1966 Strictly Nashville (RCA)
1967 Paul Anka Alive (RCA)
1969 Goodnight My Love (RCA)
1969 Life Goes On (RCA)
1971 Paul Anka (RCA)
1972 Jubilation (RCA)
197? This Is Anka (Buddah)
1974 Anka (United Artists)
1974 Paul Anka Gold (United Artists)
1975 Feelings (United Artists)
1975 Times Of Your Life (United Artists)
1976 Essential Paul Anka (United Artists)
1976 The Painter (United Artists)
1977 Music Man (United Artists)
1977 Vintage Years 1957-61 (United Artists)
1978 Listen To Your Heart (RCA)
1980 Paul Anka - His Best (RCA)
1981 Both Sides Of Love (RCA)
1983 Walk A Fine Line (Columbia)
1987 Italiano
1989 30th Anniversary Anthology: 1957-1978 (Rhino)
1989 21 Golden Hits (RCA)
1990 Diana And Other Hits
1991 Five Decades Of Hits (Curb)
1992 Classic Hits [with Odia Coates]
1993 Paul Anka In The 70s (RCA)
199? Greatest Hits (Music Makers)
199? Greatest Hits Live (Flash)
199? His Best (EMI)
199? Memories (Jet)
199? My Way (RCA)
199? Sings His Big 10 (Curb)
199? Sings His Big 10 [re-issue] (Curb)
199? Zwei Mad Chen Aus Germany (Bear - Germany)
Video
Compilation Tracks
195? Three Great Guys (label unknown) [Anka has songs backed against those with Sam Cooke & Neil Sedaka)
1967 "Diana" on 'Best Of The Best' (label unknown)
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