Background and career
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter and actor. His songs include "Diana", "You Are My Destiny", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady"; and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way", which has been recorded by many artists including Elvis Presley. He co-wrote three songs with Michael Jackson: "This Is It" (originally titled "I Never Heard"), "Love Never Felt So Good", and "Don't Matter to Me", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively.
Paul Albert Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka Sr., who owned a restaurant called Locanda. According to Paul's autobiography, My Way, both of his parents were of Lebanese Christian descent; however, he also states in his autobiography that his paternal ancestors came from Bab Tuma, in Syria. His father came to Canada from Damascus, Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon from the village of Kfarmishki. His mother died when he was 18. Paul Anka briefly studied piano under Winifred Rees and sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory in Ottawa. He attended Fisher Park High School in the city, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers.
Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to Manhattan, New York City, where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC Records, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with Terry Gross of NPR in 2005, he said that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The resulting song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it went to No. 1 on the Canadian and U.S. music charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist. He followed up with four songs which made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which reached No. 4 and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which was No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"–a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Shortly afterward Anka said:
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do.
Anka composed the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet"; it had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959 as "It's Really Love"). He wrote "Teddy" – a Top 20 hit for Connie Francis in 1960. Anka wrote the English lyrics to "My Way", Frank Sinatra's signature song (originally the French song "Comme d'habitude"). In the 1960s, Anka began acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit film The Longest Day (which also was the official march of the Canadian Airborne Regiment), in which he made a cameo appearance as a U.S. Army Ranger. For his film work he wrote and recorded one of his greatest hits "Lonely Boy". He also wrote and recorded "My Home Town", which was a No. 8 pop hit for him the same year. He then became one of the first pop singers to perform at casinos in Las Vegas. In 1960, he appeared twice as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven. In 1963, Anka purchased the rights and ownership of his ABC-Paramount catalog and re-recorded his earlier hits for RCA Victor, which he had joined in 1960.
Frustrated after more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, Anka switched labels again, which marked a turning point in his career. This time he signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with Odia Coates to record the No. 1 hit, "(You're) Having My Baby", exposing Anka to a new generation of fans and proving his staying power among his original fan base that was now maturing. Anka also wrote five songs which were included on an album by Don Goodwin. Anka and Coates recorded three more duets that made it into the Top 20: "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" (No. 7), "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone" (No. 8), and the No. 15 duet "(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love". In 1975, he recorded a jingle for Kodak written by Bill Lane (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (melody) called "Times of Your Life". It became so popular Anka recorded it as a full song, which peaked at No. 7 in the US pop chart in 1976. The follow-up was another hit that Anka wrote for Sinatra, "Anytime (I'll Be There)", peaking at No. 33. Anka's last Top 40 hit in the US was in the summer of 1983: "Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes", which included backing vocals from then-Chicago frontman Peter Cetera; it hit No. 2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.
