Early life

Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka, Sr., who owned a restaurant called the Locanda. His parents were both Antiochian Orthodox Christians. Anka's father (Andy) and his mother (Camelia) were Canadian-Lebanese "from the town of Kfarmishki, in Lebanon."

Anka sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He studied piano with Winnifred Rees. He attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers.

Career

Early success

Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1957 he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it rocketed to #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 that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which hit #4 and "(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached #15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then 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. Anka stated shortly afterward:

"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.

Paul Anka's talent included 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"). Anka composed Tom Jones's biggest hit record, "She's a Lady", and 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 US 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 #8 pop hit for him the same year. He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos. In 1960 he appeared twice as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven.

In 1960, Anka signed with RCA Victor. He bought the rights and ownership of his ABC-Paramount catalog in 1963, but like most North American recording artists saw his career stalled by the British Invasion. By the late 1960s, his career focused on adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. In the early 1970s he signed with Buddah Records. After more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, he signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with Odia Coates to record the #1 hit, "(You're) Having My Baby". The two would record two more duets that made it into the Top 10, "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" (#7) and "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone" (#8), and the #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 #7 in the U.S. pop chart in 1976. The follow-up was another hit that Anka wrote for Sinatra, "Anytime (I'll Be There)", peaking at #33. Anka's last Top 40 hit in the U.S. was in the summer of 1983: "Hold Me 'Til The Mornin' Comes", which included backing vocals from then-Chicago frontman Peter Cetera; it hit #2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.

Comeback

His 1998 album A Body of Work was his first new U.S. studio release since Walk a Fine Line in 1983; vocalists and performers included Celine Dion, Kenny G, Patti LaBelle, and Skyler Jett. The album included a new version of "Hold Me 'Til the Morning Comes", once again performed with Peter Cetera. In 2005, his album of big-band arrangements of contemporary standards, Rock Swings, provided a mainstream comeback of sorts that saw him awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

On October 12, 2009, Anka stated that Michael Jackson's new release titled "This Is It" was a collaborative effort between the two in 1983. According to Anka, after recording the song, Jackson decided not to use it and the tune was then recorded and released by Sa-Fire. After Anka threatened to sue for credit and a share of royalties, the administrators of Jackson's estate granted Anka 50% of the copyright. An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1983 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", was discovered shortly thereafter. His album Songs of December charted at #58 in Canada in November 2011.

Italy

Already locally famous as a teenage idol for his songs in English, Anka hit the Italian market with "Summer's Gone" in 1960; it was released as "Dove Sei". The record got immediate success, reaching #4 on Italian hit lists, opening a promising foreign career. Anka then underwent an intense collaboration with Italian musicians of the time, including composer/director Ennio Morricone, singer/songwriter Lucio Battisti, and lyricist Mogol. His official discography reports nine singles released by RCA Italy, but the Italian charts list at least six other songs he interpreted or recorded in Italian. His top hit was "Ogni giorno" which scored #1 in 1962, followed by "Piangerò per te" and "Ogni volta", which reached both #2, in 1963 and 1964. "Ogni volta" ("Every Time") was sung by Anka during the Festival di Sanremo of 1964 and then sold more than one million copies in Italy alone; it was also awarded a gold disc.

He returned to San Remo in 1968 with "La farfalla impazzita" by Battisti-Mogol. On that occasion the same title was interpreted by Italian crooner Johnny Dorelli. The pair of singers, however, were eliminated before the final stage of the competition. Anka, maybe only coincidentally, left the Italian scene shortly thereafter. In 2003 Anka came back with an exclusive concert in Bologna, organized by the Italian company Mapei during the CERSAIE exhibition. He recorded a version of "My Way" with alternate lyrics dedicated to the sponsor of the evening.

In 2006, he recorded a duet with 1960s Italian hitmaker Adriano Celentano, a new cover of "Diana," with Italian lyrics by Celentano-Mogol and with singer/songwriter Alex Britti on the guitar. The song hit #3.

Other countries

With less success than in Italy, Anka tried the French market as well. At least two songs by Anka with French lyrics are known: one reported by the Italian charts ("Faibles Femmes", 1959) and another reported by his official discography ("Comme Avant") with Mireille Mathieu. A single release in Japanese ("Kokoro No Sasae"/"Shiawase E No Tabiji") is also reported on his discography. In 1993 he recorded a duet with Philippine singer Regine Velasquez entitled "It's Hard to Say Goodbye", included in her album, Reason Enough. This song was re-recorded several years later by Anka and Celine Dion and was included in his album A Body of Work.

Personal life

Anka was married to Anne de Zogheb, the daughter of a Lebanese diplomat, Charles de Zogheb, from February 16, 1963, until 2001. The couple met in 1962 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she was a fashion model on assignment and under contract to the Eileen Ford Agency. Zogheb, brought up in Egypt, is of Lebanese, English, French, Dutch, and Greek descent. The couple married the following year in a ceremony at Paris-Orly Airport. She quit modelling after their second child was born. They have five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda (married to actor Jason Bateman), and Alexandra.

In 2008, Anka married his personal trainer, Anna Åberg, in Sardinia. They divorced in 2010 and share custody of their son, Ethan. Anna was featured in the Swedish TV3 show Svenska Hollywoodfruar (Swedish Hollywood wives).

In 1972, a street in Ottawa was named Paul Anka Drive. In 1981, the Ottawa City Council named August 26 as "Paul Anka Day" to celebrate his quarter-century in show business. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Anka has written an autobiography, My Way, co-written with David Dalton.

Acting career

Anka's first acting role in a major film was in a cameo as an army private in The Longest Day (1962). He also composed the title song to the movie. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he starred in such teen exploitation films as Girls Town (1959) and Look in Any Window (1961), in which he played a peeping tom. He later played an Elvis-hating casino pit manager in 3000 Miles To Graceland (2001) and a yacht broker in Captain Ron (1992). He guest-starred as a murder suspect in The Case of the Maligned Mobster (1991). In October 1995, he appeared as himself in the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" on The Simpsons. He made guest appearances as himself in the episode "Red's Last Day" on That '70s Show and in "The Real Paul Anka" episode of Gilmore Girls. He made several appearances on the NBC TV series Las Vegas.

Other film and television appearances

Anka was the subject of the 1962 National Film Board of Canada documentary Lonely Boy, considered a classic work of cinema verite. He wrote and performed songs in a 1985 Canadian children's Christmas cartoon, George and the Christmas Star. In American Idol's seasons 2 and 3, he made a special appearance and sang an adapted version of "My Way" that mocked the format of the show, as well as participants, judges, and the host. The performance was praised as "One of the Best Moments in American Idol". He was also the namesake of Lorelai's dog in Gilmore Girls and made an appearance in a dream in which both dog Paul Anka and real Paul Anka interacted.

Legacy

In the mid-1980s, Anka was secretly recorded while launching a tirade against his crew and band members, berating them for behavior that he considered unprofessional. When asked about it on the interview program Fresh Air, he referred to the person who did the recording as a "snake we later fired". The recording became widely known after being uploaded to the Internet and a number of quotes from it have since become famous, including "The guys get shirts!"; "Don't make a maniac out of me!"; and "Slice like a fucking hammer!". Some of the quotes were reproduced verbatim by Al Pacino's character in the 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen.

He was mentioned in the "Fish Licence" sketch in the tenth episode of Series 2 (23rd overall) of Monty Python's Flying Circus, which was first broadcast on December 1, 1970. Dealing with a postal clerk (Michael Palin) who thought it absurd to give all of one's pets the same name, Praline, (John Cleese) countered that there was nothing wrong with it, citing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as an example. To support his argument, he submitted as evidence an entry from the book "Kemal Ataturk, the Man by E.W. Swanton with a foreword by Paul Anka".

On Gilmore Girls, Lorelai Gilmore named her Polish Lowland Sheepdog after Anka. Series co-creator Daniel Palladino chose the name after hearing the Rock Swings album at a coffeehouse. In the cold open to the episode The Real Paul Anka, both Paul Ankas were featured in a dream sequence Lorelei describes to her daughter, Rory.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Note
1958	Let's Rock	Self
1959	Verboten!	Self, behind opening credits
1959	Girls Town	Jimmy Parlow
1960	The Private Lives of Adam and Eve	Pinkie Parker
1961	Look in Any Window	Craig Fowler
1961	The Seasons of Youth	Self	Documentary
1961	Make Room for Daddy	Paul Pryor in episode Old Man Danny	TV Series
1962	The Longest Day	U.S. Army Ranger
1965	The Red Skelton Hour	Bonnie Prince Gorgeous in episode Nuts of the Round Table	TV Series
1974	Kojak	Buddy Maus in episode The Betrayal	TV Series
1977	Lindsay Wagner: Another Side of Me	Self	TV Special
1977	Elvis in Concert	No role - Soundtrack #12: My Way written by Paul Anka	TV Special
1982	The Paul Anka Show	Host	TV Series
1983	The Fall Guy	Vic Madison in episode Dirty Laundry	TV Series
1987	Crime Story	Anthony 'Tony' Dio in episode Top of the World	TV Series
1991	Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster	Nick Angel	TV Movie
1992	Captain Ron	Yacht Broker Donaldson
1993	Ordinary Magic	Joey Dean
1994	Shake, Rattle and Rock!	Self	TV Movie
1996	Mad Dog Time	Danny Marks
2001	3000 Miles to Graceland	Pit Boss #1
2005	Las Vegas!	Self in episode Fake the Money and Run	TV Series

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Label	Format	US Peak	Certification
1958	Paul Anka	ABC Paramount	LP	-	-
1959	My Heart Sings	ABC Paramount	CD, LP	-	-
1960	Anka at the Copa (live album)	ABC Paramount	LP	23	-
1960	Swings For Young Lovers	ABC Paramount	CD, LP	-	-
1960	It's Christmas Everywhere	ABC Paramount	LP	-	-
1962	Young, Alive, and In Love!	RCA	LP	61	-
1962	Let's Sit This One Out	RCA	LP	137	-
1963	3 Great Guys (Paul Anka, Sam Cooke and Neil Sedaka)	RCA	LP	-	-
1969	Goodnight My Love	RCA	LP	101	-
1969	Life Goes On	RCA	LP	194	-
1972	Paul Anka	Buddah	CD, LP	188	-
1972	Jubilation	Buddah	CD, LP	192	-
1974	Anka	United Artists	CD, LP	9	Gold
1975	Feelings	United Artists	CD, LP	36	-
1975	Times of Your Life (9 of 10 cuts from previous 2 albums)	United Artists	LP	22	Gold
1976	The Painter	United Artists	CD, LP	85	-
1977	The Music Man	United Artists	LP	195	-
1978	Listen to Your Heart	RCA	LP	179	-
1979	Headlines	RCA	CD, LP	-	-
1981	Both Sides of Love	RCA	LP	171	-
1983	Walk a Fine Line	Columbia	CD, LP	156	-
1987	Freedom For The World (titled Freedom in Canada)	A&M	CD, LP	-	-
1989	Somebody Loves You	Polydor	CD	-	-
1996	Amigos (Duets in Spanish)	Sony	CD	-	-
2005	Rock Swings	Verve	CD	120 (9 UK)	-
2007	Classic Songs, My Way	Decca	CD	139	-
2011	Songs of December	Decca	CD	-	-
2013	Duets	Sony	CD	95	-

Compilation albums

Year	Title	Label	Format	US Peak	Certification
1959	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15	ABC Paramount	CD, LP	4	-
1961	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15, Vol. 2	ABC Paramount	LP	72	-
1962	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15, Vol. 3	ABC Paramount	LP	-	-
1962	Diana	ABC Paramount	CD, LP	-	-
1963	Paul Anka's 21 Golden Hits	RCA	CD, LP	65	-
1969	Diana: Paul Anka Sings His Greatest Hits	RCA	LP	-	-
1989	30th Anniversary Collection	Rhino	CD	-	-
1991	Five Decades Greatest Hits	Curb	CD	-	-
1992	Classic Hits	Curb	CD	-	-
1992	My Greatest Songs	RCA	CD	-	-
1993	In the 70s	RCA	CD	-	-
2000	Vegas Style	Taragon	CD	-	-
2003	Absolutely the Best of Paul Anka: The 70s	EMI	CD	-	-
2013	Dianacally Yours	Bear Family	CD	-	-

Singles

Year	Single (A-side, B-side)	Chart positions						Album
		US	US AC	US R&B	UK	Germany	Italy
1956	"I Confess"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
1957	"Diana"	2	-	1	1	2	-	Paul Anka (ABC-Paramount album)
	"I Love You, Baby" /	97	-	-	3	-	-	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15
	"Tell Me That You Love Me"	-	-	-	25	-	-	Big 15, Volume 2
1958	"You Are My Destiny"	7	-	14	6	-	-	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15
	"Crazy Love" /	15	-	-	26	-	-
	"Let the Bells Keep Ringing"	16	-	-	-	-	-	Big 15, Volume 2
	"Midnight"	69	-	-	26	-	-	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15
	"Just Young"	80	-	-	-	-	15	Big 15 Volume 2
	"The Teen Commandments"*	29	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings"	15	-	-	10	7	9	My Heart Sings
1959	"I Miss You So"	33	-	-	-	-	15
	"Lonely Boy"	1	-	6	3	8	2	Paul Anka Sings His Big 15
	"Put Your Head On My Shoulder"	2	-	12	7	25	2
	"It's Time To Cry"	4	-	13	28	-	2
1960	"Puppy Love" /	2	-	-	33	-	3
	"Adam and Eve"	90	-	-	-	-	21
	"My Home Town" /	8	-	-	-	-	6	Big 15, Volume 2
	"Something Happened"	41	-	-	-	-	-
	"Hello Young Lovers" /	23	-	-	44	-	13	Paul Anka Swings For Young Lovers
	"I Love You In the Same Old Way"	40	-	-	-	-	-	Big 15, Volume 2
	"Summer's Gone"	11	-	29	-	-	-
	"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"	104	-	-	-	-	-	It's Christmas Everywhere
	"It's Christmas Everywhere"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1961	"The Story of My Love" /	16	-	-	-	-	26	Big 15, Volume 2
	"Don't Say You're Sorry"	108	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"(You Can) Share Your Love"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Tonight My Love, Tonight"	13	-	-	-	-	8	Big 15, Volume 2
	"Dance On Little Girl"	10	-	-	-	-	12
	"Kissin' On the Phone" /	35	-	-	-	-	-	Big 15, Volume 3
	"Cinderella"	70	-	-	-	-	12
	"The Bells At My Wedding" /	104	-	-	-	-	26
	"Loveland"	110	-	-	-	-	-
1962	"All Of Me"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"The Fools Hall of Fame"	103	-	-	-	-	-
	"I'd Never Find Another You"	106	-	-	-	-	-
	"I'm Coming Home"	94	-	-	-	-	-
	"Love Me Warm and Tender"	12	-	-	19	45	-	Remember Diana
	"A Steel Guitar and a Glass of Wine"	13	-	-	41	35	-
	"Every Night (Without You)"	46	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"Eso Beso "	19	-	-	-	14	23	Remember Diana
1963	"Love "	26	-	-	-	-	-
	"Remember Diana"	39	-	-	-	42	-
	"Hello Jim"	97	-	-	-	46	-	Non-album tracks
	"Hurry Up and Tell Me"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Did You Have a Happy Birthday?"	89	-	-	-	-	-
1964	"From Rocking Horse To Rocking Chair"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"My Baby's Comin' Home"	113	-	-	-	-	-
	"In My Imaginaton"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Ogni Volta "	-	-	-	-	-	-	A Casa Nostra
1965	"Sylvia"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"The Lonliest Boy In The World"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Every Day A Heart Is Broken"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1966	"Truly Yours"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Strictly Nashville
	"I Wish"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"I Can't Help Loving You"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"Poor Old World"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1967	"Until It's Time For You To Go"	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"A Woman Is A Sentimental Thing"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1968	"Can't Get You Out Of My Mind"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Life Goes On
1969	"Goodnight, My Love"	27	2	-	-	-	-	Goodnight My Love
	"In the Still Of The Night"	64	36	-	-	-	-
	"Sincerely"	80	30	-	-	-	-	Non-album track
	"Happy"	86	13	-	-	-	-	Life Goes On
1970	"Midnight Mistress"	-	-	-	-	-	-	70's
1971	"Why Are You Leaning On Me Sir"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"Do I Love You"	53	14	-	-	-	-	Paul Anka (Buddah album)
1972	"Jubilation"	65	-	-	-	-	-	Jubilation
	"Life Song"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1973	"While We're Still Young"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"Hey Girl"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1974	"Let Me Get To Know You"	80	40	-	-	-	-	Anka
	"(You're) Having My Baby"**	1	5	-	6	15	-
	"One Man Woman/One Woman Man"**	7	5	-	-	-	-
1975	"I Don't Like To Sleep Alone"**	8	8	-	-	-	-	Feelings
	"(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love"**	15	3	-	-	-	-
	"Times of Your Life"	7	1	-	-	-	-	Times Of Your Life
1976	"Anytime "	33	2	-	-	-	-	Feelings
	"Make It Up To Me In Love"**	-	20	-	-	-	-	Non-album tracks
	"Happier"	60	10	-	-	-	-	The Painter
1977	"My Best Friend's Wife"	80	41	-	-	-	-	The Music Man
	"Everybody Ought To Be In Love"	75	-	-	-	-	-
1978	"Brought Up In New York "	-	-	-	-	-	-	Listen To Your Heart
	"This Is Love"	35	3	-	-	-	-
1979	"As Long As We Keep Believing"	-	29	-	-	-	-	Headlines
1981	"Think I'm In Love Again"	-	-	-	-	-	-	Both Sides Of Love
	"I've Been Waiting For You All Of My Life"	48	16	-	-	-	-
	"Lady Lay Down"	-	-	-	-	-	-
1983	"Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes"	40	2	-	-	-	-	Walk A Fine Line
1984	"Second Chance"	-	14	-	-	-	-

* with George Hamilton IV and Johnny Nash
** with Odia Coates

[ Source: Wikipedia ]