Paul Anka

Paul Anka stood among the most prominent teen idols spanning the late 1950s into the early 1960s, later shifting into the adult entertainment arena and establishing himself as a versatile performer, prolific songwriter, astute music executive, and enduring recording talent whose career extended well into the new millennium. His breakthrough arrived with the 1957 single “Diana,” which climbed to number two on the U.S. Hot 100 while reaching the summit of the British singles chart. After additional chart entries, he secured his first U.S. number one in 1959 with “Lonely Boy,” then came within one position of repeating that feat the same year via “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” Anka maintained visibility on the singles chart through tracks such as “Puppy Love” and “Dance on Little Girl” until the British Invasion era, with his final Top 40 hit of the decade being 1963’s “Remember Diana.” He reclaimed the top spot in his thirties via the 1974 release “(You’re) Having My Baby,” recorded with Odia Coates, and followed it with several more Top Ten placements. His last appearance inside the U.S. Top 40 came with the 1983 ballad “Hold Me ’til the Mornin’ Comes,” although subsequent albums periodically reached the Billboard chart. Meanwhile, his compositions surfaced on notable successes including Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady,” Connie Francis’ “Teddy,” the lyrics for Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “My Way,” and the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which remained in use throughout the program’s run from 1962 to 1992. The 2013 album Duets peaked at number 95, marking his strongest chart placement since the 1970s. Marking his 80th birthday, he issued Making Memories in 2021 and followed it with the covers collection Sessions in 2022, spotlighting material from the 1950s and 1960s.

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1941 to Lebanese Christian parents who operated a neighborhood restaurant, Anka displayed prodigious talent early, launching his entertainment career at age 12 as an impressionist. By 14 he was borrowing the family automobile to reach amateur vocal competitions across the river in Hull, Quebec, while composing original material. His debut single, “I Confess,” surfaced on the Riviera imprint of the Bihari brothers’ RPM label. During a New York excursion with friends performing as the Rover Boys, Anka secured an audition before ABC producer Don Costa, performing his original composition “Diana,” a tribute to a former babysitter. Costa responded favorably, captured the performance, and witnessed the resulting single reach the Top Three on both sides of the Atlantic in 1957, ultimately selling an estimated ten million copies worldwide.

Anka lodged four titles inside the Top 20 the following year, among them “You Are My Destiny” and “Crazy Love,” softening rock & roll’s defiant edge with material that gently challenged parental authority instead of advocating outright defiance. He penned one of Buddy Holly’s final successes, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” and entered motion pictures via Let’s Rock and Girls Town. The latter picture yielded his largest American hit, “Lonely Boy,” initiating a sequence of 1959 chart triumphs that encompassed “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “It’s Time to Cry,” and “Puppy Love,” the last written for former flame Annette Funicello and later revived as a hit for Donny Osmond.

By 1961, as the teen-idol phenomenon waned, Anka—already a millionaire while still a minor—could point to more than 125 compositions, ownership of his Spanka label, and the distinction of having released the second-best-selling single in history, surpassed only by “White Christmas” in total copies sold. Rather than coasting, he pivoted toward the adult market, first cultivating a nightclub persona that earned engagements at the Copacabana. He then signed with RCA and, in a calculated business maneuver, acquired the rights to his earlier masters, generating substantial revenue from reissues. He broadened his scope through additional film appearances, including the 1962 drama The Longest Day, for which he supplied the title song. Among the earliest pop vocalists to headline in Las Vegas, he also fronted television variety programs such as Hullabaloo, The Midnight Special, and Spotlite, while cultivating audiences across Asia and Europe, where he met his wife, Parisian model Anne de Zogheb. He composed the enduring theme for The Tonight Show, broadcast nightly for nearly three decades, adapted the French lyrics of “Comme d’Habitude” into the Sinatra classic “My Way,” and created Tom Jones’ signature hit “She’s a Lady.” In the studio he explored thematic projects including Excitement on Park Avenue and Strictly Nashville.

Though he had registered only a single Top 40 entry since 1963, Anka surged to number one in 1974 with “(You’re) Having My Baby,” a duet cut in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, alongside protégée Odia Coates. The pair’s follow-ups “One Man Woman/One Woman Man” and “I Don’t Like to Sleep Alone” both reached the Top Ten, while the 1974 LP Anka attained gold status; his 1975 solo single “Times of Your Life” peaked at number seven. Anka continued charting into the early 1980s, sustaining an active schedule of casino and international performances even as he recorded less frequently. Live albums and anthologies dominated his output through the 1980s and 1990s, though he returned to the studio for notable efforts such as the 2005 Verve release Rock Swings, a set of contemporary standards. Its strong reception led to the 2007 sequel Classic Songs: My Way, which incorporated additional modern standards alongside collaborations with Michael Bublé and Jon Bon Jovi. He resurfaced in 2011 with the orchestral holiday collection Songs of December. In 2013 he released Duets to accompany his autobiography My Way, pairing with guests including Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, and Chris Botti. Issued weeks after his 80th birthday in July 2021, Making Memories featured appearances by Bublé, Olivia Newton-John, Andrea Bocelli, and Il Divo. Later that year he mounted the Anka Sings Sinatra tour across the United States. Sessions, a 2022 covers album devoted to 1950s and 1960s standards, spotlighted favorites such as Joan Baez’ “Farewell, Angelina,” the Skyliners’ “Since I Don’t Have You,” and Irving Drake’s Sinatra staple “It Was a Very Good Year.”