Paul Anka

Paul Albert Anka born July 30 1941 is a CanadianAmerican singer songwriter and actor He is best known for his signature hit songs including Diana Lonely Boy Put Your Head on My Shoulder and Youre Having My Baby Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson one of Tom Jones biggest hits Shes a Lady and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revauxs music for Frank Sinatras signature song My Way which has been recorded by many including Elvis Presley He cowrote three songs with Michael Jackson This Is It originally titled I Never Heard Love Never Felt So Good and Dont Matter to Me which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009 2014 and 2018 respectively 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 of Lebanese descent His father came to Canada from Bab Tuma Damascus Syria and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon His mother died when he was 18 Anka sang with the St Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral 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 Paul Anka recorded his first single I Confess when he was 14 In 1956 with 100 given to him by his uncle he went to 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 NPRs Terry Gross in 2005 he stated 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 US 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 Its Time to Cry which hit No 4 and All of a Sudden My Heart Sings which reached No 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 Doesnt Matter Anymore a song written for Holly which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959 Anka stated shortly afterward It Doesnt Matter Anymore has a tragic irony about it now but at least it will help look after Buddy Hollys family Im giving my composers royalty to his widow its the least I can do Source Article Paul Anka from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30