Paul Anka

Paul Anka, born in 1941, Canadian pop singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to fame as a teen idol in the 1950s. He then moved on to continued success as a singer, composer, and actor.

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Anka began his career as an entertainer at the age of 12. At 15 he recorded his first single, 'I Confess' (1956). In New York City the following year, Anka auditioned for record producer Don Costa. Anka sang 'Diana,' a song he had written about a former babysitter, and his performance impressed Costa, who promptly recorded him singing the song. 'Diana' was an immediate hit in 1957, reaching the number one spot on the Billboard magazine pop chart in the United States and eventually selling 10 million copies worldwide.

Billed as a clean-cut teen alternative to more-rebellious youthful entertainers such as Elvis Presley, Anka recorded a string of hits in 1958, among them 'You Are My Destiny' and 'Crazy Love.' Anka wrote 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore,' which became a posthumous hit for American rocker Buddy Holly in 1959. Anka also had several hits of his own in 1959 and 1960, including 'Lonely Boy,' 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder,' 'It's Time to Cry,' and 'Puppy Love.' Anka appeared in and wrote the theme music for films such as Girls Town (1959) and The Longest Day (1962).

As other teen idols began to replace Anka in the early 1960s, ABC-Paramount Records dropped him from their label. Anka, a shrewd businessman, purchased back the copyrights to his recordings, which continued to be lucrative for years. At the same time, he shifted his career to appeal to older audiences and became one of the first pop singers to perform shows at the casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the late 1960s Anka wrote English words to the song, 'Comme d'Habitude,' by French composer Claude François. The resulting song, 'My Way,' became the signature song for American crooner Frank Sinatra.

Anka continued to make his own records and produce records for other performers through the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The commercial success of these recordings varied greatly, but Anka returned to the top of the American pop charts in 1974 with '(You're) Having My Baby,' a duet with Odia Coates. Anka's most familiar tune to many television viewers was his theme to The Tonight Show, which was broadcast every weeknight from 1962 to 1992, the years Johnny Carson hosted the program.