Paul Anka
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| Paul Anka | ||
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 Paul Anka receiving the Order of Canada from Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in a ceremony performed at Rideau Hall on Friday, June 10, 2005
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Paul Anka | |
| Born | July 30, 1941 (age 65), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | |
| Origin | Lebanese | |
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Years active | 1955–Present | |
Paul Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1990.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Anka's parents, who owned a restaurant, were of Lebanese Christian descent.[a] He sang with the St. Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Church choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He also studied piano with Winnifred Rees.[2]
[edit] Early success
Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess," at age 14. In 1957, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter.[3] The song, "Diana", brought Anka instant stardom as it rocketed to number one on the charts.[4] "Diana" is one of the best selling 45s in music history.[5] He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958,[6] making him, at 17, one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and then, with Buddy Holly, he toured Australia.
His talent went beyond singing, writing Buddy Holly's giant hit, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," the theme for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet," which had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959 as "It's Really Love"), Tom Jones' biggest hit record, "She's A Lady", and the English lyrics for "My Way," Frank Sinatra's signature song and sung by many well known artists, including Greta Keller and Elvis Presley, for whom the words were very fitting.
In the 1960s, Anka would begin acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit movie The Longest Day. From his movie work, he wrote and recorded his monster hit, Lonely Boy. He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos. Anka returns to Canada several times a year, regularly playing to sold out crowds at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
[edit] Comeback
After more than ten years without a hit record, in 1974, he teamed up with Odia Coates to record the number 1 hit, "Having My Baby." They would record two more duets that both made it into the Top 10. In 1975, he wrote a jingle for Kodak called The Times of Your Life. The jingle became so popular, he recorded it as a full song, and it became a hit a year later.
By the 1970s, Anka's career centered around adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He returned to his home town to buy a part of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. In 2005, his album Rock Swings, comprising big-band arrangements of contemporary standards, provided a mainstream comeback of sorts and saw Anka awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.
In 1999, he visited Lebanon for sell-out performances at the Forum de Beyrouth (The Beirut Forum).
In the TV show, Gilmore Girls, Lorelai Gilmore names her dog Paul Anka. The real Paul Anka was also featured in an episode.
[edit] Recognition
Paul Anka was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame[7] in 1980. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame[8]. at 6840 Hollywood Blvd. Anka has also received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame,[9]. in 2005. In 1991, the Government of France honored him with the title "Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters". He was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada[10] in 2005.
In October of 1995, he appeared in Treehouse of Horror VI on The Simpsons.
On the CW show Gilmore Girls, Lorelai named her new dog Paul Anka. He also made a guest appearance as himself in the episode "The Real Paul Anka", which aired April 11, 2006.
Paul Anka recently did a live session on Live @ The Orange Lounge playing songs from his new cover-CD Rock Swings.
Jay-Z sampled his vocals from his version of "My Way" on the track "I Did It My Way".
In a somewhat disturbing usage of his music, the title track from Put Your Head On My Shoulder appeared in the soundtrack for Hitman: Contracts.
He became infamous amongst musicians (and more recently to internet users) for a mid-1970s after-show tirade which was secretly recorded by a "snake we later fired" (Anka: Fresh Air interview). The diatribe, in which Anka berates his crew and band members, has spawned a number of in-joke references and quotations, the main ones being: "The guys get shirts", "Where's Joe?", and "Slice like a hammer." It can be heard here [1]
[edit] Marriage
He was married to Anne De Zogheb, the daughter of a Lebanese diplomat, from February 16, 1963, to September 28, 2000. Anka met De Zogheb, daughter of Count Charles de Zogheb, in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1962. Of French and Egyptian descent, she was a fashion model on assignment and under contract to the Eileen Ford Agency. They were married the following year in a ceremony at Orly Airport in Paris. His wife gave up her modelling career after they married. They have five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda (who is married to actor Jason Bateman of TV's Arrested Development), and Alexandra (who is married to former professional cyclist Jorg ("Jogi") Mueller, now PR Manager for Lance Armstrong's team).
[edit] Discography
- 2005: Rock Swings # 9 UK
- 1989: Somebody loves you
- 1983: Hold Me Till The Morning Comes
- 1975: Times of Your Life
- 1974: Having My Baby (duet with Odia Coates)
- 1974: I Don't Like to Sleep Alone (duet with Odia Coates)
- 1974: One Man Woman/One Woman Man (duet with Odia Coates)
- 1961: Tonight My Love, Tonight
- 1960: Puppy Love
- 1959: It's Time to Cry
- 1959: Lonely Boy
- 1959: I Miss You So
- 1959: (All of A Sudden) My Heart Sings
- 1959: Put Your Head on My Shoulder
- 1958: Crazy Love
- 1958: You Are My Destiny
- 1957: Diana
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
a. ^ Some sources, like The Canadian Encyclopedia and Time, suggest that Paul Anka is of Syrian descent[1][11] while several other sources, including Anka's official website, suggest that he is of Lebanese descent.[12][13]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Anka, Paul. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ Paul Anka bio, History of Rock.
- ^ Paul Anka bio, Ticketmaster.com
- ^ Canadian Charts from 1957 - 1986. 1050chum.com. Retrieved November 26, 2006
- ^ Gold & Platinum certification of albums at RIAA. www.riaa.com. Retrieved November 26, 2006
- ^ U.S Billboard chart rankings. billboard.com. Retrieved November 26, 2006
- ^ Canada's Walk of Fame inductees. canadaswalkoffame.com. Retrieved November 26, 2006
- ^ Hollywood Walk of Fame inductees. hollywoodchamber.net. Retrieved November 26, 2006
- ^ Juno Awards/Canadian Music Hall of Fame winner and nominations. juno-awards.ca. Retrieved November 26, 2006
- ^ The Order of Canada member list. nndb.com. November 26, 2006
- ^ Paul the Comforter. Time Magazine. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ Leiby, Richard. Paul Anka's Deutsch Treat. The Washington Post. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ FAQ. Paul Anka's official website. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
[edit] External links
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