Awards Film and TV Roles FAQ's Personal Facts: Where and when was he born? Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - July 30, 1941 What nationality is Paul Anka? He is of Lebanese descent. What instruments does he play? Piano, guitar and drums. Does Paul have any brothers or sisters? Yes. Paul has a younger sister, Mariam, and a younger brother, Andy. Did Paul always dream about being a songwriter? Paul originally had ideas of being a journalist, but had always written songs from a very young age. When he was thrown out of shorthand class and opted to take music instead, the rest as they say, was history. How did he break into the business? Paul entered, and subsequently won a contest, collecting soup labels, which won him a trip to New York. Sleeping in the hotel bathtub of some fellow musicians, with his songs in hand, he was able to obtain a meeting with Don Costa, an A& R man for ABC Paramount. He played him his songs, including ‘Diana,’ and instantly impressed the seasoned Costa. Shortly thereafter, due to Paul’s young age, his parents were flown down and contracts were signed. Who inspired the song ‘Diana’? ‘Diana’ was inspired by his crush on an older babysitter, Diana Ayoub. It landed him a record deal with ABC Paramount and became a No 1 hit, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. What was the story behind the writing of ‘My Way’ and was it written specifically for Frank Sinatra? Paul first heard the French song, Comme D’habitude, in the summer of 1967 when he was in Europe. Although it had different lyrics and a much different feel, Paul instantly connected with the melody. After running into Frank Sinatra, in Florida, who mentioned retiring sometime soon, he asked Paul when was he going to write something for him...so Paul, determined to do just that, returned to New York, sat down at the piano at 1 a.m. and wrote the song. Five hours later, this seminal composition was finished and was sent to Sinatra. After hearing the song, retiring became a distant memory- ‘My Way,’ went on to become Frank Sinatra’s signature song, and one of the most recognizable songs in the world. What would you consider your career highs? Appearing on the Ed Sullivan show for the first time to sing the song, ‘Diana;’ Writing ‘My Way’ for Frank Sinatra, and most recently a return to Canada when Paul went home to sing for the former Prime Minister Chretien. Do You Have a Favorite Song(s) that you’ve written? ‘Do I Love You’, ‘Shoulder’, ‘Papa’ and ‘The Painter’ and of course, ‘My Way’. What artists/composers were of inspiration to you? Being into rhythm and blues in his youth, Paul was listening to people like Fats Domino and Chuck Berry, finding great passion and inspiration in R&B music. Further into his career, the more he started composing, he came to appreciate and admire the great songwriters such as Cole Porter, Gershwin, Burt Bacharach and Sammy Cahn…and of course the more contemporary groups of the time like The Beatles for their incredible musicianship and gift of melody. Are there any artists today that you admire? Paul is a fan of many artist’s work. Specifically, Stevie Wonder for his incredible voice and strength of songwriting , Prince for his ingenuity and musicianship, Sting for his talent as a musician/songwriter, and Joni Mitchel, and Elvis Costello for their writing...to name a very few. How many children does he have? Five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda, Alexandra Does Paul have any grandchildren? In 1997 Paul’s daughter, Alexandra, gave birth to his first grandchild, Allegra – another girl! In 2001, the second grandchild entered the world, this time A BOY, named Alessio. Music Facts How many songs has Paul Anka recorded? He has recorded over 900 songs and more than 124 albums in five different languages. Since the inception of his career, his songs have been performed well over 90 million times worldwide (BMI statistic) and his LP and single sales collectively number more than 42 million (BMI Statistic). Where does Paul rank in terms of achievement compared to other recording artists? Mr. Anka has also been named the 21st most successful artist in Billboard’s history, putting him alongside music greats Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Not to mention, he set a career milestone by being one of only a few artists in history to have a record on Billboard’s Top 50 charts for five consecutive decades (Billboard statistic). How many number one records has Paul had? Paul has had three #1 records with: ‘Diana’, ‘Lonely Boy’, and ‘Having My Baby’; Overall in his career he has totaled (12) Top 10 hits, (22) Top 20 hits, and (33) Top 40 hits (in the U.S alone), with five Top 20 hits under his belt before the age of 18! Who else has recorded ‘My Way’? ‘MY WAY’ has been recorded and performed by: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Sid Vicious, Nina Simone, Gypsy Kings, Julio Iglesias, and most recently, U.K. sensation, Robbie Williams. Has he ever written with other songwriters? Yes. Paul has collaborated with David Foster; Carol Bayer Sager; Richard Marx; Michael Jackson; Michael McDonald, Sammy Cahn and many more. What other artists have recorded his songs over the years? Buddy Holly (It Doesn’t Matter Anymore); Annette Funicello (Puppy Love); Donny Osmond (Puppy Love and Lonely Boy); Barbra Streisand (Jubilation); Tom Jones (She’s A Lady); Sammy Davis Jr. (I’m Not Anyone); Frank Sinatra (Let Me Try Again and of course My Way), and most recently, Canadian sensation, Michael Buble (Put Your Head On My Shoulder), to name a few…. Does Paul ever collaborate with other songwriters? David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Richard Marx, Michael Jackson, Michael McDonald, Sammy Cahn and many others. He most recently served as Executive Producer on Canadian platinum artist, Michael Buble’s debut album Has Paul ever recorded in other languages? He has recorded more than ten albums in Japanese, German, Spanish, French and Italian. His most recent, a Spanish duets album titled, Amigos, featuring duets with Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias and many more. To date he has sold more than 15 million albums and over 3 million singles of the Italian song ‘Ogni Volta’. Has Paul ever written music for films? Paul wrote songs for the 1959 film titled, ‘Girlstown’, as well as composing the theme song to the 1962 film, ‘The Longest Day’ which was nominated for an Academy Award; He also wrote the theme song for ‘Atlantic City’ (Louis Malle’s 1980’s film), and wrote songs for the 1987 Kevin Costner film, ‘No Way Out.’ Additionally, his songs have appeared in countless films over the years. How many times was the ‘Tonight Show theme’ song performed? The ‘Tonight Show Theme’ was performed over 1,400,000 times since 1962, making it one of the most recognized theme songs in history. Has Paul’s music ever been used in a TV show? A Japanese Series, titled ‘The Golden Bowl, was created solely around his music for the second largest TV market in the world, featuring eight Paul Anka songs in every episode. His songs have also appeared in countless TV episodes over the years, too many to count! How often does Paul go on tour? Paul and his band are on tour roughly 35 weeks out of the year.