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Early Life
Paul Anka was born July 30, 1941 in Ottawa, Canada.Paul Anka was the eldest of three children born to his Lebanese-Canadian parents, Andy and Camelia Anka. Pual Anka spent his childhood helping out in the kitchen and schmoozing with patrons of his father's restaurant, the Locanda, a popular hangout for Ottawa journalists, politicians and businessmen. At and early age, Anka was passionate about singing and playing the piano. By 13, he had his own vocal group, the Bobbysoxers. -
Rise To Fame
The label decided to realse "Diana",a song Anka wrote for a girl he had a crush on back in Ottawa, as the artist's first single. Within weeks, the 16-year old had the No.1 song in the world. "Diana" went on to sell more than 20 million copies. Paul Anka was officially a teen idol. By the late 1950s, he was travelling the world, singing songs like "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head On My Shoulder". Paul Anka says "My life as a teenager ended at 16. I went into another sphere." -
Personal Life
While traveling in Puerto Rico in 1962, Anka met Anne de Zogheb, a model of Parisian and Egyptian descent. The couple married in Paris in 1963, and Anne gave up her career to raise their family. The couple had five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alisia, Amanda and Alexandria. His marriage to Anne ended in 2001, after 37 years together. Anka then had a son with Anna Aberg, a Swedish model and actress 30 years his junior. The couple married in 2008 but separated shortly after. -
Awards and Honors
n 1972, a street in Ottawa was named Paul Anka Drive.[28] In 1981, the Ottawa City Council named August 26 as "Paul Anka Day" to celebrate his quarter-century in show business.[29]
Paul Anka won the Juno Award for Composer of the Year (an award given for songwriting) in 1975. He has been nominated for Juno Awards many other times. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1980.
Paul Anka was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2005. -
Facts About Paul
1) He has four grown daughters and a 7-year-old son.
2) Even the songs he wrote as ad jingles became hits. In 1975, "The Times of Your Life," written for a Kodak commercial, hit No. 7 on the Billboard charts.
3)Of all the songs he's written, "She's a Lady," which was a No. 1 hit for Tom Jones, is his least favorite.
4)As rock 'n' roll became popular, his throwback style led him to the place that would define the rest of his career: Las Vegas. -
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Current age
Now 76, Paul is still making beautiful music, and just like the song “My Way” he wrote for his pal Frank Sinatra in 1969, he’s still doing everything his way after six decades in showbiz.
