Paul Anka

Genres:	Drama • Easy Listening • Holiday & Seasonal • Holiday & Seasonal • Music Videos & Concerts • Pop / Rock • Vocals • War
Descriptive "tags":	swing • jazz • oldies • canadian • easy listening • pop • 60s
Decades Active:	1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	BBC Music • IMDb • Official Homepage • Wikipedia

Biography

30 July 1941, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. A prolific songwriter and child prodigy, Anka was one of the major teen-idols of the 50s. He burst onto the scene in 1957 with the self-written ‘Diana’, an intense ballad describing the frustration and unrequited love of a young teenager for a slightly older female. With its distinctive rhythm pattern, the song was powerfully evocative and stayed at the top of the UK charts for a lengthy nine weeks, as well as reaching number 1 in the USA. It sold a reported 10 million copies worldwide. Anka followed it with a series of hits such as ‘You Are My Destiny’, ‘Put Your Head On My Shoulder’ and ‘Puppy Love’. Adolescent worries and the desire to be taken seriously by condescending parents were familiar themes in those songs and contributed greatly to his success. As the 50s drew to a close, he wisely moved away from teen ballads and planned for a long-term future as a songwriter and cabaret...

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