In his 55^th year as a performer, Paul Anka is a national treasure (notwithstanding he was born in Ottawa) who quickly separated himself from the pack of teen idols that surfaced in the mid-to-late 1950s. He did this mainly by virtue of writing all his own hits (“Diana,” “You Are My Destiny,” “Lonely Boy,” “Put Your Head On My Shoulder,” “Puppy Love”), and taking control of his business career (producing, buying and owning his master recordings, a practice he still employs today). He further separated himself from the pack during the pre-Beatles era by moving into posh big city night clubs like New York’s Copacabana, that were long the province of Frank Sinatra and his generation. Anka also graduated from early rock exploitation films (like Let’s Rock and Girls Town) into mature film roles like The Longest Day, (for which he wrote the Oscar-nominated title song).

His latest release; DUETS includes heartfelt liner notes written by Anka, as an introduction to the classic songs he has chosen and his collaborators. “Throughout the history of music,” writes Anka, “there have been all kinds of songs; to me, the classics still reign supreme. This endeavor, these songs, will be easy on your ears; they are the stuff that love and life is all about.”

Anka wrote the all-time classic “My Way” (recorded by everyone from Sinatra to Sid Vicious), and co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous single, “This Is It.” Anka also penned “She’s A Lady” for Tom Jones and the instrumental theme song for The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Anka charted singles throughout the 1960s, 1970s (the #1 “You’re Having My Baby” and the Kodak theme song, “Times Of Your Life”) and 1980s, and overall has maintained a distinct presence throughout the past half-century of pop culture.

He is among Billboard magazine’s Top 25 most successful recording artists, putting him alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

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