Paul Anka Concert at Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis 2015
Paul Anka will be performing the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis on Friday August 7th at 8pm. Buy tickets here
Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, into a close-knit family, Paul Anka didn’t waste time getting his life in music started. From an early age he sang in a choir, studied piano and honed his writing skills with journalism courses, even working as a cub reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. By 13, he had his own vocal group, the Bobbysoxers. Blinded by determination, he would steal his mother’s car and drive to perform at every amateur night he could. Soon after, he won a trip to New York by winning a Campbell’s soup contest that required him to spend three months collecting soup can labels. It was there that his dream to make it as a singer composer was solidified. There was not a doubt in his young tenacious mind.
In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles, where a meeting with Modern Records led to the release of Anka’s first single, “Blau-Wile Deverest Fontaine.” Although it was not a hit, Anka kept plugging away. He went so far as to sneak into Fats Domino’s dressing room in Ottawa to meet him and his manager. When Anka returned to New York in 1957, he scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R representative for ABC-Paramount Records, playing him a batch of songs that included “Diana”. Costa was duly enthusiastic about the potential of the young singer and songwriter. The rapid and enormous success of “Diana”, his first number one hit, made him a star at the young age of 15.
Soon Paul found himself traveling by bus with the ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ with the top names of the day. Anka was the youngest entertainer to ever perform at the Copa Cabana. He honed his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Frankie Lyman, and Chuck Berry.
