Paul Anka

Paul Anka was born in Ottawa, Canada, on July 30, 1941, and started singing professionally at the age of 12 with two friends. The trio were pretty successful in Canada and when they disbanded Paul convinced his parents to send him to Hollywood where he had an uncle with 'Show-Biz' connections.

He was eventually signed by Don Costa to Paramount Records and had his first hit in 1957 with Diana, which stayed at Number 1 for one week in the US and nine weeks in the UK. Other hits followed, including Lonely Boy, Put Your Head On My Shoulder and Puppy Love, and by the time he was 17 he was a millionaire.

At 18 he was the youngest performer ever to star at the famous Copacabana Club in New York, and by 21 he had written over 200 songs, notably It Doesn't Matter Anymore which was recorded by Buddy Holly in 1959. Anka is still recording and writing songs.