Paul Anka
At the beginning of 2005, Paul Anka returned with a swing album in a class of its own. The special idea: With the participation of almost 50 of the world's best musicians, a total of 14 swing versions of rock songs such as "Eye of the Tiger" or "Jump" were recorded in the "Capitol Studios" in Los Angeles.
The team around producer Alex Christensen reads like the "Who's Who" of the music industry: Al Schmitt, who has already won 12 Grammies and worked with greats such as Frank Sinatra, Robbie Williams, Diana Krall, Usher and many more, is responsible as the engineer. Randy Kerber, Patrick Williams and John Clayton were hired for the arrangement. Among the musicians is percussion legend Emil Richards, who has worked with Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Doris Day, George Harrison and the Beach Boys, to name just a few. The result: Swing at its best - definitely another milestone in Paul Anka's extraordinary career, which has now lasted 45 years.
Paul Anka got his first impressions of the “world of music” when he sneaked into clubs at a very young age. He also took part in amateur competitions. Raised in Ottawa, Ontario, while studying English and journalism, he developed a talent for songwriting that has earned him 21st place on Billboard's list of the highest-grossing artists in history, with 124 albums. His breakthrough came when he was just 16 when he presented his hit single "Diana" to the world in New York, which sold over 20 million copies worldwide. More number one hits followed with "Lonely Boy" and "You're Having My Baby". Nowadays Paul Anka can draw an impressive balance sheet: In the USA alone he had 22 top ten hits and over 33 top 40 hits. He has sold more than 60 million records worldwide and released over 120 albums. With the Italian song "Ogni Volta" and the Spanish duet album "Amigos", on which he appeared in 1996 with stars such as Celine Dion, Ricky Martin and Julio Iglesias, he showed how important international connections to music and fans are to him. As a songwriter, he made a name for himself with hits like "She's a Lady" (sung by Tom Jones), "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (sung by Buddy Holly), or the unforgettable "My Way" (sung by Frank Sinatra). .
But not only on stage, but also in front of the camera, Paul Anka cuts a good figure: For example, he played alongside Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell and Christian Slater in "300 Miles to Graceland", with Richard Dreyfuss in "Mad Dog Time" and with Kurt Russel and Martin Short in Captain Ron.
In recent years, Paul Anka has shown no signs of retiring. On the contrary: Every year he is on tour worldwide for 10 months and regularly performs in Las Vegas, where he has a three-year deal with "THE MGM" - an absolute rarity these days.
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