Interesting about Anka...I was his press agent from the time he was 16...sleeping in my bathtub in a Manhattan hotel when he came down from Canada...when Irv Feld hired me because I had done a good job on Sammy Davis...to the early sixties...Irv and Izzy Feld owned a drugstore in Washington DC and got into the music business by the records they were selling...I got him on the cover of TIME, a real coup...Inside story about "My Way"...the original song was written by Lined Renaud’s pianist husband. I did the publicity for his marriage to Ann DeZogheb, a beautiful Egyptian model living in Paris, wedding took place at the airport...his father Andy and mother then lived across the river in New Jersey...so many storieshope you are well...best jay weston
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A couple of great things you missed about Anka – now I haven’t read the book – but, there was a great film made about him when he was starting out called Lonely Boy. Check out the scene of him walking into the Copa
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKzs_oRwDs also – he’s the only one to actually make a truly great swing record using rock material. The record was done in 2010, and the secret to Anka's success is that there is no ironic distance here. He’s got a great chart and a great band and he’s singing it and swinging it like no one else left on the planet can. And he totally means it. A pro and a huge talent.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_MzRxDUeMI Jeff Rosen
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Can't wait to read it.
If memory serves Bob, he wrote "My Way" and "New York, New York" correct?
An amazing man.
Thanks.
Lee Posner
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AND sneaking up into Annette's bedroom!
Dennis Brent
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I worked for Irvin Feld, the "circus guy." I still work for his son Kenneth. The Anka book has been out for a year or so and is fun to read. As you mention sometimes the book wanders. It is more of an oral history than anything else. Nonetheless it is a great look into his career. I worked for Irvin Feld’s right hand guy, Allen Bloom. Allen was the road manager for all the Feld "Super Shows" bus tours. Later he became senior vice president of the circus. Allen used to show me the books on the old rock tours. Like what they grossed on tickets, program books, concessions and how they paid the acts. He knew every deal point and split with the arenas and clubs.... all written down in a little notebook.
Best Regards,
Bill Powell
Feld Entertainment
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Bob, several years back (before Sirius), Anka was a guest on the Howard Stern show. That interview was the greatest interview I ever heard. Anka stories were mind-blowing Definitely worth a listening to if you can find the audio.
Mike Verzi
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Whassup, My Brother.....just a note on Paul Anka, 1963, he wrote a song for Lesley Gore..(16 years old)..it became the B side for "It's My Party"...titled "Danny"...your article on Paul drug me back to the 60's..Thank-Q, Brother Bob...Big huggies 2 U Lady-Cini...Xo..Yo' Bro' Quincy Jones
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It's 1955 I'm in 6th grade and in my first year in the school patrol (student crossing guard) I'm 11 or 12 and the patrols, for payment, get freebies. Saturday morning bowling, where we kids also set the pins. Also there is the end of year picnic with hotdogs and foot races and the Christmas party. Every public school in the city participated in the police coordinated program.
At my first Christmas party there was Paul in pegged pants and white socks wearing a red fright wig. The only song I can remember him singing was "Swingin' on a Star" His cousins Bobby and Ronny lived up the street from us. Fine folks from Lebanon. I think he had a group called the Bobby Soxers.
Of course he also wrote that mega-hit for Frank Sinatra, "My Way" The tune is French as was Paul's wife, but the words are all his.
All the best,
-Brian Fisher
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Hi Bob,
Thanks for your Paul Anka article. “I did it my way” will be remembered forever as a great song standard.
Curiously, other famous people from Ottawa include Dan Akroyd, Bruce Cockburn, Tom Green, Lorne Greene, Rich Little, Norm MacDonald, Alanis Morissette, Matthew Perry, and Justin Trudeau, just to name a few.
Thanks, Bob.
Mike Vancha
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Now i'll buy it thank you--walter sabo
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Thanks for sharing the review of this book. I had no idea it was out, but I just ordered it from Amazon.
I always thought of Paul Anka as one of the most normal people in entertainment. Kind of an "aw shucks" Guy who has unbelievable talent but doesn't need to be reminded about that every three minutes like so many singers and songwriters do. It certainly seems that he is based on the notice that you and your review of the book.
Thanks for everything you do. Keep up the great work!
Mark Edelstein
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I see Mr. Anka at my local mall about once a week during the school year, his son goes to school in the area. He is always warm and takes time to speak with people. Class act.
Michelle Jacobs
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Bob, Paul is a great survivor. Not sure if you read what my dad wrote about the book and Paul in Vanity Fair when it came out, but thought you'd enjoy:
www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/photo-paul-anka-annie-leibovitz Regards,
Michael Weintraub
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Paul Anika is without a doubt the most talented musical veteran this side of Bacharach not yet inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Wenner.
Mike McCann.
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Funny, but the song I was named after in Nov 57!
All the best & I hope you are feeling better!
Diana Sutter
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Hi Bob: Just perused your article on Paul Anka. I'm not a huge fan but he does get props for the songs he has written over the years. And when you mentioned "You're Having My Baby" going to #1, it reminded me that he was the first singer to have number one hits in each of the decades of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Hardly any artists did it then, and you are so right - next to none are primed to do it in the future. Great line about him being a junior member of the Rat Pack, too - it sums up an awful lot about a time and place we will never see again - or at least, the way it was.
Eric Pedersen
Topeka, KS
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"Hit with "Diana" back in '57 and went to number one in with '(You're) Having My Baby' in '72."
1974.
hyperbolium
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Anka is a legend and a Canadian treasure as well.
You might like this mini doc the National Film Board of Canada did on him back in the day.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrdqWM5X2zg Best
Vince Degiorgio
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I need to read that book! You see, my dad, Jim McGovern (who passed away in 2014), knew Paul Anka when they were growing up. I wonder if my dad gets a mention. My dad grew up on Bayswater Ave in Ottawa, in the area that is called Hintonberg. He told me stories about Paul, trading comics with Paul, hanging out along with the our cousin Pat Marsden (who became a nationally know sports announcer in Canada, and did colour commentary for the first Canada-Russia series). If I remember correctly my what my dad said, Paul Anka lived over on Breezehill, a couple streets away.
Thank you for making me aware of this book! I will have to check with the library to see if the local branch has a copy.
Farrell McGovern
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I read his book too and was charmed. He's a customer of my client, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills (the owner is a big Beatles fan, a musician who moved to LA with his buddy John Larroquette, and...who has a small recording studio upstairs in the loft of the cheese store with his vintage grand piano up there and there is often a late night jam session with some well known musicians!).
I've spoken with him on the phone and he's so real and personable. I'm thrilled you shared his book with your constituency. Keep on Bob!!!
Linda Arroz
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and then he was back at the top of the hit parade again in the early 2000's with this brilliant record
open.spotify.com/album/0lu611O6t7E8sd9E2LkImh what a legend !
Michael Richardson
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I will go and buy this book. I'm Canadian and I have left the house. Here's my Paul Anka story.
In 2003, my future wife and I were living in Japan. We had been in Europe previous to that. What did we do? Teach English to adults. We had met a wonderful Japanese couple who were in their sixties- they owned a pharmacy near the train station where we lived. They couldn't really speak a word of English and we couldn't really speak a word of Japanese. But we tried. And part of the fun is trying to communicate when neither of you knows what is being said. They had a friend who could speak English and we made plans to go out and have dinner one night. Everyone showed up that night- except the friend who could speak English. So what do we do? They suggest karaoke! We laughed. Music, the universal language. The older woman knew lots of English songs and but her husband only knew one so he first. And what's the song? Diana by Paul Anka. We all joined in the chorus and probably shattered glass on the high notes. But nobody cared. It was perfect and when he was done, he bowed and then pointed at the screen where Paul Anka's name was and then he pointed at us. "Canada", he said. We smiled, grinned and grab the mic for the next song.
The evening was off and running and nobody had a problem communicating the rest of the night.
Todd Devonshire
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Well done and thank you for the shout on Anka and Ottawa.
There have been some notable bands and singers from Ottawa. The Cooper
Brothers (Dream Never Dies, Rock and Roll Cowboys), Five Man Electrical
Band (Signs, You're Absolutely Right), Alanis Morissette (Ironic, You
Oughta Know), other fabulous talent and naturally the great Paul Anka.
Anka had a rough start in Ottawa but, sadly in part because of his
international fame, he became loved. His great writing will live forever.
You have nailed it Bob. Passion, believing in yourself and the writing.
The above mentioned have done all that and more and some are still at it!
Going out to buy Paul's book.
Please keep keeping us informed,
Best,
Tony Leadman
Former radio announcer
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Great write up on Paul Anka. If you’re curious to see what his life was like at 21, check out this doc shot during the height of his popularity:
www.nfb.ca/film/lonely_boy/ Angelo Oddi
Toronto
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When I started my career at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, one of my first projects as a second engineer was working on Paul Anka’s album, Music Man. Produced by Charlie Calello and recorded by Michael Braunstein it’s not regarded as one of his seminal albums but it had an impact on me personally.
Paul would arrive at the studio like clockwork in a chauffeured car after flying from Carmel in his private jet. He was always upbeat and made a special effort to talk with everyone who was working on the session that day. Paul worked closely with Charlie and I was impressed by how sharp and involved he was. At six o’clock he would hop back into the car for the airport and fly back home to tuck his kids in. There might have been only one day that he was unable to make it out on time.
During the recording there was a conflict with studio time at the Record Plant and the sessions moved to Kendun Recorders in Burbank for a few days. Michael asked me to come along since I didn’t have another project to work on and it would be my first studio experience outside of the Record Plant. I helped whenever I could, but most of my time was spent watching and listening to some of the most talented session musicians on the planet. Paul always bought lunch for everyone, a perk that to this day is appreciated in the studio. One day a few boxes of burgers and shakes arrived and as studio etiquette dictated, I waited until everyone was done before I walked over to partake. When the band went back into the studio to record I made the comment to Michael that it was one of the best burgers I had ever eaten and I wished there were more, but the boxes were empty. The session moved forward and an hour later Paul’s driver walked in the door with two more boxes of food from the burger joint. He said they were for me. I was taken aback and asked how could this be? He nodded in the direction of Paul who was singing on his mic and said that he had overheard my conversation as he walked by. Later that afternoon I thanked him and he just smiled.
In 1977 I was a young kid, impressionable and ready to absorb all that I experienced. While I know Paul had the means to do what he did, he was generous and went out of his way to create an atmosphere in the studio to get the best from the people he worked with, a lesson learned. He will always be the Gold Standard to me.
Mike Clink
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