Paul Anka is Coming to the Smith Center

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts has announced the Reynolds Hall return of iconic singer Paul Anka. Anka, the voice behind such timeless staples as “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Diana,” “You Are My Destiny” and “(You’re) Having My Baby,” brings his All The Hits – His Way Tour to The Smith Center on March 22, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. 

Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, 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. After visiting the music hub of New York, his dream to make it as a singer-composer was solidified.

The enormous success of “Diana,” his first No. 1 hit, made him a star at the age of 15. Soon, Anka found himself traveling by bus with the “Cavalcade of Stars,” honing his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.

Anka went on to write for Connie Francis, Leslie Gore and Buddy Holly. Anka notably also penned the longest-running theme song in television history – for The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.

In the late ’60s, Anka wrote the lyrics to “My Way” for Frank Sinatra, and in the ’70s, Anka had another string of his own hits, including “(You’re) Having My Baby,” “Don’t Like to Sleep Alone” and “Times of Your Life.”

Later achievements as a recording artist included “Hold Me ’til the Morning Comes,” a hit duet with Peter Cetera in 1983; the Spanish language album Amigos in 1996 and Body of Work, a 1998 duets album that featured Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Tom Jones and daughter Anthea Anka.

In 2013, Anka released his New York Times best-selling autobiography, My Way, the remarkable story of his decades-long career as an entertainer, actor and songwriter. In 2018, the rapper Drake utilized an unreleased collaboration between Anka and Michael Jackson on his hit song “Don’t Matter to Me.” And that same year, Anka wowed judges and audiences during his time on the hit TV competition The Masked Singer.

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