from Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in a ceremony performed at Rideau Hall on Friday, June 10, 2005.
'''Paul Albert Anka''', OC (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Lebanese-Canadian singer and songwriter.
Early life
He began singing as a child, first starting in the St Elijah Syriac Orthodox Church choir in Ottawa. As a student at Ottawa's Fisher Park High School he was part of a trio called the ''Bobby Soxers''.http://www.history-of-rock.com/paul_anka.htm.
Early success
Encouraged by his parents, at age 14 he recorded his first single, "I Confess." In 1957 he went to New York City where he auditioned for ABC, singing a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter, Diana Ayoub. The song, "Diana", brought Anka instant stardom as it rocketed to number one on the charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling 45s in music history. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, making him one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and then, with Buddy Holly, toured Australia.
thumb|left|1960 45 record single of Puppy Love
His talent went beyond singing, writing Buddy Holly's giant hit, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," the theme for Johnny Carson's ''Tonight Show'', Tom Jones' biggest hit record, "She's A Lady", and the English lyrics for "My Way," Frank Sinatra's signature song and sung by many well known artists, including Greta Keller, for whom the words were very fitting.
In the 1960s, Anka would begin acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit movie ''
The Longest Day''. From his movie work, he wrote and recorded his monster hit, "Lonely Boy." He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos.
Comeback
After more than ten years without a hit record, in 1974, he teamed up with Odia Coates to record the number 1 hit, "Having My Baby." They would record two more duets that both made it into the Top 10. In 1975, he wrote a jingle for Kodak called ''The Times of Your Life''. The jingle became so popular, he recorded it as a full song, and it became a hit a year later.
By the 1970s, Anka's career centered around adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He returned to his home town to buy a part of the Ottawa Senators hockey team.
In 1999, he visited Lebanon for sell-out performances at the Forum de
