(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Paul Anka on Friday, December 16 at 8:00pm. Anka is one of the greatest songwriters in pop-music history with over seven decades of creating lifetime hits including “In the Still of the Night,” “Sincerely,” “(You’re) Having My Baby,” “Times of Your Life” and so much more. Tickets range from $39 to $128.
Paul Anka's place as an international music icon and one of the great songwriters in pop-music history is backed by 125 records, 900 songs, and 60 million albums sold. He had four Top 20 hits in 1958 alone: “You Are My Destiny,” “Crazy Love,” “(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings,” and “Let the Bells Keep Ringing.” Then came “Lonely Boy,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Puppy Love”—too many to count. He spent the late 50s traveling, a kid living a romantic dream, touring with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran. He became friends with Buddy Holly, wrote and worked with him on his last hit, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” which was to mark the start of a new direction for Buddy. Songs written by Anka and that will never be forgotten include “In the Still of the Night,” “Sincerely,” “(You’re) Having My Baby,” “Times of Your Life” and “It’s Really Love,” a hit for Annette Funicello.
Mr. Anka has not slowed down, most recently he completed his long awaited autobiography, My Way An Autobiography and album Duets, featuring duets with Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson, Michael Buble, Celine Dion and more is available now.
Paul Anka’s latest two albums– Rock Swings and now Classic Songs, My Way – ingeniously featured songs originally created by some of the biggest rock performers of the day – as well as other established artists across several genres. The twist: Paul Anka did the songs ‘his way.’ His goal: “taking great songs and rework them so they’re natural for me.” With the help of his five daughters, Anka spent months researching music from the ‘80s and ‘90s, trying to find the songs that would work in the radical new context he proposed. The songs that made the cut included Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Even more dramatic were his transformations of “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Rock Swings went Top 10 in the UK, and was certified gold in the UK, France, and Canada, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and went on to sell half a million units worldwide.
NJPAC is located at One Center Street in Newark, NJ.
