PATRICIA C. SYAK | Symphony notes Paul Anka's talent stands test of time

Songwriter Paul Anka comes to Powers Auditorium for one performance at 8 p.m. April 3.
Local interest will be heightened when Anka teams with Youngstown's Kenny Eldridge and the Jesus Celebration Singers for the evening of music.
History: Ask any 16-year-old boy what he plans on doing for the rest of his life, and you are going to hear a few vague adolescent plans. But Anka knew he wanted to be a songwriter and a singer. That conviction has carried him through a career that has spanned 43 years and produced more than 900 songs.
At 16, Anka took a trip from his native Ottawa, Canada, to New York City where he landed a record deal with his song & quot;Diana. & quot; That song became an international hit, selling more than 20 million copies, and was the first of five top 20 songs he would write and record before he was 18.
Beginning his career by entering amateur contests and sneaking into clubs, Anka has achieved success in every venue: stage, screen, television and recording.
Anka recently set a milestone by being the only artist to have a record on Billboard's Top 50 chart for five consecutive decades. Since the inception of his career, Anka's songs have been performed well over 90 million times worldwide. His LP and single sales collectively number more than 42 million.
Anka's most memorable tunes are "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "My Way," and the now famous theme from "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson."
Anka's career rolls on as he releases his 125th album "Anka Live 2000," recorded during his worldwide tour the previous year.
Film: Many memorable film projects bear the hallmark of Anka's unmistakable musical signature. In addition to writing the theme music for "The Longest Day" (the 1962 Academy Award winning movie in which Paul Anka made his motion picture debut), Anka penned the theme music and title song for the Kevin Costner movie "No Way Out" and for Louis Malle's "Atlantic City," for which he took top honors at the Venice Film Festival.
His most recent film project, "3000 Miles to Graceland," filmed with Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell and Christian Slater, reached movie houses last month.
While many of his fellow teen idols have burned out or faded, Anka remains a well-established songwriter and performer.
Kenny Eldridge: Eldridge and his group burst on the scene in 1996 with a debut release "Excited" that landed them at No. 4 on Billboard's top gospel releases. Once the musical director and keyboardist for Vickie Winans, Eldridge has performed with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, taught music in the Ohio school system, conducted music workshops across the country and toured with the Jesus Celebration Singers.
Anka's performance is presented by the Youngstown Symphony Society and by underwriting support from the Home Savings and Loan Company.
XPatricia C. Syak is executive director of the Youngstown Symphony Society.