The Complete US & UK Singles As & Bs 1956-62

Canadian singer Paul Anka shot to fame in 1956 at the age of 15 when he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC singing a song he had written for a girl he hardly knew. “Diana”, which became one of the biggest hits of the year and began the extraordinary career of artist whose versatility has ensured continued success both as a singer and as a hugely successful songwriter. He racked up a string of hits through the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, most them self-penned, as he proved that his early success was no flash in the pan, and that his talent encompassed rock ‘n’ roll as well as dramatic ballads and sophisticated mood music. This great value 60-track 2-CD set comprises the A and B sides of every single he released in the USA and UK during those frenetic first few years of his career, the success he was enjoying measured by the fact that thirty-five of those tracks registered in either the US or UK charts, his major hits, including “Lonely Boy”, “I Love You Baby”, “You Are My Destiny” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”. He is a highly individual artist, who defied many of the norms of the teen idol era, able to transcend the musical boundaries between the genres, and made a significant contribution to the music of the times.