Columnist Joe Delaney: Anka’s shows are ‘emotional entertainment’

Joe Delaney

Friday, Dec. 1, 2000 | 11:17 a.m.

Joe Delaney's columns appear on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com.

Paul Anka is performing in concert Thursday through Jan. 4 in the Mirage's Siegfried & Roy Theatre ... Anka, who will be 60 on July 30, is in his fifth decade as a successful performer, headliner, actor, singer, musician, arranger, author and composer ... Born in Ottawa, barely in his teens, he earned $5 a night singing in local clubs, often sharing the bill with fellow Ottawan Rich Little.

Anka has enjoyed at least one major recording hit in each of the last five decades ... When not recording his songs as hits for himself, he has been prolific in writing hits for others, including Buddy Holly, Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra.

"My Way," a French melody with an innocuous lyric, caught Anka's ear while touring in France ... Rerouting himself to Paris, he located the composer and bought the song outright, rewrote the lyric for Frank Sinatra's return to Las Vegas in 1969, making it one of the most performed songs in history.

If at first

Anka's first foray into the United States was in the mid-1950s, to Los Angeles with a novelty tune, better forgotten ... "Diana," the story of a young lad's unrequited love for a baby-sitter, was in his pocket for that second U.S. attempt a few years later, this time in New York City ... It took more than a year of knocking on record-label doors before "Diana" was recorded.

The late Don Costa was Anka's arranger and mentor for "Diana" and the long succession of No. 1 hits that followed, now part of his "Golden Oldies" segment, a must in each performance ... It is noteworthy that Costa arranged the Sinatra version of "My Way," recorded in December 1969.

Anka likes to enter from the audience, making his way to the stage singing "Diana," following this with a great song standard such as "I've Got You Under My Skin" ... The show's song list, mostly Anka, is preset, but there are four or five arrangements for each major song, adding variety and dynamics.

In conclusion

An Anka performance is both a musical and an emotional entertainment experience ... He is nearly peerless at reading an audience and responding in kind ... He is a master of the effortless effort, yet in complete control every moment ... Anka is also a prime learning experience for aspiring young song stylists ... If there can be a successor to Sinatra, it will be Anka.

Playing catch-up

Belated birthday bests to Terry Little, 80 years young on Nov. 19, and stage manager for the Hilton's Nevada properties in their best years ... The Lon Bronson Orchestra, LV's best, and the duo Twice As Nice, Leslie and Wes, performed at the surprise party ... Good news: Caesars Magical Empire has been continued through March 31.

Tony Sacca's 15th annual "Merry Christmas Las Vegas" television show will be taped at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Stratosphere's showroom ... Bill Acosta, Clint Holmes, Sandy Hackett, Melinda, First Lady of Magic and the Scintas will appear ... The show will air eight times here and nationally on cable ... Admission is free but a $25 donation per person is requested, benefiting the Youth Foundation for the Performing Arts

Welcome home top musician and arranger Tommy Vig, back in town with his art gallery at 3242 E. Desert Inn Road.

Recommended: Very funny movie guy Harry Basil, predecessor to Carrot Top, through Sunday at the Tropicana Comedy Stop ... See you next Thursday.