HITMAKER: Paul Anka is at the State Theatre New Jersey on November 12.

State Theatre New Jersey presents singer-songwriter Paul Anka: All the Hits — His Way on Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $49-$229.

Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, into a close-knit family, Anka sang in a choir, studied piano, and honed his writing skills with journalism courses, even working as a cub reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles to visit his uncle, where he hitchhiked to a meeting with Modern Records that led to the release of his first single.

In New York in 1957, Anka scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R representative for ABC-Paramount Records, playing him a batch of songs that included “Diana.” The hit made him a star at the young age of 15. He was the youngest entertainer ever to perform at the Copacabana.

Anka went on to write songs for Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, and Buddy Holly and wrote the longest-running theme in television history for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In the late ‘60s, Anka wrote “My Way” for Frank Sinatra, and by the ’70s, he had another string of hits like “(You’re) Having My Baby,” “Don’t Like To Sleep Alone,” and “Times Of Your Life,” which confirmed his status as an icon of popular music.

In April 2013, Anka released his autobiography, published by St. Martin’s Press, entitled My Way. During the same time, his new 14-song album entitled Duets was released by Sony Music Entertainment and featured artists such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Celine Dion, and Michael Bublé.

The State Theatre New Jersey is at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick. Visit Stnj.org for tickets.