Summary

Paul Anka was just 15 – two weeks away from turning 16 – when he first made Billboard ’s pop chart in July 1957 with the smash “Diana.” (This was more than a year before Billboard introduced the Hot 100.) Last week, Anka was announced as a 2026 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the most prestigious career cappers in the entertainment field. Anka is the 11th artist who later received the Kennedy Center Honors who first hit the Hot 100 as a teenager.

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