Paul Anka says “My Way,’’ which he wrote, is Donald Trump’s favorite song. Sounds plausible, especially when you consider the crescendo: “For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught.’’ (In fewer words: “I alone can fix it.’’)

But the songwriter won’t be on hand to sing it at the president-elect’s inauguration on Friday. Anka says he’ll be busy spending time with his son, after a recent custody settlement.

Litigation is one excuse the incoming president might understand. Other artists who have declined to play the inauguration have offered a range of excuses, or none at all. Elton John simply said no. Charlotte Church tweeted that she would not perform for a “tyrant.’’ Ice-T, the “Law & Order’’ star, claims he was asked but blocked the caller. Moby said he’d consider DJing an inaugural ball if Trump released his tax returns. (Translation: fat chance.)

A few performers are in fact scheduled to appear in D.C. On Thursday, there’s a free event planned from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration.’’ Country star Toby Keith, who will co-headline with the Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down (“Kryptonite’’), might consider singing his revenge anthem, “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue,’’ the title of which has an apt parenthetical: “The Angry American.’’

Friday’s inauguration ceremony will feature the Rockettes and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Both groups have endured dissension in the ranks after announcing their commitment. At least one choir member quit, and disgruntled kick dancers managed to wrestle a concession from their parent organization, the Madison Square Garden Company, that their participation is not mandatory.

The celebrity-obsessed Trump has downplayed the lack of star power lined up for his inauguration. “I want the PEOPLE!’’ he tweeted. One of his inaugural pre-parties did land the populist rock star Bruce Springsteen, in a manner of speaking — in the form of a cover band. But even they’ve since dropped out.

There’s a long list of performers who have sung at inauguration ceremonies, balls, and galas over the years. Mickey Rooney sang and joked for Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the president’s third inaugural, in 1941, kicking off the modern custom of adding some Hollywood glitz to the military bands that have traditionally enhanced the pomp and circumstance.

Trump and Rooney, who died at age 93 in 2014, are said to have been good friends and golf buddies. The diminutive entertainer might have been one of the few inaugural performers from years past who would have considered playing for Trump. According to Nancy Sinatra, her late father, Frank — who organized star-studded, nonpartisan programs for both John F. Kennedy in 1961 (Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima) and Ronald Reagan 20 years later (Ethel Merman, Debby Boone, Charley Pride, the Beach Boys) — “would never support a bigot.’’

Rooney’s appearance marked the first official Presidential Inaugural Gala, a commemorative concert that eventually would be televised live, from 1977 through 1997. Harry Truman’s gala at the D.C. Armory in 1949 featured a diverse selection of talent, including the bandleaders Lionel Hampton, Xavier Cugat, and Benny Goodman, and singer Lena Horne. Hampton returned to perform for Dwight Eisenhower, who also invited Lawrence Welk, among others.

The glamour associated with the Kennedys set the bar high for galas to follow. For Lyndon Johnson in 1965, Carol Channing sang “Hello Lyndon!,’’ the campaign song based on her hit show “Hello Dolly!’’ One celebrity columnist reported that Barbra Streisand’s closing number, “People,’’ sounded on that night “like the most important song next to the National Anthem.’’

(Though she would also appear at George Bush’s inaugural gala in 1989, Streisand is no fan of the newest GOP president. Last fall, she sang a Trump-tailored parody of “Send in the Clowns’’ at an LGBT fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton.)

Richard Nixon did not attend his own inaugural gala in 1969, citing security concerns. The event, attended instead by Vice President Spiro Agnew, featured Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, and James Brown. In a strange hint of the chaos to come, the biggest attraction at Nixon’s second inauguration four years later turned out to be a wayward chicken, which escaped from a farming exhibit during a ball held at the Smithsonian’s Museum of History and Technology, terrorizing the revelers.

Jimmy Carter’s inaugural gala, televised from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, showcased a bipartisan range of actors including John Wayne, Shirley MacLaine, and Paul Newman, as well as singers Linda Ronstadt, Aretha Franklin, and Paul Simon.

Bill Clinton’s first gala in 1993 featured Streisand, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and a reunited Fleetwood Mac, who closed the show with a version of his campaign theme, “Don’t Stop.’’ The last inaugural gala was held after Clinton’s reelection, with another parade of performers, this time including Gloria Estefan, Kenny G, and James Taylor.

The contested election of George W. Bush in 2000 was one reason for the discontinuation of the gala, which had outgrown each of its successive venues (and, perhaps, the interest of an increasingly distracted prime-time television audience). Instead, the focus landed on the Presidential Inaugural Opening Celebration itself, where the performers included Wayne Newton, Brooks & Dunn, and Ricky Martin, with whom the incoming president gamely attempted a few dance moves.

Since then, most of the visiting entertainers have taken the stage at various inaugural balls around Washington, both official and unofficial. Texas’s Black Tie and Boots ball in 2005, for instance, featured homegrown talent Lyle Lovett and Asleep at the Wheel. Four years later, Barack and Michelle Obama began their evening at the Neighborhood Ball, which welcomed average citizens through affordable ticketing. Beyoncé serenaded the first couple there with a memorable version of “At Last.’’

If Trump says he wants “the people,’’ Obama had them. Two days before Obama’s historic inauguration, an estimated 400,000 people crowded the National Mall for the We Are One celebration, headlined by superstars including Springsteen, Taylor, and Stevie Wonder. At Obama’s swearing-in on Jan. 20, Aretha — the Queen of Soul — sang an elaborate gospel version of “My Country ’Tis of Thee’’ from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

By comparison, the Trump ceremony has Jackie Evancho, who will sing the national anthem. The 16-year-old soprano, who made her name on “America’s Got Talent,’’ has something in common with the incoming president: She finished second in the voting.

James Sullivan can be reached at jamesgsullivan@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @sullivanjames.