Paul Black
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
“I represent Paul and his music through my company Many Lives Music Publishers.
I find him thoroughly professional to deal with and without question a huge up and coming Blues talent.
Paul Milner
A Major Sound
Many Lives Music Publishers” February 25, 2011
- Paul Milner /Many Lives Music Publishing
Date: 3/08/2011
Subject: RE: Paul Black
Paul Black is a very accomplished singer/songwriter 'professional' whom my company has been representing internationally for the last couple of years. I found Paul to be highly committed to his music and professionally followed through on all his obligations and/or requirements set forth by my company and/or my industry partners. It is rare these days, finding an act that has his kind of dedication, determination and reliability.
Yours truly,
Debora Nortman
Managing Director
A-B-A-C-A Entertainment Group
A-B-A-C-A Youth Records Ltd.
A-B-A-C-A Music Publishing Inc.
Vancouver BC Canada
- Debora Norton ABACA Entertainment
"The guitar prowess and throaty vocals of Taxi axeslinger Paul Black are reminiscent of early Stevie Ray Vaughan, which can only mean good things." ...
- Victoria News
Rolling like a freight train with no throttle control comes the blues sensation from Victoria, British Columbia, Paul Black. With captivating rhythms, dazzling lead guitars, and soulful vocal styles, Black is establishing himself as a true, straightforward, fearless blues rock and roller. If his energetic, throaty brand of music doesn’t have your head bobbing and singing along, almost nothing will.
- Nick Alfonse
Too often,blues albums lose there freshness after the first few tracks or play's but that is not the case here.The 12 original songs by Black have great variety from classic S.R.V. to Hendrix and others.He's got a great blues voice rough and worn but easy to listen to. Great guitar work, both acoustic and electric is well as the organ that adds a nice texture to many of the track's. This is not a guitar hero album but a well balanced production. Fans of good solid blues bands should enjoy this release - Rod McCrimmon Monday Magazine
I grew up listening to gospel and I was a huge Hendrix fan. For songwriting purposes, I kind of got veered off … but my heart is in the blues and gospel-based music.”
Backtracking 10 years, the 21st century arrived full of promise for Black and his bandmates.
They made it onto the 2000 Rocktoria CD sponsored by The Q radio station, after releasing a full-length debut independent CD, Paul Black and Taxi, earlier that year.
Then things went a bit south. Black had surgery on his wrist – a potentially serious blow for a guitar player.
He recovered quickly, however, and kept writing and playing. He won Island and B.C. songwriting contests, and his song “About You” placed first in VH-1 Save the Music Foundation’s national songwriting competition.
His guitar licks were later featured more than once on the Blues Deluxe syndicated radio show with the likes of Robert Cray and Robin Trower.
The gravelly voiced Black has spent the past three years refining 14 songs for inclusion on his latest independent CD, although two songs were dropped.
He got help on the album from seasoned keyboard players Darcy Phillips (from Jann Arden’s band) and Brendan Hedley, (David Gogo band), as well as other musicians he’s met or worked with over the years.
Terrace native Black, who spends his days working as the maintenance manager for Paul’s Motor Inn, has assembled a different band for the upcoming release party.
He aims to tour the new material (and some of the old) this year and looks forward to possible “mini-tours” to Europe or Japan. Unlike the U.S., those countries don’t require him to secure a green card to play there, not to mention, the music would likely go over big, he says.
The CD release show goes Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Victoria Event Centre
- Black Press/Don Descoteau
Discography
After moving south to Vancouver Island, Paul Black formed various blues bands until releasing an album titled “Paul Black and TAXI. Their debut CD won Black a spot on the Rocktoria (Victoria, BC) compilation CD (100.3 the Q FM). From there, Black, with his slow-burning, soulful sound, was featured twice with Etta James, Robert Cray and Robin Trower on the North American syndicated show Blues Deluxe out of Arlington Texas. The CD also rated an impressive 8 out of 10 by ROLLING STONE.com. A fervent singer-songwriter, Black blazed on to win the Vancouver Island Original Music Competition. He then seized first place in the province-wide Shaw Star Discovery Competition with judges from EMI, House of Blues and Sony Records.
Black cast his shadow on the International scene as he won first place for Song of the Year Competition for his song “About You”; he stood above the competition of thousands of entries for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Judged solely on song writing and lyrics, the competition attracts judges ranging from Capitol Records to Norah Jones to Universal Music manager, Stephanie Wright, who worked with Sting, U2, The Black Eyed Peas and Stevie Wonder. From there, he played with Chilliwack, Kim Mitchell, Sas Jordon, Long John Baldry, Barney Bentall and Buckwheat Zydeco. Most recently, Black invited Jann Arden’s keyboardist Darcy Phillips to contribute to his latest album.
In 2010, Black released his widely anticipated CD titled: “Paul Black” (Blue Words). With worldwide play throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe and the U.K. Black’s latest CD is featured in the 2010 POPKOMM International music festival in Berlin.
Photos
Bio
Born and raised in Terrace BC, Paul Black inherited his first guitar— ‘abandoned’ as money owed to his father — at 16, but didn’t pick it up until he was 18; he hasn’t put it down since. Growing up, gospel and country music dominated the household and his musical imagination. Conversely, Black played rock. When his mother ran errands, Zeppelin, forbidden, ruled the record player. From barn to stage, Black— who became a vocalist, by default, when his singer walked off— blew the barn doors open to rock out his original songs to live audiences all over Canada. The defining moment: one dry, hot summer his cousin gave him a ticket to Stevie Ray Vaughn, and from then on it was nothin’ but the blues. Head first, he plunged into the likes of Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters, and Black emerged as the dirty, aggressive, exciting musician we hear today.
Links
