Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez | |
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Paul Sanchez at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, 2008 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Poppy |
Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
Genres | Folk rock, R&B, jazz, blues |
Occupation(s) | Singer, guitarist |
Years active | 1990 - present |
Labels | Threadhead Records |
Associated acts |
John Boutté Cowboy Mouth |
Website | PaulSanchez.com |
Paul Sanchez is a New Orleans-born and based American guitarist and a singer-songwriter. Sanchez was a founding member of the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth. Sanchez was a guitarist and one of the primary singers and songwriters for the band from 1990 to 2006. Sanchez's songs have appeared in films and on television and have been performed by various artists such as Darius Rucker, Irma Thomas, Michael Cerveris, Susan Cowsill, Kevin Griffin and The Eli Young Band, Hootie and the Blowfish, John Boutté, Shamarr Allen, Glen Andrews and Kim Carson.
Biography
Paul Sanchez was born on the River Road along the levee of the Mississippi River and grew up in New Orleans' blue-collar Irish Channel neighborhood, historic home to stevedores and river pilots. Never one to be categorized or stay in the lines he has a career as varied as New Orleans itself. Sanchez is a songwriter, musician, singer, producer, writer and actor. In January 2010 Off Beat Magazine gave Paul three Best Of The Beat Awards. Songwriter of The Year, Best Song Of The Year, Best Folk/Rock Album for Stew Called New Orleans, his duet record with friend and collaborator John Boutte. In April of that same year Gambit Weekly awarded him Best Roots Rock Performer at The Big Easy Awards.
His first musical endeavor was in the New Orleans band The Backbeats, along with Vance DeGeneres, Steve Walters and a drummer he was to encounter again in his career named Fred LeBlanc.
He refined his art in the flourishing Anti-folk scene during a stint in New York in the late eighties where he befriended artists Brenda Kahn, John S. Hall and Roger Manning.
He has released 11 CDS as a solo artist. Also releasing 11 CDs as a founding member of the New Orleans rock band Cowboy Mouth. He left the "Mouth" after 15 years in 2006 just after the flood had upended his home and the city of New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the gulf, Sanchez was on tour with The Mouth. Attempting to process the extent of the losses, he stayed on tour and wrote a post-Katrina tribute, “Home”, which was featured in the Starz documentary New Orleans Music in Exile. When being interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show that year, Sanchez was asked by Ellen what he loved about New Orleans and he replied, "well, I'm pretty sure we invented a good time so if you ever had one..."
2008 also saw the re-release of a rewritten version of the title cut of Sanchez's first solo release Jet Black & Jealous. The Eli Young Band made the song the title cut of their major label debut on Universal/Republic. Jet Black & Jealous made its debut at number 5 on the Billboard Country Album Charts in September 2008. He published a book of essays in 2009 entitled Pieces Of Me which deals with his sense of life, loss and rebuilding after the flood.
Primarily a songwriter Paul has written songs with and for John Boutte, Shamarr Allen, Darius Rucker of Hootie and The Blowfish, Galactic, Glen David Andrews, Irma Thomas, Matt Perrine, Tony Award Winning actor Michael Cerveris, Vance DeGeneres, Susan Cowsill, Debbie Davis, Arsene DeLay, John Thomas Griffith, John Rankin, Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra, The Eli Young Band, Caleb Guillotte of Dead-Eye Dick and many more.
For the last few years Sanchez has been writing, recording and performing a musical adaptation of New York Times Best Seller Nine Lives Nine Lives has been performed in New York City at Symphony Space, Washington DC at Sixth & I, Los Angeles at Fais Do-Do and New Orleans at Le Petite Theater, The CAC, The Ellis Marsalis Center and Tulane University's Dixon Hall. He has appeared on the HBO series Treme as himself.
Paul resides in the Tremé and still lives, sings and breathes New Orleans.
Discography
Cowboy Mouth studio albums
- Word of Mouth · 1992
- It Means Escape · 1994
- Are You With Me? · 1996
- Word of Mouth (Remix1) · 1996
- Mercyland · 1998
- Easy · 2000
- Uh Oh · 2003
- Voodoo Shoppe · 2006
Cowboy Mouth live albums and EPs
- Mouthin' Off (Live & More) · 1993
- Mouthin' Off (Live & More) (Remastered) · 1997
- Cowboy Mouth LIVE! (limited edition 5-song EP issued with Mercyland) · 1998
- Live in the X Lounge "Jenny Says" · 1998
- All You Need Is Live · 2000
- Live in the X Lounge "Easy" · 2000 & 2001
- Uh Oh (5-song Preview EP) · 2003
- Live at the Zoo · 2004
Solo albums
- Reclamation Of The Pie-Eyed Piper 2012, Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show
- Nine Lives - A Musical Story of New Orleans (The Complete Set) 2012
- Nine Lives - A Musical Story of New Orleans (Volume One) 2011
- Red Beans and Ricely Yours 2010
- Bridging the Gap 2010, Shamarr Allen & Paul Sanchez
- Farewell To Storyville 2009
- Stew Called New Orleans 2009
- Exit to Mystery Street 2008, produced by Dave Pirner, (Soul Asylum). Featuring guest appearances by Ivan Neville, Shamarr Allen, Susan Cowsill, James Andrews, Fredy Omar, & Craig Klein
- Washed Away 2007, a compilation of songs from his first 6 recordings, all lost in the levee failure in New Orleans
- Between Friends 2007, featuring guest appearances by Darius Rucker, John Boutte', Theresa Anderson, Jim Sonefeld, & Susan Cowsill.
- Hurricane Party 2000, produced by Tim Sommer. Featuring guest appearances by Susan Cowsill, Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, Peter Holsapple, & John Boutte'
- Live at Carrollton Station 1999, produced by Mike Mayeux
- Sonoma Valley 1998, produced by Mike Mayeux. Guest appearances by Susan Cowsill, John Boutte' & John Thomas Griffith
- Loose Parts 1997, produced by Peter Holsapple. Guest appearance by Susan Cowsill
- Wasted Lives & Bluegrass 1995
- Jet Black and Jealous 1993, recorded by Roger Manning
Awards & recognition
- Named New Orleans "Songwriter of the Year (2000) by the Gambit Weekly readers' poll
- OffBeat (music magazine) gave Paul three Best Of The Beat Awards (2010). Songwriter of The Year, Best Song Of The Year, and Best Folk/Rock Album for Stew Called New Orleans (duet record with friend and collaborator John Boutte).
- Gambit Weekly awarded him Best Roots Rock Performer at The Big Easy Awards (2010).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paul Sanchez. |