| Jazz |
News from our friend Paul B Allen III, who is releasing under his artist name Paul Allen ‘Lost Anthology, Volume One.’ He was a longtime excellent member of The Platters, and this anthology is dedicated to his solo career, showcasing his fun/soul talent on tracks that strongly evoke the 80s and the DX7, bringing a good dose of nostalgia, and above all, joy, for those who experienced that era when everything seemed possible, and glitter dazzled the international nightclubs. So here’s a bit of his biography, which shows the global significance of this artist.
Paul B Allen III was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but grew up in San Bernardino, California. He has been involved in music practically all his life. Paul became the lead singer of the group ‘Raw Sugar,’ a band formed by his younger brothers, Corey and Milo. In a short time, the band developed immense popularity in the Southern California region.
Shortly after the ‘Raw Sugar’ era, former saxophonist for James Brown, Dr. Larry ‘T-Byrd’ Gordon, heard Paul sing and was blown away by the smoothness of his vocal phrasing. T-Byrd immediately asked Paul to join his band. As the lead singer of T-Byrd’s band, Paul performed for the rich and famous in Texas, including former presidential candidate Ross Perot, millionaire Paul Bass, and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
Paul B Allen III confides: ‘I thought these songs were lost forever. They had only been preserved on cassette tapes, which were cutting-edge technology at the time. These songs date from the 1970s to 2005—some are 50 years old. These are all original recordings.
I believe it was my father who saved these tapes. When he passed away in 1996, the collection of songs ended up with his son, Paul B. Allen IV. A few months ago, Paul found them in a storage box he owned, and he did his best to rescue them from the deteriorating magnetic tapes. He then digitized them.
There were more than 60 songs that I had written, recorded, and basically forgotten over the decades. I sent the first one or two songs to one of the world’s top mastering engineers, a man named Earle Holder. At his world-renowned mastering studio, HDQTRZ Mastering Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Holder, a Grammy-winning mastering engineer and judge, was able to restore the songs, adding his phenomenal magical touch to each track. They now shine with modern sound clarity.
When I spoke to Earle about this collection of songs that had suddenly been discovered, he told me he wanted to master the entire project. It was a gift straight from heaven! This project would never have seen the light of day without his genius and expertise.
Around the same time, I reconnected with my original songwriting partner from the early 1970s, Frank Kavelin. Frank is a world-class arranger and has worked with many music icons. I told him about my recent discovery and sent him some of the songs. To my great surprise, he suggested adding some arrangement enhancements to these tracks. It was no easy task—he had to make modern instruments sound as if they came from decades ago, and every element he added had to fit perfectly with the original recordings. Frank managed to do this, and beautifully.
But how to present these songs? They now take the form of five different albums! Since I’ve always been a songwriter first, I wrote for different projects in various genres. Thus, there is an album called Lost Northern Soul, another called Kaleidoscope, an electronic dance music (EDM) album, a rhythmic instrumental music album called Instrumental 8, and finally, two albums of R&B dance songs and ballads, titled Lost Anthology – Volume One and Lost Anthology – Volume Two.
The album cover is a photo of me taken on the day of Paul IV’s birth, as I was calling everyone to announce the news of my wonderful new son. I was 20 years old in this photo. I chose it because, without Paul’s love, diligence, and hard work trying to save these songs, none of these projects would have come to fruition.
The single accompanying the release of Lost Anthology is called ‘Dream A Dream Of You.’ I hope everyone enjoys the new album. Lost Anthology – Volume Two is scheduled for release in Spring 2025.’
Paul B Allen III, or Paul Allen in this case, operates out of passion—not only his passion for music but also for writing, which we will return to later in this review. As a singer, Paul has performed at many prestigious venues, such as the Kennedy Center, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. And the list of stars and dignitaries for whom he has sung is even more impressive, including performances for the British royal family; Prince Albert and his sister, Princess Caroline of Monaco; and the President and First Lady of Fiji. Paul was also invited to the White House to sing for the President of the United States of America.
In March 1997, Paul was approached by the original management company of The Platters to become the new member of the group they helped found and have managed since 1953. Since then, Paul has led the group in performances on nearly every continent across the globe.
Paul’s numerous achievements are countless, and this album is, in a way, a reflection of that happy and successful time. Yet Paul’s first solo album, ‘The Arrival,’ wasn’t released until 2014, making this a fascinating document he offers us here. It reflects an era, a beautiful vocal technique, and above all, it shows what a great performer he is, creating magical vocal worlds. And when you hear Paul Allen sing ‘Dream A Dream Of You,’ with that beautiful vocal fragility, you’ll understand the artistic excellence that has garnered admiration from all and continues to captivate both his audience and fellow musicians.
Of course, you’ll be able to hear this album on Bayous Blue Radio very soon, as for us, once again, it’s an ‘Essential,’ which will also bring you joy this fall and create a festive atmosphere. If you’re learning French, you’ll find my translation of Paul B Allen III’s book ‘The Saturday Morning Song Chronicle’ here.
Original version, here!
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, August 19th 2024
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