Paul
Burke Music History
Paul began teaching himself to play the acoustic guitar at age 12. As
he did with weight training, Paul put in a committed one hour each day
to playing. Self-taught, while listening to his record collection
spinning on a late 1960’s turn-table and powered by a rebuilt
amplifier, pushing the heavy rock sounds through his four homemade
stereo speakers , Paul learned the heavy, thunderous power-cords of
Rock Legend Pete Townshend (of The Who) ; while also learning to play
more melodic songs of Lennon and McCartney.
Paul bought his first electric guitar (a Univox, Les Paul Style) in
1972. He did learn the trumpet in high school, but never found a place
for that brass instrument in his own sound as he heard and envisioned
it. With a Univox guitar and a Gretch guitar amplifier; both helped
Paul learn the sounds of Led Zeppelin, ZZ-Top, Hendrix and more Pete
Townshend. Townsend’s Rock Opera “Tommy”
inspired Paul to begin writing
music at the age of fifteen. Even though none of Paul’s first
songs
found their way onto an album, they were the beginning of what would
become a lifetime of writing, playing and singing his own songs and
music.
From 1985 until 1992, Paul played many famous Rock-clubs in both Boston
and New York City. From the old black inside sound-stage of the Boston
staple “The Channel” and the great sounds of
“The Paradise,” to “CBGB’s
and Kenny’s Castaways in New York City, Paul and his band
spent many,
many late nights playing to a plethora of friends, record label
executives and A&R people, to thousands of people from all over
the
world who came to Bleaker St. in New York City where everyone from
Bruce Springsteen to Bill Joel began their careers. Paul began to pick
up a following and much interest from major labels including Polygram,
Elektra and Atlantic. Although Paul was never signed, he was given seed
money to make an album and most of those songs can be heard on his
self-titled release, “No Time.”
The CD provides the best of Paul Burke and his band. With nostalgic
songs such “High School Days,” to
“Eyes,” his song writing ability and
arrangement knowledge are impressive for a guy who was a bodybuilder
and an actor first; a musician and song writer second.
One listen and you will be playing it over and over. From his
experiences of sailing in the Maxi-Boast World Championships (and with
Bill Koch’s America’s Cup Team); to the hollow,
creepy sounds of guitar
riddle song of an attack on the Lakota Indians by the 7th Calvary,
Paul’s songs have deep meaning, are spiritual by nature and
give new
meaning to some good old rock-and-roll.
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