“I love it when I start writing a song, scatting out lyrics or partial phrases that just pop into my head. When I begin to build around it, I realize that the lyric that just presented itself is very relative to what I'm currently going through or a phrase that I just heard recently. It freaks me out sometimes. It's like free therapy. God, I love music.”  Paul Lamb

Paul Lamb – singer, songwriter, accomplished guitar player, father.  Influenced by a plethora of music styles such as Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Counting Crows and Rob Thomas, it is easy to understand why Paul’s original sound is acoustic based and delivers a range of emotional styling - singer/songwriter, country, blues and straight up rock & roll. 

A native of beautiful St. John’s Newfoundland, Paul has been making a living with music since he turned the tender age of seventeen. Paul’s career began with his passion for guitar. He first learned to play on acoustic guitar and in his later teens switched to electric and began studying Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, and Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame. Paul become prolific very quickly and was sought after by local bands to either join the group or sit in. He found that most of the bands’ repertoire suited the acoustic guitar. He set out to experiment with acoustic styling which led him to his first 12 string. Paul fell in love with the sound - so full and vibrant. Being the lead guitar player for most bands he performed with; Paul began to try-out guitar solos on 12 strings – not an easy task. He had to change his approach to reflect his new reality. Gone were things like bending notes. He compensated for this with more scale -oriented solos and flamenco style runs and picking. What evolved was a signature sound that has influenced his songwriting, recordings and live performances ever since. In 1992 Paul moved to Nova Scotia. That fateful decision would have Paul strap on his electric guitar once again to form a partnership with long-time friend Cory Tetford.  In time he would secure a music manager, a record deal and , national airplay and touring.

As solo artists, Cory and Paul knew each other from the rich musical pool of Newfoundland musicians. After enjoying several musical encounters together, the two decided to join forces in spring 2000. Their effervescent energy and musical harmony meshed to form Crush. Crush released its highly successful debut recording, “Here” (Sonic/Warner) in March 2002, which featured multi-format radio hits "Live" & "Here". Both videos charted. 

Crush spent the next two years touring Canada both on their own and sharing the stage with Sheryl Crow, The Tragically Hip, Nickelback, Our Lady Peace, Nelly Furtado, Live, Great Big Sea, Amanda Marshall, Tom Cochrane, The Jayhawks and Blue Rodeo. They appeared on "Open Mike with Mike Bullard", "Canada AM", CBC TV's "MusicWorks", MuchMoreMusic's "The Loop", MTV Canada, E-Talk, TSN's "Off the Record", and CBC Radio's "This Morning".  The release of “Face In The Crowd” (Sonic/Warner) in 2003 continued the momentum. The original recording offered straightforward lyrics, finely crafted melodies and lush harmonies. The first single, "King For A Day" earned significant national radio airplay and its video was added to heavy rotation on MuchMoreMusic (MMM), debuting at #20 on the MMM Countdown and reaching #2 on MMM's fan's choice Top 10 its first week.  In the four brief years Crush was together they earned eight East Coast Music Awards, a Canadian Radio Music Award, and received a JUNO nomination. 

Paul became disillusioned with the trappings of commercial stardom.  “I felt I was chasing something when I was in Crush, trying to look a certain way, trying to sound a certain way", reflects Paul. " I always felt pressure to be something I was not. I over thought everything I did - what I ate, what shirt I was going to put on, what way I should sing or play something. It caused me to second guess my natural instincts and I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin for many years.” 

Eventually Crush would disband and Paul returned to the club scene finding a permanent home at the Lower Deck in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He married and became a father.  While enjoying a more structured lifestyle, Paul’s desire to write songs soon manifested once again. Only this time, he would do it his way. He became true to himself and wrote lyrics and arrangements that were authentic to his style of singing and guitar playing.  Not worrying about whether they fit into a certain genre or category was a creative awakening for him. Soon he had amassed enough material to record.

Paul’s debut solo release “LAMB – Get To What’s Real” is a showcase of the authentic Paul Lamb. Teaming with Sean McCann of Great Big Sea, he co-wrote “Doin' Fine” and “Good People”. Besides being recorded by Paul on this recording, “Doin' Fine” also appears on Sean’s solo CD “Son of a Sailor” and “Good People” found a home on Great Big Sea's last album “Safe Upon The Shore”. The haunting ballad “That's Why It Hurts” was written with long-time friend Barry Canning. 

The rest of the songs on “Get To What’s Real” are pure Paul Lamb. You will hear his penchant for country music in the tracks “Amadea”, “Listen To The Rain” and “Where’s the Man”, his skill as a pop/rock balladeer in “I Know How You Feel” and his passion for straight up Rock & Roll reveals itself in “Keep Your Distance”. Ex band mate Cory Tetford shares producing credits for the album. Cory also graciously engineered, mixed and mastered the CD. 

As Paul embarks on his solo career, he is a changed man with new a new philosophy on life. First and foremost he strives be the best dad be can be. He is true to himself and chooses to take the steps necessary to be authentically happy not always choosing the easier route or quickest way to get where he is going. He enjoys his journey and follows his heart in love and in music. Life doesn’t get more real than that!


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