Philip Paul (drummer)

Philip Paul (August 11, 1925 – January 30, 2022) was an American studio drummer from

In 2009, he was honored at the

Paul was just out of his teens when he began playing at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem with various musicians including Arthur Prysock, Buddy Johnson's Big Band, Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie.^[1][5]

In 1951, he was playing with Buddy Johnson one night, when Tiny Bradshaw heard him play and invited him to move to Cincinnati and join his band. Johnson's band played at the Cotton Club in Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati. The club was considered the premier nightspot for the black community. While Paul and his parents were initially opposed to leaving New York, Paul accepted the offer and moved to Cincinnati. From 1951 to 1964, he was often called on as the "go to" studio drummer for bands playing at the club.^[5]

It was while working with Bradshaw that Paul met his future wife, Juanita Snyder, who was a Cotton Club dancer and close friends with one of the band members. They were married in 1952. Paul has stated that while he preferred living in New York, his marriage to Juanita removed any intent to move back to New York. "The only thing that kept me here was Juanita. If it wasn't for meeting her, I probably would have left."^[4]

Soon after arriving in Cincinnati, Paul met Syd Nathan, president and owner of King Records. From 1952 to 1964, Paul became the studio drummer for King Records, as well as two of its subsidiary labels, Federal and Bethlehem. He played drums on over 350 recordings with artists such as Tiny Bradshaw , Hank Ballard, Freddie King, Little Willie John, Wynonie Harris, Bull Moose Jackson, and Hawkshaw Hawkins. .^[1][4][6]

Paul played drums on an early Hank Ballard hit, "Sexy Ways", along with R&B/pop chart hits "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" with Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. He was also on the original recordings of Little Willie John's "I'm Shakin'", Charles Brown's "Please Come Home for Christmas", Tiny Bradshaw's "Soft", and nearly every Freddie King record, including his biggest hits "Hide Away" and "Tore Down".^[7][8]

"If someone were to try to isolate the single heartbeat of the early days of rock and roll, as it transitions from 'race music' to 'rhythm & blues' to whatever you want to call what early rock and roll is, that heartbeat is Philip. (He is) the thread that runs through so much of the important music of that period."^[4] — Terry Stewart, President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

He was also in the Roy Meriwether Trio, when they recorded their classic "Popcorn and Soul".^[4] He recorded two albums with the Meriwether Trio on the Columbia Records label. He also toured the U.S. and Canada with Jimmy Smith, Nat Adderley, Herbie Mann, and George Wein's Newport Jazz All-Stars.^[5]

After leaving King, Paul joined the Woody Evans Trio, performing for 25 years at local country clubs, including Cincinnati's

In later life, Paul lived in the Evanston neighborhood of Cincinnati with his wife, Juanita and stepdaughter, Ramona. He continued to perform on the weekends at The Cincinnatian Hotel.^[4]

He died from COVID-19 in Cincinnati, on January 30, 2022, at the age of 96.^[10]

Honors and awards

In 2002, Paul was honored by the

In July 2009, he was honored with the Ohio Heritage Fellowship. The Fellowship was presented during the CityFolk Festival in Dayton. The summer-long festival was a statewide celebration of his lifetime of work in the music industry. The Ohio Heritage Fellowship is Ohio's highest honor bestowed on traditional artists on behalf of the city of Cincinnati.^[4]

References

External links

• Philip Paul discography at Discogs

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