Paul Sanchez was born across the street from the Mississippi River on Tchoupitoulas & Soraparu in a part of New Orleans referred to as the Irish Channel. Raised on First and Constance by his mother Sylvia in a working class Catholic neighborhood German, Italian and Irish immigrants. His father, Joe "Black" Sanchez was born in
and raised in Delacroix Island, Louisiana who had come to New Orleans as a boy after the flood of 1927
In January of 2010 OffBeat Magazine gave Paul three Best Of The Beat Awards. Songwriter of the Year, Best Song of the Year for Hey God and Best Folk/Rock Album for Stew Called New Orleans.
His latest release, Farewell To Storyville, Threadhead Records, is Sanchez stripped down to the bone. Having worked with and learned so much from the great jazz and brass band players in New Orleans, Paul brought those influences into the studio but this time it's just Paul, strumming his guitar and telling stories as he has done on stages all over the world.
Stew Called New Orleans, released last spring on Threadhead Records, is a duo record with New Orleans jazz singer and long time song writing partner John Boutte', The eleven songs feature nine new songs written by Boutte' and Sanchez. The cover art, Marigny Girl was a gift to John and Paul from Chicago artist Tony Fitzpatrick .
Paul's first book has been released, also on Threadhead Records. A collection of essays about life, music and love in the new New Orleans. Begun as a series of blog's chronicling Sanchez's return to New Orleans after the flood.
"What I lost in the flood was my stuff, what I found since then is my life". "Pieces of Me" is available on Threadhead Records
Paul's first band was The Backbeats, along with Vance DeGeneres, (The Cold, The Daily Show), Steve Walters (The Normals), John Herbert, (checkout his 07" CD "Cannonball"), and a drummer he was to encounter again in his career named Fred. The band broke up when Vance took off for Los Angeles and a career in comedy and Paul moved to New York City.
Arriving in the Manhattan in the mid-eighties, Paul refined his art in the flourishing “anti-folk" scene in the East Village where he befriended artists Michelle Shocked, John S. Hall and Roger Manning, This scene of songwriters, poets, performance artists and eccentrics had a lasting impact on his song writing which is audible still.
Paul returned home to New Orleans in the early ‘90s to form Cowboy Mouth along with John Thomas Griffith, (Red Rockers), Paul Clement, (Woodenhead), and his old drummer from the Backbeats, Fred LeBlanc,(Dash Rip Rock).
Sanchez chose the name of the band after a play he was reading at the time by Sam Shepard, Cowboy Mouth,
about the transforming power of rock n' roll. "Clem" left after six months and was replaced by former Backbeat bassist, Steve Walters,(The Normals), who left after recording the band's first two indie releases. Rob Savoy, (The Bluerunners), became the band's third bass player just before the Mouth signed their first major label deal with MCA. The Mouth's popularity and ambitious touring schedule kept Paul on the road for most of 16 years, through a fourth bass player, Mary Lasseigne, and a fifth one, Sonia Tetlow, (HERMAN PUT DOWN THE GUN).
Though he contributed greatly to the band’s catalogue and success, his desire to make music that was closer to his heart and better demonstrated his talent as a singer/songwriter led to a solo career that paralleled his day job as he recorded seven solo albums, (Jet Black And Jealous, Wasted Lives & Bluegrass, Loose Parts,
while performing his duties in the band.
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When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast and New Orleans was flooded, Paul was in the recording studio. Attempting to process the extent of the losses he wrote a powerful 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 the year after the flood, Paul 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...).
His music has also appeared on the television series "Homicide: Life on the Street" .
In the films, The Accused , (starring Jodie Foster), Steven Soderbergh's Underneath, the independent film At Last, (starring Martin Donovan and Kelly Lynch).
2009 sees the release of the short film, "The Not Goods Movie:This Is Absolutely Not Good, An hilariously funny rock/mockumentary about the rise and fall of "one of the greatest unknown rock bands ever" directed by New Orleanian, John Sanchez. Paul has a small role as "legendary" record producer Paul-o Not Good and served as the film's music supervisor.
When he does play with a band, Paul Sanchez and The Rolling Road Show ,(check them out at, (http://www.youtube.com/paulsanchezmusic), it is a celebration of New Orleans music, communication and letting the good times roll. Each member of the band sings and plays their own songs as well as Paul's. The band is made up of Paul's favorite performers around the city, which include the many different styles, (rock, brass band, funk, folk, gospel and jazz), and is a real coming together of New Orleans musical community.
Paul resides in the Treme' section of New Orleans now. He continues to write, sing, live and breathe New Orleans.
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