{"id":231,"date":"2023-02-04T21:50:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T21:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paulfenton.com\/?page_id=231"},"modified":"2023-02-27T16:10:04","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T16:10:04","slug":"about-paul-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/paulfenton.com\/?page_id=231","title":{"rendered":"About Paul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Action<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, Paul became the \u2018charge\u2019 of older brother John, a serious rocker and excellent guitar player in his own right. John, the \u2018Godfather\u2019 of the Fenton musical clan (which also includes bassist and vocalist youngest brother Michael) began his own career with Ottawa heavies Avalon in the mid-70\u2019s, recording at Montreal\u2019s Tempo Studios the same time as Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush. Around 1977, after hearing an English punk music collection LP via a friend of Ted Axe\u2019s who worked at Treble Clef (a local record store), Paul, John and Ted formed the legendary band The Action, merging the sounds of the Stones, Gallagher and Status Quo with the nitro of the mid-70\u2019s London punk rock movement. With Ted on vocals, and Paul, John and Ted writing lyrics and music, Paul began his professional odyssey.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Action quickly became the darlings of the city\u2019s lively punk-rock\/hard rock scene. Leather, extreme volume, great original rock and roll guitar from John and Paul, and Ted\u2019s wild stage antics and hilarious patter drew legions of fans.  After several years, John eventually drifted away to other projects, and Ted became too much to handle, going extremely \u2018Bowie-glam\u2019 and was fired – but never replaced.  The first EP (1977), recorded in Montreal, was a big hit in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and New York and remains a coveted collector\u2019s item to this day.  The Action reunited in 2009 and issued a compilation album from the studio EPs, titled \u201cComplete Punk Recordings 1977-1978\u201d in Canada and issued on vinyl and titled \u201cSlashing White Hot\u201d on the Rave Up record label in Italy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightning Strikes (Literally) <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first terrifically emotional and exciting but somewhat rudimentary, Paul\u2019s guitar playing progressed rapidly after a freak incident.  In the liner notes to the album \u201cWorldwide Slide,\u201d Paul\u2019s brother John tells the story of the night long ago when young Paul was literally \u2018woodshedding\u2019 in a metal garage during a storm on the shore of their home at Green Lake. John heard wild loud slide guitar then a terrible crash like an explosion and feedback. Lightning had hit the garage, knocking Paul unconscious and the \u2018untended\u2019 guitar screamed like Hendrix\u2019s Strat at Monterey. John says Paul has never been the same since but says Paul\u2019s playing almost immediately went \u201cfrom good to gifted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post-Action: The Early 1980s<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After The Action came a band again featuring Paul: a bit spacier and more traditional in rock terms by the name of \u201cNumber One.\u201d Local rocker Gordie \u201cUranus\u201d Innes was in and out of the four or five piece outfit.  Paul branched out musically, using echo, Leslie, chorus, and a stereo Rickenbacker 12 string electric for the first time, and some more Fenton magic was woven. Number One was recorded extensively live, but unfortunately only bootlegs and some unreleased studio recordings and demos remain of their excellent work, including a fine session at Connecticut\u2019s Trod Nossel recording studios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul also played with the self-described \u201cWorld\u2019s Most Dangerous Tribute to the Rolling Stones,\u201d the excellent Stones tribute band \u201cThe Blushing Brides.\u201d Paul toured the US and Canada extensively with the \u2018Brides for over a year, but the muse called and he eventually returned to his first love — writing and playing original music. The \u2018Brides later recorded Paul\u2019s popular song \u201cNasty Boy\u201d on their RCA label debut \u201cUnveiled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1984-1990:  The Fenton Brothers<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1984, The Fenton Brothers Band was born. Featuring Paul, the bass and vocals of brother Michael, Andre \u201cAction\u201d Gauthier (and many others) on drums, and first Fred Guignon and later Ronald Gilfillan on guitar, they ruled the Eastern Ontario and western Quebec bar circuit. Fans spoke of a combination of 4\/4 roots rock and roll, hard electric blues and the nasty punk energy of The Action married with the \u2018prettier\u2019 and more experimental Number One period. Venue owners spoke of setting many beer-selling records when the Fentons played, which no doubt enhanced the band\u2019s popularity with club owners and booking agents as well as audiences.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1985 came another inspirational event. In earlier years Paul\u2019s bands had opened twice for Rory Gallagher, and Paul had gotten to know the man a bit. In 1985 Paul went to see Rory perform, they got together after the show, and it turned into an all-night guitar jam and discussion, with the reclusive Irish legend sharing some of his secrets. On impulse, Paul gave Gallagher a Supro Dualtone guitar (and a slide) as thank you gifts, and Rory used both in later concerts.  (See the Pictures section of this site<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Action had scored a couple of high-profile openers such as The Stranglers and The Diodes, The Fentons opened for a who\u2019s who of great guitar players as the \u2018house\u2019 band at B-circuit 1920\u2019s vaudeville – survivor club and rock palace Barrymore\u2019s.  Among others, they opened for Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, George Thorogood, John Mayall, Thirteen Engines, John Hiatt, Edgar Winter, John Kay and Steppenwolf, and Roy Buchanan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group also opened for The Strawbs at the Diamond in Toronto after which bass player\/vocalist Rod Dennick said \u201cI almost sh*t my pants when I heard that slide!\u201d  Rod hauled the group off to a Queen Street club to jam with Paul. The Fentons opened for Rory Gallagher in Montreal (Le Spectrum), for Tom Cochrane in Toronto\u2019s beautiful Diamond Club and for Johnny Winter three times, including at the prestigious National Arts Centre, during which the reclusive Texan ran from his dressing room in the midst of the Fentons\u2019 set to watch Paul play and, tapping his cowboy boot vigorously, exclaimed \u201cMan, this guy is a red hot slide player!\u201d After his own set, Johnny summoned Paul to his dressing room for a rare private National guitar acoustic blues jam session witnessed by Workman John of CHEZ FM. The Fenton Brothers also got picked to open for Huey Lewis twice at 37,000-seat Lansdowne Park. Huey bumped them at the \u2018rain date\u2019 due to the threat of precipitation but graciously paid them in full anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Fenton Brothers demo sessions followed, including a partial, unreleased album recorded at Nevessa studio in Woodstock, NY. The album was produced by legendary Mick Ronson, who also played on one of the songs. The session was engineered by Todd Rundgren and Utopia\u2019s main man Chris Anderson. Sadly, the album\u2019s release agreement with Torrid Records was never finalized and the master tape (and other Fenton Brothers master tapes on loan) apparently were lost during Torrid\u2019s bankruptcy. At this point The Fenton Brothers stopped working regularly, but have been reformed in recent years with the addition of brother John on guitar, and Uncle Bob Cabana on drums. They toured in England in 2012 and played at the 2013 Ottawa BluesFest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1992 \u2013 1996: The Bleedin\u2019 Hearts<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After The Fenton Brothers hit Pause, Paul formed \u201cThe Bleedin\u2019 Hearts,\u201d named after the Elmore James song, and a very happy and successful period followed. Once again fronted by a controversial and energetic singer and featuring Paul\u2019s mastery of rhythm and slide and his delicious writing, the band took off.  Playing extensively in Eastern Canada, they garnered heavy local airplay and were signed to an International recording contract with the Netherlands\u2019 \u201cContinental Record Service,\u201d a Rounder Records Europe company. Their first CD, \u201cThe Bleedin\u2019 Hearts\u201d featured 11 tracks written or co-written by Paul and three covers. Their second CD, \u201cSeconds to Go\u201d was released in Europe and the band was signed to do an eight-country European tour to support the release, opening for Walter Trout in venues across the continent.  Virtually the day the second CD was released, however, the band broke up, disagreeing about the proposed tour and other issues. \u201cSeconds to Go\u201d sells to this day in Germany, England, Italy and the Netherlands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1997 \u2013 Present: Solo Career<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1997 Paul moved in a new direction with the release of his first solo album, \u201cBinson\u2019s Blues.\u201d  Paul took over the vocalist role and began making more extensive use of the Binson Echorec unit and other studio techniques to produce the incredibly fluid riffs that have become Paul\u2019s signature sound. On six of the tracks, Paul teams with fellow songwriter James Cohen, who also co-wrote some of the Bleedin\u2019 Hearts songs, but here the lyrical themes of some of the tracks have moved from sheer kick-ass rock n\u2019 roll to more thoughtful pieces.  Some tracks seem almost prescient, such as \u201cGet Off of My Phone,\u201d which bemoans (with a bit of humor) the continual distractions in our era of instant communication, and the ominous \u201cHouse of Cards,\u201d which speaks of imminent (economic?) collapse and the toll it will take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This trend toward including more reflective songs continued in Paul\u2019s next release, 1999\u2019s \u201cVancouver Blue.\u201d Paul had previously co-written many of the songs on the Bleedin\u2019 Hearts albums and Binson\u2019s Blues, often collaborating well with fellow Canadian rocker James Cohen, but on \u201cVancouver Blue\u201d for the first time Paul wrote all the songs. Among other subjects, \u201cT. Bone Walker Blues\u201d muses on the pain of an aging bluesman whose audiences seem to only want to hear his greatest hit. \u201cTime\u201d reflects on the passage of time and how we deal with it (or don\u2019t).  Paul also covers \u201cMind Your Own Business\u201d morphing the Hank Williams\u2019 country classic into the rock mode, jacking up the tempo and replacing the short fiddle break with a slightly longer slide guitar break. The revised arrangement manages to make the song sound both timeless and new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul\u2019s next album was \u201cLive!  In Toronto,\u201d released in 2002. The album was recorded during performances at the legendary Blues on Bellaire club in Toronto and shows Paul working his improvisional magic with a tight band featuring Peter Jermyn on organ and Rick Gunn on second lead guitar.  The album consists of six original songs from previous albums and four covers, including a twelve-minute interpretation of a John Lee Hooker\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m Goin\u2019 Upstairs\u201d that highlights Paul\u2019s fretboard wizardry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2006, Paul brought it all together with \u201cJudgement Day.\u201d  At once a twelve-song classic \u2018hero quest\u2019 story, a statement of personal philosophy, and a feast of slide guitar work, this album demonstrates Paul\u2019s mastery of multiple genres, including rock, Delta blues, \u2018psychedelic blues,\u2019 and even Indian music such as ragas. The underlying \u2018hero quest\u2019 story is discussed in detail in the Reviews section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul\u2019s next release represented a return to his blues roots. On \u201cRattlesnakin\u2019 Daddy\u201d (2008), he teams with veteran blues singer Peter Lazz. The album covers 13 classic blues songs such as the title track, \u201cLittle Red Rooster,\u201d \u201cKey to the Highway,\u201d \u201cIt Hurts Me Too,\u201d and \u201cQueen of Spades.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009, in conjunction with the reunion tour of The Action, the band released the CD \u201cComplete Punk Recordings 1977-1978,\u201d which also was issued in vinyl in Italy as \u201cSlashing White Hot\u201d on the Rave Up label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albums and Where to Find Them: <\/strong><\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complete Punk Recordings <\/strong>1977-1978 (2009) (available at http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Complete-Punk-Recordings-1977-1978\/dp\/B002IZGM3E<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rattlesnakin\u2019 Daddy <\/strong>(2008) (available at Compact Music (a.k.a. \u201cSir Helmitt\u201d), 190 Bank St., Ottawa, CA K2P 1W8)  http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/Paul-Fenton-blues-slide-gtr-legend-and-Peter-Lazz-Rattlesnakin-Daddy-CD-NEW-\/310591878880?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item4850b7f6e0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judgement Day<\/strong> (2006) (available at CD Baby Music Store:  http:\/\/www.cdbaby.com\/cd\/fenton06<\/a>) (and at amazon.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live!  In Toronto<\/strong> (2002) (available at CD Baby Music Store:  http:\/\/www.cdbaby.com\/cd\/fenton02<\/a>) (and at amazon.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vancouver Blue <\/strong>(1999) (available at CD Baby Music Store:  http:\/\/www.cdbaby.com\/cd\/fenton00<\/a>) (and at amazon.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bleedin\u2019 Hearts <\/strong>(1994) (available at available at Compact Music (a.k.a. \u201cSir Helmitt\u201d), 190 Bank St., Ottawa, CA K2P 1W8)  http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/The-Bleedin-Hearts-Paul-Fenton-Canadian-blues-rock-AMAZING-SLIDE-GUITAR-CD-\/310177120100?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item4837ff3f64<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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