Paul Howard

Paul Howard

Paul Howard is a jazz clarinet and sax player from Steubenville, United States. He is associated with Paul Howard’s Quality Serenaders, and his work sits within jazz.

Musical background

Howard begins as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He plays bass and writes songs for Dark Horse and This Happy Breed before moving into singing at the age of 20. He later works under his own name, and also in group settings and collaborations.

Groups and collaborations

He performs solo and in duo format with guitarist Jo Clack, and fronts The Tender Trap. He also plays with Darktown and The Goodfellas after stepping away from the music industry for a short time. With Paul and Swill from The Men They Couldn't Hang, he forms The Liberty Cage. Howard and Jo Clack also record together as Lee Boo. In 2000 he forms the punk blues band Gaffer Hexam, working there with writer Iain Sinclair on songs for a release and on tracks for the compilation This Is Punk Rock Blues.

Recordings and releases

Howard’s first recording, We Will Win, appears on the compilation Not Just Mandela. With Jo Clack, he wins a local talent contest and uses the prize money for recording and a new guitar. The pair release Winter's Here Again and The Unification EP on Davy Lamp Records. As part of The Tender Trap, he releases the first single Irish Ivan's Spirit Song on Musicdisc, followed by two more singles. The band completes an album at Rockfield Studio in Wales, and the LP is released abroad but does not receive a UK release because of legal issues. Howard later releases an LP of songs called Wings, and more recently releases an album’s worth of songs entitled In The Shadow of Christchurch, produced by William Hayter at R2R Music.

Live work and recognition

Howard and The Arkansas Cottonpickers, an eight-piece band with Becky Barfield as singer, become notable on the Grand Ole Opry. Around the same period, Howard plays regularly at The Mean Fiddler. Tanita Tikaram invites him to tour England, Scotland and Ireland, and the tour takes in cities including Manchester, Bristol, Cambridge, Dublin, Belfast and Leeds. The Tender Trap also win a talent competition, and the band attracts early support from Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq. Howard’s work receives attention from NME, Well Red, The Guardian and Time Out, and The Tender Trap are invited to play Glastonbury. His songs and bands also receive radio play on Radio 1, Capital, XFM, GLR, and his performances are discussed on The Chris Evans Show and The Johnny Walker show.

Later activity

After a period of disillusionment with the music industry, Howard returns to playing pubs, clubs and parties. He continues to write, play and sing his own material, drawing on a long career that spans solo work, duos, bands and collaborations.