Paul Siebel

Paul Siebel (born in born in Buffalo, New York, on 19 September 1937; died 5 April 2022) was an American singer-songwriter. He is remembered for other artists' cover versions of his songs, most notably "Louise". Other frequently covered Siebel songs include "Spanish Johnny" (which was originally a poem written by Willa Cather in 1917 and expanded upon by Siebel), "Long Afternoons," "Any Day Woman," "Nashville Again," "She Made Me Lose My Blues," and "Then Came the Children". With such songs as "Louise" and "Jack-knife Gypsy" to his credit, and artists as illustrious as Bonnie Raitt and Waylon Jennings paying him tribute, Siebel was frequently referred to as a "musician's musician." He was "discovered" in 1969 when Elektra Records caught wind of a collection of songs he'd put together with David Bromberg. Siebel lived above the lengendary " Kettle of Fish" on Macdougal Street in New York's Greenwich Village. Siebel's music is distinguished by a literate lyrical perspective and a knowing integration of traditional styles, distinctive - but more than vaguely Dylanesque - vocal phrasing, and the expert playing of players like David Bromberg, Richard Greene, and Weldon Myrick. He recorded Woodsmoke and Oranges (1970) and Jack-Knife Gypsy (1971). His songs were covered by, among others, Bromberg, Willy DeVille, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kate Wolf, Mary McCaslin, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Rick Roberts and Leo Kottke; but he remained mostly unknown to the larger public. After 1971, his songwriting stopped. Siebel played McCabe's Guitar Shop in 1978, which was considered a comeback, and appeared on a 1977 release, Music From Mud Acres, with a cover of the Hank Williams song "Weary Blues". In 2004, Elektra released a compilation CD with most of Siebel's songs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.