Paul Wassif (born 1963 in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England) is a British musician, guitarist, and singer songwriter.

Early career

Paul Wassif's early career included a brief spell with

Punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

/Rock band

The London Cowboys The London Cowboys were a rock'n'roll band who performed from 1980 to 1987. Formed by Steve Dior (vocals) and Barry Jones, formerly of The Idols, the band was somewhat of an enigma. Although these two remained constant and wrote the material, ...

. This was followed by various stints in New York City bands including

The Ugly Americans Ugly Americans was an American rock band from Austin, Texas consisting of former members of Cracker (band), Cracker, Mojo Nixon, and Poi Dog Pondering.

Ugly Americans Ugly American or similar may refer to: *''The Ugly American'', a 1958 novel by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick * ''The Ugly American'' (film), a 1963 film starring Marlon Brando, based on the 1958 novel *Ugly American (pejorative), a term used ...

at Allmusic History Ugly Americans was founded in 1993 by musicians who played ...

with ex

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

members,

Jerry Nolan Gerard "Jerry" Nolan (May 7, 1946 – January 14, 1992) was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with the New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers. Career A native of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Nolan joined the New York Dolls in the au ...

and

Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain Mizrahi (February 14, 1951 – January 13, 2021), known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls. Early years Sylvain was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a Jewish ...

. The 2008 London Cowboys retrospective release 'Relapse'Relapse
The London Cowboys.,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

features the song 'Dragging in the Dirt' with band founder Steve Dior.
Wassif formed a group in the late 1990s with Henry Olsen (of

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums) ...

) named Distant Cousins. The band toured across America with

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

on his

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

World Tour in 1998 performing at such venues as New York's

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

.Where's Eric Tour Archive
Whereseric.com, retrieved 09/05/14Bonhams Auction
Bonhams.com, retrieved 09/05/14 Just before the tour Clapton gave Wassif his Martin 000-28 EC signature model acoustic guitar which he occasionally borrowed back during the tour. Wassif has also appeared as a featured guitarist on albums by

Steve Knightley Steve Knightley (born 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music in ...

Sam Sallon Sam Sallon (born 6 January 1980) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Born in London and raised in Manchester, he is the fourth child of eight. His first release ''Kathy's Song EP'' was released on Indigo-Octagon in January 2013, follo ...

Mark Abis Mark Abis is an English singer-songwriter and musician. His album ''Changing Inside'', produced by Eg White was released on 13 June 2005 on the Serpent label. Nick Drake's record producer Joe Boyd became interested in the album and reviewed it sa ...

and Saiichi Sugiyama.
Wassif is also a member of Blues/Folk trio Three Pilgrims with

and David Watson.Folk Radio Review
published by Helen Gregory 30-04-14; retrieved 12-06-14

With Bert Jansch

Wassif collaborated on two of

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...

's albums. On the album ''Edge of A Dream'', released in 2002, Paul duets with Bert on 'Black Cat Blues'. This track was subsequently featured on the soundtrack of '

Calendar Girls ''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produced ...

'.Calendar Girls Soundtrack
IMDb.com, retrieved 24-04-14 On

's final studio album ''The Black Swan'', released in 2006, Paul co-wrote 'Magdalina's Dance' and performs on 'My Pocket's Empty' and 'A Woman Like You'.
In an interview for Acoustic Guitar Magazine

described Paul Wassif as "a fantastic player. He's got a very, very gentle touch".Acoustic Guitar

: Leading the Way by Teja Gerken on Acoustic Guitar 2007 Wassif also played regularly on stage with Bert Jansch.

One review of Bert's 2007 Somerset House concert (that also featured

Bernard Butler Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the first guitarist with Suede, until his departure in 1994. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his ...

and

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...

) described that "''Wassif adds a country tinge to the music, which remains as sweet as ever as their first number ignores vocals to revel instead in these guitarists' undiluted skill''".musicOMH
Bert Jansch at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, London, 14 July 2007 by Jenni Cole In August 2010 Paul opened for Bert Jansch playing two nights at the

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it ...

as part of the Edinburgh Festival.Queen's Hall Edinburgh

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

, 26/27 August 2010. On 3 December 2013 he performed on four songs at the concert "A Celebration of Bert Jansch" at London's Royal Festival Hall alongside

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

, Lisa Knapp,

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

and various members of Pentangle, amongst others.The Observer
published 8 December 2013, retrieved 23-04-14 The concert was broadcast by BBC4 in the UK on 28 March 2014 under the name ''The Genius of Bert Jansch: Folk Blues and Beyond''.Folk Radio
published 25 March 2014, retrieved 23-04-14

''Looking Up Feeling Down'' (album)

Paul Wassif's first solo album ''Looking Up Feeling Down'' was released digitally on 5 May 2011 and on CD on 5 September 2011.Paul Wassif
Paulwassif.comLooking Feeling Down, Paul Wassif

Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

. The album features guest appearances from

and

playing and recording together for the first time on two tracks; 'Please Don't Leave', written by Paul Wassif and 'Southbound Train' written by

Big Bill Broonzy Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African American audiences. In the 1930s ...

. Jansch also played on a further three tracks on the album in what was to be his final released recording.Last FM Bert Jansch Biography
Last.fm, retrieved 09/05/14 The album also features drummer Evan Jenkins from the

Neil Cowley Neil Cowley (born 5 November 1972) is an English contemporary pianist and composer. He has also released music as part of Fragile State, the Green Nuns of the Revolution, and the Neil Cowley Trio. With his trio, he appeared on '' Later... with ...

Trio,About
Neilcowleytrio.com David Watson, James Watson, Robin Clayton, Lynn Glaser, Steve Counsel and Seamus Beaghen. ''Looking Up Feeling Down'' was produced by Paul Wassif and David Watson, mastered by Tony Cousins at

Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Roa ...

in London, and is released on Black Brown & White Records,Black Brown & White Records
Blackbrownandwhite.com a record label owned by Stephen Lyttelton
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''. (son of jazz musician

Humphrey Lyttelton Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008), also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster from the Lyttelton family. Having taught himself the trumpet at school, Lyttelton became a professional ...

) and Karen Sonego (daughter of Brazilian folk musician, Zé Tapera)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wassif, Paul 1963 births Living people Musicians from Bristol English folk singers English rock singers English folk guitarists English male guitarists English rock guitarists English male singers British male songwriters