Paul Sanchez is a

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

-born and based American guitarist and a singer-songwriter. Sanchez was a founding member of the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Cowboy Mouth Cowboy Mouth is an American band based in New Orleans, Louisiana known for fusing alternative rock with album-oriented rock, roots rock, and jam band influences. Formed in 1992, the band saw early mainstream success in the 1990s, including th ...

. He was a guitarist and one of the primary singers and songwriters for the band from 1990 to 2006. Sanchez's songs have appeared in films and on television and have been performed by various

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s such as

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

Michael Cerveris Michael Cerveris (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, singer, and guitarist. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including several Stephen Sondheim musicals: ''Assassins'', ''Sweeney Todd'', '' Road Show'', and '' Passi ...

, Susan Cowsill, Kevin Griffin and The

Eli Young Band Eli Young Band is an American country music band composed of members who met while students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas: Mike Eli (lead vocals, guitar), James Young (guitar), Jon Jones (bass guitar), and Chris Thompson (dru ...

Hootie and the Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band ...

John Boutté John Boutté (born November 3, 1958) Boutté studied business at Xavier University of Louisiana where he was in ROTC. After he graduated, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army where he served for the next four years. When he returned, he started ...

, Shamarr Allen, Glen Andrews and Kim Carson.

Life and career

Sanchez was born on the River Road along the levee of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. He grew up in New Orleans' blue-collar Irish Channel neighborhood, which is a historic home to stevedores and river pilots. Sanchez is a songwriter, musician, singer, producer, writer and actor. In January 2010, Off Beat Magazine gave Paul three

Best of the Beat Awards ''OffBeat'' is a New Orleans, Louisiana monthly local music magazine founded by Jan V. Ramsey in 1987. The magazine, published by OffBeat, Inc., focuses on the popular music of New Orleans and Louisiana, which is generally R&B, blues, jazz, ro ...

; Songwriter of The Year, Best Song of the Year, and Best Folk/Rock Album for Stew Called New Orleans, which was his duet record with friend and collaborator John Boutté. In April of that same year, Gambit Weekly awarded him Best Roots Rock Performer at The Big Easy Awards. His first musical endeavor was in the New Orleans band The Backbeats. Along with him was

Vance DeGeneres Vance Elliott DeGeneres (born September 2, 1954) is an American actor, comedian, musician, film producer and screenwriter, known for his work in television and movies. Early life DeGeneres was born at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, Louisiana t ...

, Steve Walters, and a drummer named

Fred LeBlanc Fred LeBlanc is the lead singer/drummer for the New Orleans-based rock band Cowboy Mouth, and a freelance songwriter, record producer, short story author, and acoustic performer. Known for his "maniacal" performance style, and described as "a s ...

, who he would encounter later on. In the late 1980s, Sanchez was playing in

anti-folk Anti-folk (sometimes referred to as unfolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in response to the remnants of the 1960s folk music scene. Anti-folk music was made to mock the perceived seriousness of the time's mainstream music scene, an ...

genre, during his stint in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. There he befriended artists

Brenda Kahn Brenda Kahn (born May 3, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter, poet and educator based in South Salem, New York, who is known for her poetic lyrics. Background Her career began in 1990, when her first album, ''Goldfish Don't Talk Back'', was ...

, John S. Hall and Roger Manning. He has released 11 CDs as a solo artist, while also releasing 11 CDs as a founding member of the New Orleans rock band

. He left the "Mouth" in 2006, just after a flood had upended the city of New Orleans. Sanchez was on tour with the Mouth when

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

ravaged the gulf. After that, he stayed on tour and wrote a post-Katrina tribute, "Home", which was featured in the

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...

documentary '' New Orleans Music in Exile''. In 2008, Sanchez released the rewritten version of his first solo release '' Jet Black & Jealous''. The

made the song title their major label debut on Universal/Republic. ''Jet Black & Jealous'' made its debut at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' ''Country Album Charts'' in September 2008. In 2009, he published a book of essays entitled ''Pieces Of Me,'' which deals with such things as the sense of life, loss, and rebuilding after the flood. Primarily a songwriter, Paul has written songs with and for John Boutté, Shamarr Allen,

Hootie and The Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band ...

Galactic Galactic is an American jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana. Origins and background Formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a ...

, Glen David Andrews,

, Matt Perrine,

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

Winning actor

, Susan Cowsill, Debbie Davis, Arsene DeLay,

John Thomas Griffith John Thomas Griffith (born April 3, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the band Cowboy Mouth. Griffith first established himself on the American music scene in the early 1980s as lead singer and gu ...

, John Rankin, Kevin Griffin of

Better Than Ezra Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and signed with The End Records. The band formed in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and consists of Kevin Griffin (vocals and guitar), Tom Drummond (bass ...

, The

, Caleb Guillotte of Dead-Eye Dick and many more. For the last few years, Sanchez has been writing, recording and performing a musical adaptation of ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Best Seller ''Nine Lives''. ''Nine Lives'' has been performed in New York City at

Symphony Space Symphony Space, founded by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller, is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (also called Pe ...

, Washington DC at

Sixth & I The Sixth & I Historic Synagogue is a non-denominational, non-membership, non-traditional Jewish synagogue located at the corner of Sixth Street and I Street, NW in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest synagogue ...

, Los Angeles at Fais Do-Do and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

at Le Petite Theater, The CAC, The Ellis Marsalis Center, and

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

's Dixon Hall. He has appeared on the HBO series ''Treme'' as himself.

Discography

Cowboy Mouth studio albums

* ''Word of Mouth'' · 1992 * ''It Means Escape'' · 1994 * ''Are You With Me?'' · 1996 * ''Word of Mouth (Remix1)'' · 1996 * ''Mercyland'' · 1998 * ''Easy'' · 2000 * ''Uh Oh'' · 2003 * ''Voodoo Shoppe'' · 2006

Cowboy Mouth live albums and EPs

* ''Mouthin' Off (Live & More)'' · 1993 * ''Mouthin' Off (Live & More) (Remastered)'' · 1997 * ''Cowboy Mouth LIVE! (limited edition 5-song EP issued with Mercyland)'' · 1998 * '' Live in the X Lounge'' "Jenny Says" · 1998 * ''All You Need Is Live'' · 2000 * '' Live in the X Lounge'' "Easy" · 2000 & 2001 * ''Uh Oh (5-song Preview EP)'' · 2003 * ''Live at the Zoo'' · 2004

Solo albums

*''Life Is a Ride'' 2017 *''Magus Insipiens: 3 Song Cycles on Poems by Taliesin, Payne, and Sapho'' 2016, with Kayleen Sanchez *''Heart Renovations'' 2016 *''Everything That Ends Begins Again'' 2014 *''Reclamation Of The Pie-Eyed Piper'' 2012, Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show *''Nine Lives – A Musical Story of New Orleans (The Complete Set)'' 2012 *''Nine Lives – A Musical Story of New Orleans (Volume One)'' 2011 *''Red Beans and Ricely Yours'' 2010 *''Bridging the Gap'' 2010, Shamarr Allen & Paul Sanchez *''Farewell To Storyville'' 2009 *''Stew Called New Orleans'' 2009 *''Exit to Mystery Street'' 2008, produced by Dave Pirner, (

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of D ...

). Featuring guest appearances by

Ivan Neville Ivan Neville (born August 19, 1959) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers. Career He has released four solo albums and had a Top 30 ...

, Shamarr Allen, Susan Cowsill, James Andrews, Fredy Omar, &

Craig Klein Bonerama is a brass funk rock band from New Orleans. Bonerama was formed in 1998 by trombone players Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, who, from 1990

*''Washed Away'' 2007, a compilation of songs from his first 6 recordings, all lost in the levee failure in New Orleans *''Between Friends'' 2007, featuring guest appearances by

, John Boutte', Theresa Anderson, Jim Sonefeld, & Susan Cowsill. *''Hurricane Party'' 2000, produced by

Tim Sommer Timothy Andrew Sommer (born March 5, 1962 in New York City) is an American music journalist, musician, record producer and former Atlantic Records A&R representative. Sommer was the bass player for the slowcore/dreampop band Hugo Largo. Mus ...

. Featuring guest appearances by Susan Cowsill,

Vicki Peterson Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their foundation in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...

, Peter Holsapple, & John Boutte' *''Live at Carrollton Station'' 1999, produced by Mike Mayeux *''Sonoma Valley'' 1998, produced by Mike Mayeux. Guest appearances by Susan Cowsill, John Boutte' &

*''Loose Parts'' 1997, produced by Peter Holsapple. Guest appearance by Susan Cowsill *''Wasted Lives & Bluegrass'' 1995 *''Jet Black and Jealous'' 1993, recorded by Roger Manning

Awards and recognition

References

External links

Paul Sanchez official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Paul Cowboy Mouth members Living people American male singer-songwriters Singers from New Orleans American rock singers American alternative rock musicians American rock guitarists American male guitarists Louisiana Isleño people Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Guitarists from Louisiana Year of birth missing (living people)