Long Live the “King of Power-Pop” !

When viewed through the lens of his multitude of fans and followers, worldwide.. Paul Collins is quite clearly rock and roll royalty. His throne? Any stage that’ll have him throughout the USA, Europe and/or Japan +. His scepter? A must-have for any potentate: a stunning, sunset-red Rickenbacker that he wields with passion and authority and loves to brandish!
 

 
Ok.. all very tongue-in-cheek.. but look - he’s earned the accolades and the honorary crown. This guy is one of the hardest-working, hardest-touring rockers out there with a very impressive history to match.. and as Mark Deming wrote in a sweet review of Collins' 2010 release:

“Paul Collins might not be the King of Power Pop, but if there was an elected President of Power Pop, an album this good would certainly sweep him into office; it's fun, raucous, thoroughly enjoyable rock & roll from one of pop's greatest unsung heroes.”

Been at it a long, long while..

39 years since he co-founded the pioneering, seminal power-pop band The Nerves with Peter Case, ‘74-’78.
The short-lived The Breakaways followed, then The Beat, formed with guitarist Larry Whitman, drummer Mike Ruiz and bassist Steve Huff. A name change ensued to avoid confusion when a ska band popped up almost concurrently in the UK with the same name. The Brits switched it to The English Beat; remember their hooky tune Save it for Later? Paul’s band modified to Paul Collins’ Beat and on they went to score a deal with CBS records in 1979 with their first album simply called The Beat, followed by The Kids Are the Same.

 

Fast forward..

Some 30 + years to a box of recently unearthed, old photos. As I sifted through the stacks, one jumped right out and immediately took me back to the streets of Juarez, Mexico; an unforgettable afternoon/evening in 1981 with Paul and Larry along with our lively entourage. Picture us high-tailing it south of the border after an on-air interview at the notoriously hard-rockin KLAQ FM studios in El Paso, Texas, USA..

Pictured above: Guitarist Larry Whitman.. Lori P, then mgr Soundwarehouse Records.. Paul Collins.. Arin Michaels, Program Director, KLAQ and Bob Conrad, CBS record rep extraordinaire.

 
'On the Highway' in Juarez.. Luckily we missed the bus!

Arin Michaels, KLAQ & Paul Collins - Juarez, Mexico, 1981

                               


Off the road and into the restaurant..

The walls of the Shangrila Chinese restaurant are probably still reverberating from all the fun we had that night. Our mantra? Work hard.. play even harder!

Lori sold the music, Paul made the music, Bob promoted the music.. and moi? I gave it the deserved airplay so the listener could hear it.. love it.. then go out and buy it! Full circle, win-win.. for us all..

 Lori, Paul, Bob and Arin - Shangrila restaurant, Juarez

 

Since then, radio and the music business have changed, in this, the digital age.. dramatically. These days, Paul can be found at the confluence of two spheres: the world of the artist and the world of the get-it-done, DIY guy who, from all appearances, keeps on listening and traveling to the beat of his own drum; one that has propelled him forward, step by step thru the decades, with an army of admirers at his heels.

Check out his Facebook fan pages: The Beat Army, Paul Collins Beat  and his website http://www.thepaulcollinsbeat.com/ Read about him, Wiki him right here on this page, snap up some of his music then go see one of his shows!

Still out there rockin anywhere and everywhere he can..

On his way to Pomona, Cali - May 7th, 2013!