Guitar Legend & Johnny Winter Protege
Paul Nelson Releases New Album “Badass Generation”
Los Angeles –
Much to the excitement of guitarists worldwide, guitar legend Paul Nelson has
released his new album “Badass Generation” to critical acclaim! Grammy winning
guitarist Paul Nelson was Johnny Winter's protege guitarist in the Johnny
Winter Band.
Paul has toured
with countless worldwide touring artists and performed live and or on
recordings along side major artists such as Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, Billy
Gibbons, Ben Harper, Leslie West, Robben Ford, Joe Perry, Mark Knofler, Brian
Setzer, Dr. John, Slash, Vince Gill, Warren Haynes, Sonny Landreth, Los Lobos,
Kim Wilson, Elvin Bishop, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Reb Beach, Steve Morse, John
Popper, Debbie Davies, Los Lobos, Quin Sullivan, Tinsley Ellis, Lucky Peterson,
Joe Louis Walker, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, John Medeski, Joe Walsh, Larry
Carlton, Steve Vai, Earl Slick, Hubert Sumlin, Pete Rivera, Rick Derringer,
Harvey Brooks, Bill Evans, James Cotton, Magic Slim, Coco Montoya, Uptown
Horns, Blues Brother Horns, Reese Wynans, Edgar Winter, Ray Davis, George
Lynch, James Cotton, Anthony Jackson, Dickey Betts, Junior Brown, Pat Travers,
Jimmy Vivino and La Bamba of Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Paul Schaefer's
CBS Orchestra to name a few. With appearances on David Letterman and Jimmy
Kimmel programs.
Paul Nelson has
been featured in every major guitar magazine and news publication from Guitar
World to Rolling Stone and is credited as being a composer/performer for music
heard on international and national television broadcasts such as NBC, TNN,
UPN, for the WWE. He has conducted his successful “Master Class” Clinics and
written guitar columns all over the world.
Paul has had the
distinction of appearing as both guitarist and songwriter on Rock/Blues legend
Johnny Winter's Grammy-nominated Virgin/EMI release “I'm A Bluesman” as well as
producer/performer on his releases “Roots” and the Grammy winning “Step Back”
on Megaforce/Sony. He performed as a musical guest with Johnny Winter on the
Late Night with David Letterman Show to promote the “Roots” album and on Jimmy
Kimmel on ABC TV to promote the “Step Back” CD and Johnny Winter's “Down and
Dirty Movie,” which he also appeared in and was the Executive Producer.
Nelson, who
studied with Steve Vai in his Berklee days, jazz fusion great Steve Khan and
Mike Stern has created a tour de force with his last all-instrumental
rock/fusion solo release, “A very diverse package that takes the listener on a
sophisticated journey through the musical mind of Paul Nelson. Boundless
energy, and displays ferocious solo sections at the same time showing us his
control over an emotional side of playing all the while holding it together
with a tasteful melodic sense which comes through on each cut.”
Paul's latest CD
on Sony Music Group entitled “Badass Generation” has received rave reviews
worldwide; calling Nelson “One of today's Top Guitarists”!
“What else can
we say about Paul Nelson except - Chops Deluxe.” - Guitar World Magazine
“An A-List
guitar player who is undeniably one of the most technically dazzling players
the world has ever known.” - Guitar One Magazine
“He's a
soulful player who has chops to burn. The word 'ferocious' comes to mind, or
'take no prisoners'” - Vintage Guitar Magazine
“Love this
album - the sound and the energy. Gorgeous, searing guitar work. Like a blow
torch!” – Wall Street Journal
Recognized as one
of music's top guitarist/songwriter/producers Paul Nelson continues his musical
journey recording and touring the world over. Nelson was not only guitarist to
legendary rock/blues icon Johnny Winter but is recognized in his own right as
one of today's premier guitarists. “Johnny definitely took me under his wing,”
Nelson remembers his late friend and mentor. “The blues world does that. One
musician hands another the torch, and then you run with it. Johnny took pride
in turning me on to the likes of Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters
Delta, Texas and Chicago blues - all the music that he loved. I knew what he
was doing for me, and I am really appreciative of that.”
Nelson performed
on and produced “Step Back,” a posthumous, star-studded affair, pairing him on
recordings with Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Ben Harper and many
others, earning both Nelson and Winter Grammy Awards for “Best Blues Album” in
2015. Nelson still feels the loss of his friend and mentor. But he also
recognizes that new creative endeavors are ahead.
The formation of
The Paul Nelson Band and the “Badass Generation” album marked the next
step in that evolution. Nelson's new project still maintains an unmistakable
connection to the blues, but it also finds the guitarist showing his other
musical dimensions, from hard-edged, uncompromising rock and blues to
acoustic-driven singer-songwriter fare.
“The Paul Nelson
Band rocks. Period. Like the debut albums of Aerosmith or Van Halen, this
self-titled debut is hot with licks that are in service to the song. That,
right there, puts it a cut above. Nelson's sparkling electricity spills out of
his guitar like Blues/Rock on Steroids. Singer Morten Fredheim is a find! Paul
Rodgers ain't got nothin' on this guy! Nelson is razor-sharp, crystal-clear and
punctuates the proceedings with a kick and a grin. This band can’t help but be
huge.” - Goldmine Magazine
On this album
Nelson and his newly formed band skillfully incorporate an array of sounds and
styles, with what Nelson's fans know to be his calling card: remarkable,
world-class virtuosity on the guitar - what you might expect of someone who was
also taught by six-string master Steve Vai. “This project has so much input
from all of the different styles of music that have influenced me and my band,
from blues to classic rock to jam band, pop rock and more. I wanted to play the
guitar to serve the songs – and not the other way around. Everything I create
has to fit in with the music,” says Nelson.
Nelson's
handpicked co-conspirators include vocalist Morten Fredheim, who turned heads
topping the European edition of “The Voice”, bassist Christopher Alexander; and
Chris Reddan on drums. Gov't Mule keyboardist Danny Louis also makes a cameo
appearance. The collective result is something that’s musically rooted in the
classic era of Led Zeppelin, Free, Bad Company, Skynyrd, Tom Petty, Allman
Brothers, Aerosmith and ZZ Top – but right at home with a fresh new take in the
21st century. “We got together and painstakingly worked out these songs before
we recorded them. The caliber of the musicians in this band is inspiring”
Nelson explains.
Nelson is eager
to begin this new stage of his career with his band mates. Songs such as “Keep
It All Together” with Fredheim's soaring vocals, and Nelson's classic guitar
sounds to “Goodbye Forever”, with it's infectious groove and chorus and “Please
Come Home” displaying emotional melodies and soulful slide guitar work, all
which are among the few future stand out classics found on this album. “I want
our music to touch many people in the same way it did us in the making and
performing of this album,” says Nelson. His only regret? That his old friend
wasn't able to sit in on a few of the tunes. “Johnny Winter's influence will
always be a part of me,” he says. “There are many times when I pick up my
guitar, and I feel his music. I know he's with me in a way, but I also have
influences from so many other places. Have I now spread my wings? Absolutely.
I'm a musician. I have to keep on writing and performing and never stop.”
The album's title
“Badass Generation” says it all! The music on this latest recording speaks to
today’s generation's quest for something new and this band's music does just
that, through great song writing and musicianship making for one great musical
ride!
