Paul Humphrey (Canadian musician) explained

Paul Humphrey
Birth Date:22 September 1959
Birth Place:Vancouver, British Columbia
Genre:New wave, pop, rock
Occupation:Singer-songwriter
Years Active:1978–2021
Instrument:Vocals, keyboards, piano, guitar
Label:Ready Records
Past Member Of:Blue Peter, Broken Arrow
Website:PaulHumphrey.org

Paul Humphrey (22 September 1959 – 4 April 2021) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician who played keyboards and guitar and was best known as the lead singer for the 1980s Canadian new wave band Blue Peter. Humphrey had also been the leader of The Paul Humphrey Band, The Monkey Tree, and Broken Arrow.[1]

Blue Peter

Blue Peter was founded by Humphrey and Chris Wardman in the late 1970s when they were high school students. After attending York University, Humphrey dropped out of the theatre program to pursue music full time.[2]

Humphrey sang lead, and was known for his low-timbred singing, compared at times to that of David Bowie[3] and Bryan Ferry,[4] as well as his "suave" looks and dancing style. His band mate Geoff McOuat credited the singer as being influenced by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and elements of film noir.

While a member of Blue Peter, he earned the Male Vocalist of the Year award at 1984's CASBY Awards (then known as The U-Knows), held by CFNY radio in Toronto.[5] Humphrey and Blue Peter performed shows occasionally, often as part of "retro" events, such as the Juno Awards 40th Anniversary Concert Series held at the Horseshoe Tavern[6] in January 2011.

Solo career

After stints with The Paul Humphrey Band and Monkey Tree, Humphrey formed Broken Arrow with Blue Peter bass player Ric Joudrey in 1997.[7] Broken Arrow recorded and released two CDs, Bend (1997),[8] and Four Ways to Centre (2000).[9]

In 2007 Humphrey released a solo album, A Rumour of Angels, which he recorded with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.[10] John Sakamoto selected People Let You Down from this album for mention in his Anti-Hit List in 2007,[11] noting that the album's style was a significant departure from Humphrey's musical past. In 2008, Humphrey contributed vocals to Your Flight Tonight on ProCon's album Kingmaker.[12]

Personal life

Humphrey was born in Vancouver.[13] He came from a musical family, and had three brothers who are also professional musicians; actor Mark Humphrey is a drummer, John Humphrey plays bass, and Andy Humphrey is a singer-songwriter/guitarist. His sister Lesley has modeled extensively. Early in his career Humphrey also made acting appearances in a few television series, including and Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. Humphrey died at the age of 61 on April 4, 2021, after a long battle with multiple system atrophy, a rare degenerative disorder.[14] [15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bio. PaulHumphrey.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20141215171649/http://www.paulhumphrey.org/bio.html. 10 January 2011. 15 December 2014.
  2. Web site: Friend. David. 7 April 2021. Paul Humphrey, suave frontman of '80s Toronto new wave band Blue Peter, dies at 61. 8 April 2021. Toronto Star.
  3. Web site: Blue Peter. Bands. Pop Goes The City Festival. 10 January 2011.
  4. Web site: Carruthers. Sean. Four Ways to Centre. All-Music Guide Review. Aol.com. 10 January 2011.
  5. Web site: history. Casby Awards. 102.1 The Edge. 10 January 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110317035636/http://www.edge.ca/ConcertsandEvents/Casbys/History.aspx. 17 March 2011.
  6. News: Kaplan. Ben. The Junos: '80s icons look back at the scene. 10 January 2011. National Post. 5 January 2011.
  7. News: Broken Arrow. 10 January 2011. Billboard.
  8. Web site: Carruthers. Sean. Bend. All-Music Guide Review. Artist Direct. 10 January 2011.
  9. Web site: Albums. Broken Arrow. 10 January 2011.
  10. News: Barclay. Michael. Blue Peter @ Lee's Palace, May 29. 10 January 2011. eye weekly. 2 June 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110522154851/http://www.eyeweekly.com/liveeye/article/29347. 22 May 2011. dead.
  11. News: Sakamoto. John. The Anti-Hit List. 10 January 2011. Toronto Star. 15 September 2007.
  12. News: Benson. Denise. Both sides now – The ups and downs of being ProCon. 10 January 2011. eye weekly. 29 October 2008.
  13. Web site: Wheeler . Brad . Singer Paul Humphrey made Blue Peter seem 'too cool to be Canadian' . . April 29, 2021 . April 16, 2021.
  14. Web site: Remembering Paul Humphrey Blue Peter Band . bluepeterband.com . April 7, 2021 . April 6, 2021.
  15. Web site: Friend . David . Paul Humphrey, suave frontman of '80s Toronto new wave band Blue Peter, dies at 61 . Times-Colonist . 8 April 2021 . times-colonist . April 7, 2021.