Paul Westerberg Pics

Paul

Westerberg

31 December 1959

Average

Brown - Dark

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Capricorn

White

lead singer and songwriter of The Replacements

Male

American

Paul Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band. In recent years, he has cultivated a more independent-minded approach, primarily recording his music at home in his basement. According to Replacements lore, Westerberg was working as a janitor, and while walking home from work one day, he happened to hear a punk band practicing in a basement. He talked his way into the band by convincing the singer that the other band members--Bob Stinson, Chris Mars and Tommy Stinson--were going to fire him. The singer quit and Westerberg joined the group, which eventually became known as The Replacements. The Replacements quickly made a name for themselves in the Twin Cities punk scene, largely thanks to Westerberg`s songwriting. The band made several critically acclaimed albums for local label Twin/Tone before signing to Sire Records in 1985. Despite the jump to Sire, the Replacements never translated their critical success into commercial sales. By 1990, the band had run its course. The 1990 Replacements album All Shook Down was for all intents and purposes a Westerberg solo project. There are numerous guest performers and the other three members of the band (including Slim Dunlap, who had replaced Bob Stinson three years earlier to tour in support of Pleased to Meet Me) make minimal contributions. Mars left the band during this project. After touring for the album (which was critically well-received) with replacement Replacements, Tommy and Paul went their separate ways. Westerberg`s first official solo work appeared in the form of two songs, "Waiting For Somebody" and "Dyslexic Heart," for the soundtrack to the 1992 Cameron Crowe film Singles, for which he is also credited with composing and performing the score. The following year Reprise Records released his first solo album, 14 Songs. During the interim between solo albums, Westerberg songs appeared on Melrose Place ("A Star Is Bored") and Friends (his cover of Jonathan Edwards` "Sunshine" and "Stain Yer Blood") television soundtracks, in 1994 and 1995 respectively. In 2007, "Dyslexic Heart" was used in Smart People movie trailer. Westerberg co-wrote the song "Backlash" with Joan Jett for her 1991 album Notorious, and played guitar with her on a video of the song. He also recorded a duet with Jett ("Let`s Do It") for the Tank Girl soundtrack (1994). 1996 heralded his second solo album, the appropriately titled Eventually, which was tepidly received by critics and had modest sales. It did yield the alternative radio hit, "Love Untold". Westerberg parted ways with Reprise records and the following year chose to release songs with a more comical slant under alter ego Grandpaboy. An EP and single were released by indie label Soundproof/Monolyth Records. His third album Suicaine Gratifaction is a piano-driven, melancholy, and highly personal work. The album was released on Capitol Records in 1999. The label was undergoing reorganization, and failed to push the album.[1] Westerberg appeared on a fifth season episode of The Larry Sanders Show (entitled "Larry`s New Love") performing "Ain`t Got Me" from Eventually. The episode first aired Wednesday, February 26, 1997. Westerberg then quit the major label circuit and disappeared for three years before staging a major comeback in 2002. With new management and a new independent label, Vagrant Records, he released two records simultaneously, Stereo and Mono (Mono being released under his alter ego Grandpaboy). Stereo and Mono were recorded in Westerberg`s basement studio. They were acclaimed as his best works since the Replacements, and Westerberg became increasingly prolific, releasing Dead Man Shake (as Grandpaboy), Come Feel Me Tremble, and Folker all within the next two years to critical success. Westerberg contributed a cover of The Beatles` "Nowhere Man" for the 2002 soundtrack to the 2001 film I Am Sam. Additionally, "Lookin` Up in Heaven" appears on the Starbucks sampler Hear Music, Vol. 10: Reveal, "Outta My System" can be found on Hot Stove, Cool Music, Vol. 1, and the Vagrant Records sampler Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3 features "As Far As I Know." All three compilations were released in 2004. In December 2005, Westerberg reconvened with Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars to record two new songs for a compilation titled Don`t You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements, which was released in 2006. In 2006, Westerberg took on the challenge of writing a collection of songs for the animated film Open Season. In all, the soundtrack includes eight new Westerberg originals. It is unique in that two of the songs were covered by other arti

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Westerberg

Paul Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band. In recent years, he has cultivated a more independent-minded approach, primarily recording his music at home in his basement.

Soundtrack, Composer, Director

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