Stephen Neal Paul (April 28, 1941 October 21, 2012) was an American

talent manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager, or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of Entertainer, artists within the entertainment industry. The responsibility of a talent manager is to ove ...

and nightclub owner. Paul was the one-time manager of

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...

, among other related performers, as well as being the owner of The Scene, a popular

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

club from 1964 to 1970, and the founder of

Blue Sky Records Blue Sky Records was a custom record label created by Steve Paul for Columbia Records, featuring acts managed by Steve Paul, primarily blues-oriented performers Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Dan Hartman, David Johansen, and Muddy ...

Early life

Paul was born in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. His father was a high school principal. Paul attended Dobbs Ferry High School where he graduated at 16. He began his career at the age of 17 doing public relations for a New York City restaurant and

Peppermint Lounge The Peppermint Lounge was a popular discotheque located at 128 West 45th Street in New York City that was open from 1958 to 1965, although a new one was opened in 1980. It was the launchpad for the global Twist craze in the early 1960s. Many cla ...

Career

Paul first became known as the owner of Steve Paul's The Scene, a popular New York City club that opened in 1964. He was the host of his own TV show, ''The Steve Paul Scene'', broadcast in September 1967. The show featured live performances by

The Blues Project The Blues Project is an American band formed in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood in 1965. The group's original iteration broke up in 1967. Their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles: folk, blues, rhythm & blues, jazz, an ...

Moby Grape Moby Grape is an American rock band founded in 1966. Part of San Francisco's psychedelic music scene, the band merged elements of rock and roll, folk music, pop, blues, and country. They were one of the few groups of which all members were lea ...

The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American Gospel music, gospel, soul music, soul, and Rhythm and blues, R&B singing group. Pops Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group w ...

and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

. In 1968, he became the manager of Johnny Winter. Paul had travelled from New York to Texas to successfully promote his managerial abilities to Winter, after reading a ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' review of Texas music by Larry Sepulvado, in which Winter was described as "the hottest item outside of

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

". Based on Paul's negotiating abilities, Winter shortly thereafter in 1968 signed the then-largest recording contract ever offered by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

: $600,000, payable over five years. Winter performed regularly at Steve Paul's New York club, The Scene, where various artists, such as

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

and

, would make guest appearances. Many of these performances were of historic significance, such as the performance by Jimi Hendrix,

Buddy Miles George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–19 ...

and Johnny Winter in February 1969. It is also the place where on March 18, 1968, Jimi Hendrix and a very intoxicated Jim Morrison accompanied by Buddy Miles were recorded together live, on Hendrix's own recording device, a recording which has become notoriously sought after by fans and collectors alike. Johnny Winter appeared at Woodstock Music Festival, but his performance was not included in the film or initial soundtrack recordings, due to unresolved contractual issues between Steve Paul and the festival organizers, prior to Winter's performance. Steve Paul was Winter's manager for fifteen years.Mary Lou Sullivan
Description of Steve Paul
''Raisin' Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter''; book publication website. Retrieved 2011-02-01. In 1970, Paul, who also managed

The McCoys The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Originally named Rick and the Raiders, they changed their name to "The McCoys" from ...

, brought the artists together, resulting in Winter's successful '' Johnny Winter And'' (1970), including the hit " Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". The McCoys had first met Winter during their term as the resident house band at The Scene, commencing in 1969.Profile of The McCoys

Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .

Musician Profiles, as reprinted at www.answers.com. Retrieved 2011-02-05.

Blue Sky Records

In 1973, Paul started

, a label promoted and distributed by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Between 1973 and 1982, it became the principal recording label for

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American multi-instrumentalist, working as a vocalist along with playing keyboards, saxophone, and percussion. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their pop ...

Rick Derringer Richard Dean Zehringer (August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025), known professionally as Rick Derringer, was an American musician, producer and songwriter. He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, " Hang On Sloopy", ...

Dan Hartman Daniel Earl Hartman (December 8, 1950 – March 22, 1994) was an American pop rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter and original frontman for several bands, including the Soploids, Mak and the Turnarounds, Our Wri ...

, and

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Po ...

, all of whom were managed by Paul. Through Johnny Winter's involvement as a producer, the label is also credited with reviving the later career of

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

. The label largely ceased operations with Winter's departure in 1983, which coincided with the termination of his management relationship with Steve Paul.

Later years and death

In the 2000s, Paul developed Downtown TV, an online entertainment network. He also produced musical revues on and off Broadway and nightclubs. On October 21, 2012, Paul died of undisclosed causes in a

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

area hospital at the age of 71.

References

External links

Article about Steve Paul
from the July 19, 1967 issue of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Steve 1941 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American music industry executives American music managers American musical theatre producers Businesspeople from the Bronx American impresarios American LGBTQ businesspeople LGBTQ mass media people LGBTQ people from New York (state) Nightclub owners People from the Bronx