Ellis Paul

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Ellis Paul : biography

January 14, 1965 –

Paul is joined on stage by a young fan while performing at the Children’s Festival at the 2008 [[Woody Guthrie Folk Festival – July 12, 2008.]]

In January 2008, Paul released a children’s and family record entitled The Dragonfly Races. Inspired after the birth of his second daughter, Paul said that he wanted to teach his children about the world through the use of music. The songs are meant to be enjoyed by both children and adults, and Paul said "I wanted my kids to hear music with social commentary and some fantasy involved."Koenig, Seth. The Times Record, Oct. 11, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007. Scott Alarik said "Paul sings movingly about what really worries new parents, and turns lazy dragonflies, gentle monsters, and resilient roses into useful metaphors for world peace, the power of faith, and the delights of a sleepy day."Alarik, Scott. The Boston Globe, Nov. 15, 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2007. In April 2008 the Parents’ Choice Foundation awarded The Dragonfly Races a Silver Medallion. The Parents’ Choice Awards program honors the best material for children in these categories: books, toys, music and storytelling, magazines, software, videogames, television and websites.Parents’ Choice Foundation. Retrieved April 29, 2008.

In 2009, country musician Jack Ingram chose to record a song written by Paul. According to CMT, Paul’s "The World Ain’t Slowing Down", may be the song that takes Ingram to the "next level".Shelburne, Craig. CMT Blog, September 29, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2009. Ingram says "It’ll be fun for me to expose people to a fantastic song from an artist who’s had a 20-year career of being a very successful folk artist."Mansfield, Brian. USA Today, December 26, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2009.

Awards and recognition

(See the official .)

  • 2012 — Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award for Hero in You
  • 2009 — 14th Boston Music Award for Folk Act of the Year
  • 2008 — Parents’ Choice Foundation Silver Award for The Dragonfly Races
  • 2004 — Boston College Arts Council Alumni Award for Artistic Achievement
  • 2004 — 13th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Male Singer-Songwriter
  • 2002 — 12th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Singer-Songwriter Album for Sweet Mistakes
  • 2001 — 11th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Male Singer-Songwriter
  • 1999 — 10th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Male Vocalist – Indie Label
  • 1999 — 9th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Singer/Songwriter for "Take Me Down"
  • 1999 — 8th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Acoustic Folk Album for Translucent Soul
  • 1997 — 7th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Contemporary Folk Act
  • 1996 — 6th Boston Music Award for Rising Star
  • 1996 — 5th Boston Music Award for Outstanding Contemporary Folk Act
  • 1995 — 4th Boston Music Award for Folk/Acoustic Album of the Year for Stories
  • 1995 — 3rd Boston Music Award for Outstanding Local Male Vocalist
  • 1994 — Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition winner
  • 1993 — 2nd Boston Music Award for Outstanding Song of the Year – Indie Label for "Conversation With a Ghost"
  • 1992 — 1st Boston Music Award for Outstanding New Folk/Acoustic Act
  • 1991 — Boston Acoustic Underground Award

Growing up

Paul performing "Home" on piano in [[Ogunquit, Maine, the state in which he grew up. (August 5, 2006)]]

Ellis Paul was born in Fort Kent, Maine, a small, rural potato-farming town near the Canadian border. Paul’s family had strong connections to the potato industry — his father, Ed Plissey, was Executive Director of the Maine Potato Commission and his grandfather owned a potato farm. Schools in the area closed for three weeks each year so that school children could help with the potato harvest. Paul spent many hours working on his grandfather’s farm.Wood, Arthur. Ellis Paul. Kerrville Kronikle, #21. 1996. Paul’s mother, the former Marilyn Bonney of Buckfield, Maine, is a University of Maine graduate and was an extension agent for northern Aroostook County. She and her husband often worked together on special projects for the service. In the 1960s, Mrs. Plissey produced her own television show "The Aroostook Homemaker" which aired every third week on Presque Isle television station WAGM-TV.Sunday Telegram staff. "Families of Maine’s Outstanding Young Men", Portland, Maine Sunday Telegram, Jan. 19, 1964.