Paul Siebel obit

Paul Siebel, Singer Whose Career Was Notable but Brief, Dies at 84

He arrived on the Greenwich Village folk scene in the mid-1960s and drew comparisons to Dylan. But he left the music business not long after 

He was not on the list.

Paul Siebel was a folk singer and songwriter known for songs including the widely-covered “Louise.”

Died: April 5, 2022 (Who else died on April 5?)

Details of death: Died in Centreville, Maryland of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 84.

Short-lived career

Siebel began performing after serving in the U.S. Army, singing his folky compositions in Buffalo, New York and then in Greenwich Village. His style invited comparisons to Bob Dylan’s early work, both for his nasal voice and his thoughtful lyrics. But Siebel’s career was held back by his severe stage fright. He stopped writing songs after recording two albums, and he stopped performing not long after that. Siebel’s songs found their way to other artists, though, and their cover versions became well known. “Louise” was covered by musicians including Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Leo Kottke. “Spanish Johnny,” based on a poem by Willa Cather, was covered by Emmylou Harris and Waylon Jennings. After leaving the music industry, Siebel worked as a baker and in the parks and recreation department in Talbot County, Maryland. 

Notable quote

“I got to be known for doing country. No one in the folk scene was doing this, with the exception of perhaps Jack Elliott doing cowboy songs, not quite country. … I think I wanted to find a voice and a venue in the city folk scene and I used country. One of the problems I had in the ‘70s — country began becoming very popular and people approached me saying ‘Why don’t you go to Nashville?’ I was not a country singer, I did not want to go to Nashville; they could do that stuff better than I could.” —from a 2011 interview for American Songwriter

Tributes to Paul Siebel

RIP Paul Siebel, great songwriter who wrote one of the best opening lines ever. Like a door you just have to open.

"They all said Louise was not half bad…" https://t.co/vjUnc0DFrx

—    Gretchen Peters (@gretchenpeters) April 17, 2022

After serving in the military, Siebel began playing folk clubs, eventually moving to Greenwich Village, where he found support in the coffeehouse circuit. An article in The New York Times on February 14, 1970, written by Mike Jahn, described Siebel as "a folk singer with a country and western bias ... a 32‐year‐old native of Buffalo and musically a product of the Greenwich Village folk scene" and said that he "sings in high nasal and hillbilly manner, rather like Bob Dylan's singing in his early days", referring to his songs as "uncomplicated country and folk songs, with occasional thoughts about such things as suburban living and raising children". Typical of his songs were “Bride 1945" and "My Town". At The Bitter End, he played acoustic guitar and was backed by David Bromberg, Don Brooks, Jeff Gutcheon and Gary White.

In 1969, Elektra Records became aware of a collection of songs Siebel made with David Bromberg and signed him to record Woodsmoke and Oranges (1970) and Jack-Knife Gypsy (1971). His songs were covered by, among others, Bromberg, Willy DeVille, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kate Wolf, Mary McCaslin, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Rick Roberts and Leo Kottke; but he remained mostly unknown to the larger public.

After 1971, his songwriting production stopped. Siebel became depressed and developed drug problems. Now and then his name came up in interviews with other artists. Kris Kristofferson tips his hat to Siebel in his song "The Pilgrim". Siebel played McCabe's Guitar Shop in 1978, which was considered a comeback, and appeared on a 1977 release, Music From Mud Acres, with a cover of the Hank Williams song "Weary Blues".