Clarence Paul

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on March 19, 1928,{{Cite web |title=Clarence Paul Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clarence-paul-mn0000111726 |access-date=June 4, 2024 |website=AllMusic}} Paul was the son of Lowman Pauling and Arsula Price. His brother was guitarist/songwriter Lowman Pauling Jr. The two brothers co-founded The "5" Royales singing group.[https://www.discogs.com/artist/284970-Clarence-Paul Profile of Clarence Paul], Discogs. Retrieved September 7, 2017. Their father was a coal miner in Bluefield, West Virginia, where the brothers listened to country music on the town's only radio station. In Winston-Salem, the brothers formed the gospel group the Royal Sons Quintet, later to become The "5" Royales. Paul dropped the "ing" from his last name after moving to Detroit in the 1950s, so he would not to be confused with his older brother.

In 1958, he had one of his first major songwriting credits. He co-wrote and recorded "I Need Your Lovin'" for the Hanover label.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qsCrDwAAQBAJ&dq=Clarence+Paul+may+6+1995&pg=PT549|title=Motown: The Golden Years: More Than 100 Rare Photographs|author=Bill Dahl|year=2011|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4402-2557-4 }} It was covered less than a year later, in 1959, and became a number-14 R&B hit for Roy Hamilton. His other notable songs included "A Place in the Sun", "Hey, Love", and "Until You Come Back to Me".{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times |date= May 10, 1995|page= EVB13|title=Obituaries: Clarence Paul; Motown Record Producer, Songwriter}}

At Motown, he gained fame as Stevie Wonder's mentor and main producer, during Wonder's teenage years. He co-wrote Wonder's first hit song, "Fingertips" (1963).{{cite news|title=ENTERTAINMENT TIDBITS; Motown Veteran Passes|author=Carolyn Bingham|work=Los Angeles Sentinel|date= May 18, 1995|page=B5}} He also sang backup vocals on Wonder's top-ten version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", and Wonder's version of "Funny How Time Slips Away". Paul also produced early Temptations records and wrote/co-wrote such hits as "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" originally for Wonder, and later given to Aretha Franklin who made it a #1 hit, and "Hitch Hike" for Marvin Gaye, later covered by The Rolling Stones, and others. Paul relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

Paul retired to Las Vegas, Nevada. He died of complications of heart disease and diabetes, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California on May 6, 1995, at the age of 67.

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• [http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Clarence%20Paul.html The Clarence Paul Page]

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Category:1928 births

Category:1995 deaths

Category:20th-century African-American musicians

Category:20th-century American businesspeople

Category:African-American songwriters

Category:Deaths from diabetes in California

Category:Motown artists

Category:Musicians from Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Category:Record producers from North Carolina

Category:Songwriters from North Carolina

Category:20th-century American songwriters

Category:Musicians from Bluefield, West Virginia