PAUL NORTON

Paul Norton started playing bass in various bands in his teens, which led to the formation of Melbourne band The Runners. After a couple of years of constant live work, The Runners were signed to Mushroom records in 1981 and released their first single ''Sure Fire Thing'' in 1982 followed by the album 'Hitting the Wall' and the single ''Endlessly''. The Runners toured constantly throughout the early eighties and went through many lineup changes before disbanding in 1985. Paul spent the next couple of years playing with various bands (Wendy and the Rocketts, Steve Hoy and the Hoy Boys) before launching a solo career in 1988. 

Again, signed to Mushroom Records Paul released his first single ''Stuck On You'' which received immediate airplay and got to #3 on the Australian charts. Paul then went to London to work with producers Paul Muggleton and Mike Paxman on the next single ''I Got You'' and the album 'Under a Southern Sky' (the song ''Southern Sky'' was later chosen for Australia Day Celebrations at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney). Paul worked live with his band for the next couple of years before teaming up with American musician/producer T-Bone Wolk (Hall and Oates, Carly Simon) to work on his second album 'Let It Fly' which was recorded at Metropolis studios in Melbourne and mixed in New York at Electric Lady and Bearsville studios.

'Let It Fly' was released in 1992 with the singles ''When We Were Young'' and ''Lil Red Riding Hood''. Paul worked live with his band over the next couple of years touring extensively throughout Australia including many aboriginal communities and Arnhem Land. In 1994 Paul met Peter Wells (ex-Buffalo, Rose Tattoo) and Cletis Carr and together they formed Hillbilly Moon and later that year released the album 'Hillbilly Moon Volume One' with the song ''She Left Me'' receiving solid airplay on Country Music Television. Paul was Musical Director and wrote the score for The Australian Shakespeare Company's productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Jungle Book (the concert show) Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, As You Like It, Macbeth, Twelfth Night The Dream Fairies (Melbourne, Sydney and London) Pygmalion and Alice in Wonderland and independent productions of Barassi the Stage Show, Cruisin Paradise, and songs for the critically acclaimed comedy Certified Male.

Paul has written for and with some of Australia’s finest performers including Debra Byrne, Gerry Hale, Wendy Stapleton, Dobe Newton, Donna Fisk and Michael Cristian. In the last few years Paul has divided his time between writing producing (Dobe Newton, Susan Lily and Curly Joe) and working live. 2006 saw Paul tour Australia with The Countdown Spectacular, featuring 27 of Australia's top rock acts of the 70's and 80's performing to 100,000 people nationwide. In the last few years Paul has divided his time between writing producing and working live.

SINGLES

Stuck on You

3 APR '89

#3

I Got You

23 OCT '89

#31

Southern Sky

8 JUL '90

#37

When We Were Young

18 OCT '92

#99

References

http://www.paulnorton.com.au/bio.htm

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/