P. J. Olsson
Encyclopedia
Paul Josef Olsson is currently the lead singer for the Alan Parsons
Live Project. He has five released albums. He has toured with various artists over his lifetime, including The Alan Parsons Project
, Kid Rock, Muse, Train, Rufus Wainright, Iggy Pop, Beth Orton, Bob Geldof, Something Corporate, Ben Harper, Nelly Furtado, Placebo, Michelle Branch, and others.
to a "musical" family. His father had a Ph.D.
in music and was an avant-garde
12-tone composer and an A&R
executive for Motown Records
while his mother was a music and voice major. He started playing violin at age 6. PJ caught the attention of Columbia records
, who in mid-2000 released the album "Words For Living" which received positive reviews in the United States. Olsson also received nationwide exposure from an appearance on the David Letterman
show and the inclusion of his song "Ready for a Fall" on the soundtrack album for the television show Dawson's Creek.
Though recently from Los Angeles, he has recently returned to his home town of Houghton, Michigan.
In 2003, Olsson began working with Alan Parsons
, and has since become the current front-man for the Alan Parsons Live Project concerts. PJ appeared on Parsons' most recent studio album A Valid Path
and live album Eye 2 Eye: Live In Madrid
.
According to his Rock Camp website, Olsson's early influences are said to be from artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Steely Dan.
Olsson also produces and writes for other artists and writes songs for movies, TV, and advertising.
Olsson has moved back to Houghton in 2004 from Los Angeles to be closer to his wife and children according to information posted on his Rock Band Camp website.
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
Live Project. He has five released albums. He has toured with various artists over his lifetime, including The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians....
, Kid Rock, Muse, Train, Rufus Wainright, Iggy Pop, Beth Orton, Bob Geldof, Something Corporate, Ben Harper, Nelly Furtado, Placebo, Michelle Branch, and others.
Biography
He was born in Houghton, MichiganHoughton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
to a "musical" family. His father had a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in music and was an avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
12-tone composer and an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
executive for Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
while his mother was a music and voice major. He started playing violin at age 6. PJ caught the attention of Columbia records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, who in mid-2000 released the album "Words For Living" which received positive reviews in the United States. Olsson also received nationwide exposure from an appearance on the David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
show and the inclusion of his song "Ready for a Fall" on the soundtrack album for the television show Dawson's Creek.
Though recently from Los Angeles, he has recently returned to his home town of Houghton, Michigan.
In 2003, Olsson began working with Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
, and has since become the current front-man for the Alan Parsons Live Project concerts. PJ appeared on Parsons' most recent studio album A Valid Path
A Valid Path
A Valid Path is the fourth solo album that Alan Parsons recorded after splitting from his previous group The Alan Parsons Project. The gap between this and his previous album, The Time Machine, was the second greatest period between two consecutive albums, second only to the time between the split...
and live album Eye 2 Eye: Live In Madrid
Eye 2 Eye: Live In Madrid
Eye 2 Eye: Live In Madrid is a live concert performance by Alan Parsons released on both DVD-Video and Audio CD on April 6, 2010 on the Frontiers label...
.
According to his Rock Camp website, Olsson's early influences are said to be from artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Steely Dan.
Olsson also produces and writes for other artists and writes songs for movies, TV, and advertising.
Olsson has moved back to Houghton in 2004 from Los Angeles to be closer to his wife and children according to information posted on his Rock Band Camp website.