Paul Field is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Christian musician and songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

.

Working as a professional composer, producer and musician since the mid-1970s Field has won an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors was founded in 1947.It represents its members within the industry, to the government and to the European Commission....

 and a Dove Award from GMA

Gospel Music Association

The Gospel Music Association was founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of Gospel music. There are currently about 4,000 members worldwide...

 in Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

. He has also been nominated for Dove Awards on two other occasions. Many artists around the world have recorded his songs and his production and arrangement credits range from country to gospel to classical and back to rock and pop.

Field's song "Testify to Love" (co-written with Ralph van Manen) has been a US hit three times: first a #1 for Avalon

Avalon

Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...

 and also for Wynnona on the double platinum CD "Touched by an Angel

Touched by an Angel

Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...

" (soundtrack to the TV show) which made #3 in the Billboard Chart. More recently the song was re-released as the title track on Avalon

Avalon

Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...

's platinum 'Greatest Hits' CD.

Field's songs have been recorded on many occasions by Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....

. These include "All That Matters", "Thief in the Night",and the controversial "The Millennium Prayer

The Millennium Prayer

"The Millennium Prayer" is a 1999 charity single by Cliff Richard. The song features Richard singing the words of the Lord's Prayer to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne". It was not written to be entered into the charts, instead being written to form part of the Share Jesus International production,...

".

In the US, Field's songs have been recorded by Grammy award-winning artists, including Rebecca St James, Jaci Velasquez

Jaci Velasquez

Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez is an American Contemporary Christian and Latin Pop singer—in both English and Spanish languages....

, Phil Keaggy

Phil Keaggy

Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets...

, Point of Grace

Point of Grace

Point of Grace is an all-female Contemporary Christian music group. The trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as well as Terry Jones and Heather Payne...

, Jennifer Stanley, Natalie Grant

Natalie Grant

Natalie Grant is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. Her work has gained prominence, including four consecutive Dove Awards for best female artist, and with her signature song, Held...

 and Jennifer Knapp

Jennifer Knapp

Jennifer Lynn Knapp is an American-Australian folk rock, and formerly contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album Kansas , and the song "A Little More" from her Grammy Award-nominated album Lay It Down . The Way I Am , was also nominated...

. Field regularly works in Nashville on various projects.

Over the years Field has written six musicals: 'Daybreak', 'Visions', 'Breaking Bread', 'Burning Questions', 'Hopes and Dreams' and 'Here and Now'. He also writes music for film, television and advertising (including British Rail

British Rail

British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...

, the Cabbage Patch Kids

Cabbage Patch Kids

Cabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...

, Astro Farm

Astro Farm

Astro Farm was an English children's television series animated in stop motion. It featured the adventures of the Foxwoods, a small family who work on an asteroid, which is covered in farmland...

, Guinness

Guinness

Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...

, the European News Network, Australian TV and the Tokyo Motor Show

Tokyo Motor Show

The is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association , it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs...

).

Paul Field has been in demand as a producer and arranger. He has also provided backing vocals for various acts, including Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....

, Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman

Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...

, Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...

, Phil Everley, Paul Jones

Paul Jones (singer)

Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P...

, Amy Grant

Amy Grant

Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...

, Lesley Ashe, David

David Grant (singer)

David Grant is an English pop singer and celebrity vocal coach.-Career:Grant became famous in the early 1980s as a member of UK soul/funk duo, Linx, whose biggest hit was Intuition in 1981. He began a solo career in 1983 with the Top 40 hit "Stop and Go"...

 & Carrie Grant

Carrie Grant

Carrie Grant is a British vocal coach and session singer. She is best known for her work on the television talent contests Fame Academy, Comic Relief does Fame Academy and Pop Idol, together with her husband and colleague David Grant. She is also personal voice coach to many successful pop stars...

, Chris Rea

Chris Rea

Chris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...

, Andre Crouch, Jessy Dixon

Jessy Dixon

Jessy Dixon was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist, with success among audiences across racial lines. He garnered seven Grammy nominations during his career....

, Katy Melua and the Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

.

Nutshell/Network 3

He began his career in the early 1970s with the folk trio Nutshell. The group was originally called Jesus Revolution, but then recorded two albums under the name of Nutshell. At this time the other members of the group were Heather Bennett and Pam Thiele.

Bennett and Thiele then left and were replaced by Annie McCaig and Mo McCafferty. The group released two further albums. Between 1979 and 1981 they toured with Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....

 as backing singers and support act.

Dr David Sabatini and Ken Scott have both described Nutshell, at their best, as an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 version of 2nd Chapter of Acts

2nd Chapter of Acts

The 2nd Chapter of Acts was a Jesus Music and early Contemporary Christian Music group composed of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen and brother Matthew Ward. They began performing in 1973 and enjoyed their period of greatest success during the 1970s...

.

After the release of Believe it or Not, in 1979, the band changed its name to Network 3 and released two singles, both produced by Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....

, before splitting up.

Solo

Following the break-up of Network 3, Paul embarked on a solo career with the acclaimed Restless Heart (1982). His albums were notable for strong melodies, classy arrangements and good lyrics.

He wrote his six musicals, 'Daybreak', 'Visions', 'Breaking Bread','Burning Questions', 'Hopes and Dreams' and 'Here and Now', on various specific themes.

Field continued to combine his solo career with production, songwriting and arranging.

In 2001 and 2002 he travelled to India with Garth Hewitt. They co-wrote and produced The Dalit Drum CD for Christian Aid

Christian Aid

Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...

. This album used live recordings of Dalit

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

 drummers in support of the Dalit

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

's or 'Untouchables'.

In 2004, one of Paul's children's songs. Surrounded by his love. was used as part of the Queen Elizabeth's Christmas message, on Christmas Day.

In recent times Field has been writing and providing production for Jonathan Veira. He has written songs for a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 film and completed two albums of children's songs. He has also provided backing vocals for Brian Houston

Brian Houston (musician)

Brian Houston is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. His style varies from Christian to roots and mainstream-orientated.-Discography:*Crush *Sex, Love & Religion *Good News Junkie...

, written lyrics for a BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 project for
school assemblies, produced Beyond Belief with Martin John Nicholls, for Christian Aid

Christian Aid

Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...

.

Most recently his main focus has been on Cargo, a project about the abolition of the slave trade. This has been developed alongside Anti-Slavery International

Anti-Slavery International

Anti-Slavery International is an international nongovernmental organization, charity and a lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1839, it is the world's oldest international human rights organization, and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and...

, Compassion

Compassion International

Compassion International is a Christian child sponsorship organization dedicated to the long-term development of children living in poverty around the world. Compassion International, headquartered in Colorado Springs, functions in 26 countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Haiti, Kenya, and...

, Stop the Traffik

Stop the Traffik

STOP THE TRAFFIK was founded in 2006 by Steve Chalke MBE as a campaign coalition which aims to bring an end to human trafficking worldwide. Initially STOP THE TRAFFIK was set up as a two year campaign to coincide with the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade...

 and the UK Human Trafficking centre. Throughout 2007, Cargo has been toured with Coco Mbassi

Coco Mbassi

Coco Mbassi is a female musical artist originating from Cameroon and based in Paris, France. Winner of the Radio France Internationale Découvertes Prize in 2001 with the song "Muenge Mwa Ndolo", she toured worldwide and her first album, Sepia, was released in 2001...

, Mike Haughton, Sadie Chamberlain and Dan Wheeler

Dan Wheeler

Daniel Michael Wheeler is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:...

.

Discography

Nutshell

• In Your Eyes
  In Your Eyes (Nutshell album)
  In Your Eyes is the title of the first album by the Christian trio Nutshell.-Side one:# "Snowball" # "Heaven Only Knows" # "Tell Me That the Sun Will Shine Again" # "In Your Eyes"...
  
  (1976, Myrrh, MYR1029)
• Flyaway
  Flyaway (Nutshell album)
  Flyaway is the title of the second album by the Christian trio Nutshell.-Side one:# "Walking into the Wind"# "Sara"# "Moonlight"# "Conversation Pieces"# "Flyaway"-Side two:# "Feel Like a River"# "Safe and Sound"# "For Each Other"...
  
  (1977, Myrrh, MYR1056)
• Begin Again
  Begin Again (Nutshell album)
  Begin Again is the title of the third album by the Christian trio Nutshell. Its title refers to the fact that previous members Pam Thiele and Heather Barlowe had left the group, to be replaced by Annie McCaig and Mo McCafferty...
  
  (1978, Myrrh, MYR1067)
• Believe it or Not
  Believe it or Not (album)
  Believe it or Not is the title of the fourth and final album by the Christian trio Nutshell. This was the second album featuring Annie McCaig and Mo McCafferty. A Best of Nutshell compilation was released in 1981, featuring songs form all four of the group's albums.The final song on the album,...
  
  (1979, Myrrh, MYR1084)
• Best of Nutshell
  Best of Nutshell
  Best of... is the title of a compilation of the finest tracks by the Christian singing trio Nutshell. The tracks encompass all four of the group's albums, In Your Eyes Best of... is the title of a compilation of the finest tracks by the Christian singing trio Nutshell. The tracks encompass all four...
  
  (1981, Myrrh, MYR1099)

Network 3

• Last Train Home (1980, EMI, single, 5120)
• Dangerous Game
  Dangerous Game (song)
  Dangerous Game was the second and last of the singles released by the British Christian trio Network 3. The single was produced by Cliff Richard.* "Dangerous Game" * "Come Go With Me" -Musicians:...
  
   (1981, EMI, single, 5205)

Paul Field

• Restless Heatr
  Restless Heart (Paul Field album)
  Restless Heart is the title of the first solo album by Christian singer-songwriter Paul Field.-Side one:# "Rock with the Best of Them" # "Radio" # "Has to be Your, Has to be Me"...
  
  (1982, Myrrh, MYR1117)
• Daybreak
  Daybreak (Paul Field album)
  Daybreak is the title of the second solo album by Christian singer-songwriter Paul Field. It is a musical about the last days of Christ's life on earth.The song "Walking into the Wind" was originally on the 1977 Nutshell LP Flyaway.-Side one:...
  
  [Musical] (1983, Dayspring, DAY4008)
• Building Bridges
  Building Bridges
  Building Bridges is the title of the third solo album by the Christian singer-songwriter Paul Field.-Side one:# "Rescued for a Reason" # "Building Bridges" # "Return to Love"...
  
  (1984, Myrrh, MYR1168)
• Visions
  Visions (Paul Field album)
  Visions is the title of the fourth solo album, a double LP, by the Christian singer-songwriter Paul Field. It is a musical, or rather "a message to the nation that God is great, a message to the church that God is powerful and a message to Christians everywhere that God's resources are available...
  
  [Musical] (1985, Myrrh, MYX1191)
• Different Yet the Same
  Different Yet the Same
  Different Yet the Same is the title of the fifth solo album by the Christian singer-songwriter Paul Field, although it is credited as Paul Field with Roy Martin.-Side one:# "Worlds Apart" # "Only Hope"...
  
  with Roy Martin (1986, Myrrh. MYRR1211)
• Breaking Bread [Musical] (1986, Kingsway)
• Love Between the Lines
  Love Between the Lines
  Love Between the Lines is the title of the seventh solo album by the Christian singer-songwriter Paul Field.-Side one:# "Love Between the Lines" # "Dancing With Your Shadow" # "Strangers at Midnight"...
  
  (1988, Edge, ER7011)
• Tattoo (1989, Independent)
• For the World One Voice (1991, Go For Music)
• State of the Heart' (1992, ICC)
• Pass it On (1992, ICC)
• Burning Questions [Musical] (1993, Kingsway)
• Big Dreams and Little Rebellions (1994, ICC)
• Fit for Life (1995, ICC)
• Empty Page (1997, ICC, ICCD21430)
• Hopes and Dreams (1998, Kingsway)
• Time Will Tell [Musiacal] (1999, Independent)
• Dangerous Journey [Musical] (2000, ICC)
• In the Long Run (2000, ICC, ICCD51630)
• Here and Now [Musical] (2002, Kingsway, KMCD2423)
• Make a Joyful Noise (2003, ICC)
• Let There be Peace (2003, ICC, ICCD77130)
• Still You Speak (2004, ICC)
• Without the Song and Dance (2005, Nearfield)
• CARGO [Musical] (2007, Nearfield)

Design with Paul Field

• Invisible Fire (1988, Krea Holland)

Garth Hewitt and Paul Field

• The Dalit Drum (2001, Christian Aid)

Literature

• Mark Allan Powell. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music'. (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 2002)
• Ken Scott. Archivist: Vintage Vinyl Jesus Music, 1965-1980. 3rd edition. (Ken Scott, 2003)

External links

• Paul Field's official website: http://www.paulfield.com/