Paul Westerberg
Encyclopedia
Paul Westerberg is an American
musician
, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock
bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band. In recent years, he has cultivated a more independent-minded approach, primarily recording his music at home in his basement.
, and one day while walking home from work, he happened to hear a band practicing Yes
's "Roundabout" in a basement. He talked his way into the band by convincing the singer that the other band members — Bob Stinson
, Chris Mars
and Tommy Stinson
— were going to fire him. The singer quit and Westerberg joined the group. The band was originally called "The Impediments," and played their first gig in the basement of a church, playing to members of a nearby halfway house who did not appreciate their drunken shenanigans, but they soon changed their name to "The Replacements" after several venues declined to advertise the band under their original name.
The Replacements quickly made a name for themselves in the Twin Cities punk
scene, largely thanks to Westerberg's songwriting. The band made several critically acclaimed albums for local label Twin/Tone
before signing to Sire Records
in 1985. Despite the jump to Sire, the Replacements never translated their critical success into commercial sales.
By 1990, the band had run its course. The 1990 Replacements album All Shook Down
was for all intents and purposes a Westerberg solo project. There are numerous guest performers and the other three members of the band (including Slim Dunlap
, who had replaced Bob Stinson
three years earlier to tour in support of Pleased to Meet Me) made minimal contributions. Mars left the band during this project. After touring for the album (which was critically well-received) with replacement Replacements, Tommy and Paul went their separate ways.
film Singles, for which he is also credited with composing and performing the score. The following year Reprise Records
released his first solo album, 14 Songs. During the interim between solo albums, Westerberg songs appeared on Melrose Place ("A Star Is Bored") and Friends
(his cover of Jonathan Edwards' "Sunshine
" and "Stain Yer Blood") television soundtracks, in 1994 and 1995 respectively. In 2007, "Dyslexic Heart" was used in Smart People
movie trailer, a selection made by music supervisor Serena Undercofler.
Westerberg co-wrote the song "Backlash" with Joan Jett
for her 1991 album Notorious, and played guitar with her on a video of the song. He also recorded a duet with Jett ("Let's Do It") for the Tank Girl
soundtrack (1994).
1996 heralded his second solo album, the appropriately titled Eventually, which was tepidly received by critics and had modest sales. It did yield the alternative radio hit, "Love Untold". Westerberg parted ways with Reprise records and the following year chose to release songs that were more blues influenced and less slickly produced under the name Grandpaboy. An EP and single were released by indie label Soundproof/Monolyth Records. His third album Suicaine Gratifaction is a piano-driven, melancholy, and highly personal work. The album was released on Capitol Records
in 1999. The label was undergoing reorganization, and failed to push the album. Westerberg appeared on a fifth season episode of The Larry Sanders Show
(entitled "Larry's New Love") performing "Ain't Got Me" from Eventually. The episode first aired Wednesday, February 26, 1997. Westerberg also performed the song that same year on The Tonight Show
hosted by Jay Leno
.
Westerberg then quit the major label circuit and disappeared for three years before staging a major comeback in 2002. With new management and a new independent label, Vagrant Records
, he released two records simultaneously, Stereo and Mono (Mono being released under his alter ego Grandpaboy). Stereo and Mono were recorded in Westerberg's basement studio. They were acclaimed as his best works since the Replacements, and Westerberg became increasingly prolific, releasing Dead Man Shake (as Grandpaboy), Come Feel Me Tremble, and Folker
all within the next two years to critical success.
Westerberg contributed a cover of The Beatles
' "Nowhere Man" for the 2002 soundtrack
to the 2001 film I Am Sam
. Additionally, "Lookin' Up in Heaven" appears on the Starbucks
sampler Hear Music
, Vol. 10: Reveal, "Outta My System" can be found on Hot Stove, Cool Music, Vol. 1, and the Vagrant Records sampler Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3 features "As Far As I Know." All three compilations were released in 2004.
In December 2005, Westerberg reconvened with Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars to record two new songs for a compilation titled Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements, which was released in 2006.
In 2006, Westerberg took on the challenge of writing a collection of songs for the animated film Open Season
. In all, the soundtrack includes eight new Westerberg originals. It is unique in that two of the songs were covered by other artists. The track "Wild As I Wanna Be" is performed by Deathray
, whereas Pete Yorn
performs "I Belong (Reprise)." In addition, Tommy Stinson
is featured playing bass on the songs "Love You In The Fall" and "Right To Arm Bears." The soundtrack also includes the song "Good Day" from Westerberg's solo album Eventually. The album is rounded out by two non-Westerberg originals, Deathray
's own "I Wanna Lose Control (Uh Oh)" and the Talking Heads'
1986 hit "Wild Wild Life
."
Seen on stage playing a First Act
production model guitar, Westerberg joined creative forces with the Boston based guitar manufacturer to create his signature edition PW580 in September 2006. Built with a red plaid
pickguard, the guitar was designed to be "mean and lean".
On July 17, 2008 it was announced that on "June 49" (July 19) Paul Westerberg would release an album with 49 minutes' worth of music for 49 cents. The album, 49:00... Of Your Time/Life
, was released on July 21, 2008. A few weeks after 49:00 was released, it was taken down from Amazon.com
and TuneCore
store. In its place, Westerberg released a song titled "5:05" (in reference to the fact that 49:00 was really 43:55 long, 5:05 shorter than 49:00). From the lyrical content of "5:05," it is believed that 49:00 was recalled due to copyright issues in the ending cover medley.
On August 27, 2008, Westerberg released two new songs, "3oclockreep
" and "Finally Here Once" on TuneCore.
On September 13, 2008, another new song "Bored of Edukation" was released as an MP3 download on Amazon.com.
On December 24, 2008, Westerberg released three songs; "Always in a Manger," "Streets of Laredo," and "D.G.T." on tunecore.com for $0.74.
On September 22, 2009, Westerberg released an EP titled "PW & The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys" with six songs; "Ghost On The Canvas," "Drop Them Gloves," "Good As The Cat," "Love On The Wing," "Gimmie Little Joy," and "Dangerous Boys".
Westerberg wrote a eulogy for Alex Chilton
who died in March 2010 that appeared in The New York Times
.
In May 2010, he played "Dangerous Boys" and "Time Flies Tomorrow" standing on the visitors' dugout at Target Field
for an upcoming documentary “40 Nights of Rock & Roll".
Westerberg appeared in the video for the title track of Glen Campbell
's 2011 farewell to studio recording, a cover of Ghost on the Canvas
(which Westerberg wrote in 2009).
, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. His younger sister, Mary Lucia
, is a D.J. at local radio station 89.3 The Current
. He is influenced by a number of artists, including Alex Chilton
of Big Star
, about whom he wrote a song on 1987's Pleased to Meet Me
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band. In recent years, he has cultivated a more independent-minded approach, primarily recording his music at home in his basement.
The Replacements
In the late 1970s Westerberg was working as a janitor for U.S. Senator David DurenbergerDavid Durenberger
David Ferdinand Durenberger is an American politician and a former Republican member of the U.S. Senate from Minnesota.- Early life :...
, and one day while walking home from work, he happened to hear a band practicing Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
's "Roundabout" in a basement. He talked his way into the band by convincing the singer that the other band members — Bob Stinson
Bob Stinson
For the baseball player, see Bob Stinson Bob Stinson was the founding member and lead guitarist for the American rock band The Replacements.-The Replacements:...
, Chris Mars
Chris Mars
Chris Mars is an American artist and musician. He was the drummer for seminal Minneapolis, Minnesota alternative rock band The Replacements and later joined informal supergroup Golden Smog before launching a solo career. He is also a painter, and has more or less left music behind to concentrate...
and Tommy Stinson
Tommy Stinson
Thomas "Tommy" Eugene Stinson is an American musician best known for his work as the bassist for The Replacements and Guns N' Roses as well as the post-Replacements groups Bash & Pop, where he performed guitar duties, and Perfect...
— were going to fire him. The singer quit and Westerberg joined the group. The band was originally called "The Impediments," and played their first gig in the basement of a church, playing to members of a nearby halfway house who did not appreciate their drunken shenanigans, but they soon changed their name to "The Replacements" after several venues declined to advertise the band under their original name.
The Replacements quickly made a name for themselves in the Twin Cities punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene, largely thanks to Westerberg's songwriting. The band made several critically acclaimed albums for local label Twin/Tone
Twin/Tone Records
Twin/Tone Records was a record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that operated from 1977 until 1994 and helped several local groups receive national attention. The label was born from the Minneapolis punk rock music scene, which included venues like Jay's Longhorn Bar. The label was begun by...
before signing to Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in 1985. Despite the jump to Sire, the Replacements never translated their critical success into commercial sales.
By 1990, the band had run its course. The 1990 Replacements album All Shook Down
All Shook Down
All Shook Down is the final album by the band The Replacements, released on September 25, 1990 .This album was originally intended to be band leader Paul Westerberg's solo artist debut. As a result of its initial intent, All Shook Down is marked by numerous session, side and journeyman-musicians,...
was for all intents and purposes a Westerberg solo project. There are numerous guest performers and the other three members of the band (including Slim Dunlap
Slim Dunlap
Bob "Slim" Dunlap is an American rock musician. He is a Minnesota-based guitarist and singer-songwriter who is best known for replacing The Replacements's original lead guitarist, Bob Stinson in 1987...
, who had replaced Bob Stinson
Bob Stinson
For the baseball player, see Bob Stinson Bob Stinson was the founding member and lead guitarist for the American rock band The Replacements.-The Replacements:...
three years earlier to tour in support of Pleased to Meet Me) made minimal contributions. Mars left the band during this project. After touring for the album (which was critically well-received) with replacement Replacements, Tommy and Paul went their separate ways.
Solo work
Westerberg's first official solo work appeared in the form of two songs, "Waiting For Somebody" and "Dyslexic Heart," for the soundtrack to the 1992 Cameron CroweCameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
film Singles, for which he is also credited with composing and performing the score. The following year Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
released his first solo album, 14 Songs. During the interim between solo albums, Westerberg songs appeared on Melrose Place ("A Star Is Bored") and Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
(his cover of Jonathan Edwards' "Sunshine
Sunshine (Jonathan Edwards song)
"Sunshine" is a country folk war protest song from 1971 by Jonathan Edwards, released as the first single from his debut album Jonathan Edwards...
" and "Stain Yer Blood") television soundtracks, in 1994 and 1995 respectively. In 2007, "Dyslexic Heart" was used in Smart People
Smart People
Smart People is a 2008 American comedy-drama film starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church. The film was directed by Noam Murro, written by Mark Poirier and produced by Michael London, with Omar Amanat serving as executive producer.Smart People was filmed on...
movie trailer, a selection made by music supervisor Serena Undercofler.
Westerberg co-wrote the song "Backlash" with Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
for her 1991 album Notorious, and played guitar with her on a video of the song. He also recorded a duet with Jett ("Let's Do It") for the Tank Girl
Tank Girl
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
soundtrack (1994).
1996 heralded his second solo album, the appropriately titled Eventually, which was tepidly received by critics and had modest sales. It did yield the alternative radio hit, "Love Untold". Westerberg parted ways with Reprise records and the following year chose to release songs that were more blues influenced and less slickly produced under the name Grandpaboy. An EP and single were released by indie label Soundproof/Monolyth Records. His third album Suicaine Gratifaction is a piano-driven, melancholy, and highly personal work. The album was released on Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1999. The label was undergoing reorganization, and failed to push the album. Westerberg appeared on a fifth season episode of The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
(entitled "Larry's New Love") performing "Ain't Got Me" from Eventually. The episode first aired Wednesday, February 26, 1997. Westerberg also performed the song that same year on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
hosted by Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
.
Westerberg then quit the major label circuit and disappeared for three years before staging a major comeback in 2002. With new management and a new independent label, Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records is an indie rock label based in Los Angeles, California and is home to such artists as The Hold Steady, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Active Child, PJ Harvey, Reptar, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Thrice, James Vincent McMorrow, Placebo, and many...
, he released two records simultaneously, Stereo and Mono (Mono being released under his alter ego Grandpaboy). Stereo and Mono were recorded in Westerberg's basement studio. They were acclaimed as his best works since the Replacements, and Westerberg became increasingly prolific, releasing Dead Man Shake (as Grandpaboy), Come Feel Me Tremble, and Folker
Folker
Folker is Paul Westerberg's sixth solo album. It peaked at number 178 on the Billboard 200 and number 18 on the Top Independent Album charts....
all within the next two years to critical success.
Westerberg contributed a cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Nowhere Man" for the 2002 soundtrack
I Am Sam (soundtrack)
I Am Sam is the soundtrack to the 2001 film I Am Sam. It was released on January 8, 2002 by V2 Records . The album contents are made up entirely of cover versions of songs by The Beatles, although originally it was intended to comprise the original recordings by the group...
to the 2001 film I Am Sam
I Am Sam
I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
. Additionally, "Lookin' Up in Heaven" appears on the Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
sampler Hear Music
Hear Music
Hear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
, Vol. 10: Reveal, "Outta My System" can be found on Hot Stove, Cool Music, Vol. 1, and the Vagrant Records sampler Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3 features "As Far As I Know." All three compilations were released in 2004.
In December 2005, Westerberg reconvened with Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars to record two new songs for a compilation titled Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements, which was released in 2006.
In 2006, Westerberg took on the challenge of writing a collection of songs for the animated film Open Season
Open Season
Open Season may refer to:* Open season , a hunting term* An annual enrollment period- Literature :* Open Season , a comic book series by Jim Bricker* Open Season , a 1992 novel in The Hardy Boys series, #59...
. In all, the soundtrack includes eight new Westerberg originals. It is unique in that two of the songs were covered by other artists. The track "Wild As I Wanna Be" is performed by Deathray
Deathray
Deathray was a band from Sacramento, California formed by former Cake members Greg Brown and Victor Damiani, and Dana Gumbiner, a musician formerly of the Sacramento indie band Little Guilt Shrine....
, whereas Pete Yorn
Pete Yorn
Peter Joseph Yorn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.-Early history:Yorn's father is a dentist and his mother is a former concert pianist who worked as a...
performs "I Belong (Reprise)." In addition, Tommy Stinson
Tommy Stinson
Thomas "Tommy" Eugene Stinson is an American musician best known for his work as the bassist for The Replacements and Guns N' Roses as well as the post-Replacements groups Bash & Pop, where he performed guitar duties, and Perfect...
is featured playing bass on the songs "Love You In The Fall" and "Right To Arm Bears." The soundtrack also includes the song "Good Day" from Westerberg's solo album Eventually. The album is rounded out by two non-Westerberg originals, Deathray
Deathray
Deathray was a band from Sacramento, California formed by former Cake members Greg Brown and Victor Damiani, and Dana Gumbiner, a musician formerly of the Sacramento indie band Little Guilt Shrine....
's own "I Wanna Lose Control (Uh Oh)" and the Talking Heads'
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
1986 hit "Wild Wild Life
Wild Wild Life
"Wild Wild Life" is a song by the American new wave band Talking Heads. Released in 1986, it was the lead single from their album True Stories....
."
Seen on stage playing a First Act
First Act
First Act is a musical instrument manufacturer, which producers guitars, bass guitars, guitar and bass accessories, drum sets, percussion instruments, amplifiers as well as student-line clarinets, saxophones, and trumpets...
production model guitar, Westerberg joined creative forces with the Boston based guitar manufacturer to create his signature edition PW580 in September 2006. Built with a red plaid
Plaid (pattern)
For other meanings, see plaid.A plaid is a pattern consisting of crossed horizontal and vertical bands in two or more colors in woven cloth.Common examples of plaid patterns include:*Tartan, the pattern most commonly associated with plaid....
pickguard, the guitar was designed to be "mean and lean".
On July 17, 2008 it was announced that on "June 49" (July 19) Paul Westerberg would release an album with 49 minutes' worth of music for 49 cents. The album, 49:00... Of Your Time/Life
49:00... Of Your Time/Life
49:00 is the seventh official solo album by Paul Westerberg. The album was originally slated for a release on July 19, 2008 , but digital distribution problems delayed its release until July 21.The album is a single track that was sold on Amazon.com's Amazon MP3 service for 49 U.S. cents...
, was released on July 21, 2008. A few weeks after 49:00 was released, it was taken down from Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and TuneCore
TuneCore
TuneCore is an online distribution service for music founded in 2005. TuneCore principally offers musicians and other rights-holders the opportunity to place their music into online retailers such as iTunes, AmazonMP3, Zune Marketplace, Rhapsody, eMusic, and others for sale.-History and...
store. In its place, Westerberg released a song titled "5:05" (in reference to the fact that 49:00 was really 43:55 long, 5:05 shorter than 49:00). From the lyrical content of "5:05," it is believed that 49:00 was recalled due to copyright issues in the ending cover medley.
On August 27, 2008, Westerberg released two new songs, "3oclockreep
3oclockreep
3oclockreep is a 2008 album from Paul Westerberg. It includes material recorded with The Replacements for 1989's Don't Tell a Soul. The album was released on September 1, 2008, on TuneCore for $3.99; users could also purchase the tracks separately for $3.00 and 99 cents respectively.-Track...
" and "Finally Here Once" on TuneCore.
On September 13, 2008, another new song "Bored of Edukation" was released as an MP3 download on Amazon.com.
On December 24, 2008, Westerberg released three songs; "Always in a Manger," "Streets of Laredo," and "D.G.T." on tunecore.com for $0.74.
On September 22, 2009, Westerberg released an EP titled "PW & The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys" with six songs; "Ghost On The Canvas," "Drop Them Gloves," "Good As The Cat," "Love On The Wing," "Gimmie Little Joy," and "Dangerous Boys".
Westerberg wrote a eulogy for Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton
William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...
who died in March 2010 that appeared in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
In May 2010, he played "Dangerous Boys" and "Time Flies Tomorrow" standing on the visitors' dugout at Target Field
Target Field
Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...
for an upcoming documentary “40 Nights of Rock & Roll".
Westerberg appeared in the video for the title track of Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
's 2011 farewell to studio recording, a cover of Ghost on the Canvas
Ghost on the Canvas
Campbell will be supported on tour by the roots band Instant People, which includes all three of his children with current wife Kim, sons Cal on drums and Shannon on guitar, and daughter Ashley on banjo and keyboards as well as daughter Debby from a previous marriage. His eldest daughter Debby...
(which Westerberg wrote in 2009).
Personal
Westerberg is married to former Zuzu's Petals guitarist and author Laurie Lindeen. They have a son, Johnny (born 1998), whose voice is likely on 49:00 and "Whatever Makes You Happy" from Westerberg's solo album Suicaine Gratifaction. Westerberg severely injured his fretting hand in 2006, in an accident while trying to remove candle wax with a screwdriver, and as of 2008 had since performed only one live show. He resides in EdinaEdina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. His younger sister, Mary Lucia
Mary Lucia
Mary Lucia is an on-air radio personality who currently hosts a weekday drive time music show for Minnesota Public Radio station 89.3 The Current in St...
, is a D.J. at local radio station 89.3 The Current
KCMP
-WCAL:The station began with physics experiments in 1918 when five students and a professor built a small radio transmitter at St. Olaf College. Using a wire antenna strung between the campus chapel and the college's "Old Main" , signals from these experiments were picked up as far away as New...
. He is influenced by a number of artists, including Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton
William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...
of Big Star
Big Star
Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. The group broke up in 1974, but reorganized with a new line-up nearly 20 years later...
, about whom he wrote a song on 1987's Pleased to Meet Me
Pleased to Meet Me
Pleased to Meet Me is the sixth full-length album by The Replacements. It was released on July 7, 1987 .The album to some degree maintains the style of the previous album, and major label debut, Tim...
.
Albums
- 14 Songs14 Songs14 Songs is the first official solo album from Paul Westerberg, former leader of The Replacements. In many ways, it's his second solo album, given that the final Replacements album, All Shook Down, was heavily packed with session musicians and marginalized the other three band members.The album...
(Sire/Reprise Records, 1993) - EventuallyEventuallyEventually is the second solo album that Paul Westerberg released after the breakup of The Replacements.The album started out in Atlanta with producer Brendan O'Brien. Although those sessions produced good results—the leadoff single, "Love Untold", among them—Westerberg and O'Brien parted ways...
(Reprise Records, 1996) - Grandpaboy: Grandpaboy (Soundproof/Monolyth, 1997)
- Suicaine GratifactionSuicaine GratifactionSuicaine Gratifaction is the third solo album from former The Replacements leader Paul Westerberg.Co-producer Don Was had admired Westerberg for years. He used Westerberg's solo debut, 14 Songs, as daily inspiration while producing the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge...
(EMD/Capitol, 1999) - Grandpaboy: Mono (Vagrant Records 2002)
- StereoStereo (Paul Westerberg album)Stereo is the fourth solo album from Paul Westerberg. At this point in his career, the former Replacements leader was entering a new phase. He said goodbye to professional studios and big-name producers like Brendan O'Brien and Don Was, recording the album in his basement by himself...
(Vagrant Records, 2002) - Grandpaboy: Dead Man Shake (Fat Possum, 2003)
- Come Feel Me TrembleCome Feel Me TrembleCome Feel Me Tremble is Paul Westerberg's fifth solo album. Like his previous album, it is a rough collection of songs that the former Replacements leader recorded by himself in his home.-Track listing:...
(Vagrant Records, 2003) - FolkerFolkerFolker is Paul Westerberg's sixth solo album. It peaked at number 178 on the Billboard 200 and number 18 on the Top Independent Album charts....
(Vagrant Records, 2004) - Besterberg: The Best of Paul WesterbergBesterberg: The Best of Paul WesterbergBesterberg: The Best of Paul Westerberg is a compilation album of recordings by Paul Westerberg.Included are singles, two out-takes from Eventually, B-sides and soundtrack contributions.-Track listing:...
(Rhino, 2005) - 49:00... Of Your Time/Life49:00... Of Your Time/Life49:00 is the seventh official solo album by Paul Westerberg. The album was originally slated for a release on July 19, 2008 , but digital distribution problems delayed its release until July 21.The album is a single track that was sold on Amazon.com's Amazon MP3 service for 49 U.S. cents...
(Self-released, 2008) - Bored of Edukation (Self-released, 2008)
- 3oclockreep3oclockreep3oclockreep is a 2008 album from Paul Westerberg. It includes material recorded with The Replacements for 1989's Don't Tell a Soul. The album was released on September 1, 2008, on TuneCore for $3.99; users could also purchase the tracks separately for $3.00 and 99 cents respectively.-Track...
(Self-released, 2008) - D.G.T. (Self-released, 2008)
- PW & the Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys (Self-released, 2009)
Soundtracks and compilations
- Singles soundtrack (1992) - "Dyslexic Heart" and "Waiting For Somebody" (Westerberg scored the soundtrack as well.)
- Melrose Place soundtrack (1995) - "A Star Is Bored"
- Friends Soundtrack (1995) - "Sunshine" and "Stain Yer Blood"
- Tank GirlTank GirlTank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
soundtrack (1995) - "Let's Do It," with Joan JettJoan JettJoan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular... - I Am Sam soundtrackI Am Sam (soundtrack)I Am Sam is the soundtrack to the 2001 film I Am Sam. It was released on January 8, 2002 by V2 Records . The album contents are made up entirely of cover versions of songs by The Beatles, although originally it was intended to comprise the original recordings by the group...
(2002) - "Nowhere Man," a BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
cover - triplearadio.com Sampler 5 (2003) - "My Daydream"
- Hear Music, Vol. 10: Reveal (Starbucks sampler, 2004) - "Lookin' Up in Heaven"
- Hot Stove, Cool Music, Vol. 1 (2004) - "Outta My System"
- Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3 (Vagrant Records sampler, 2004) - "As Far As I Know"
- The Wired CD: Rip. Sample. Mash. Share. (2004) - "Looking Up in Heaven"
- Open Season: Featuring the songs of Paul WesterbergOpen Season (film)Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries...
(Lost Highway Records, 2006) - For New Orleans (2006) - "Old Money" (under the alias PW & The Honky Heartattax).
- Catch and Release (2007) - "Let the Bad Times Roll"