David
Paul began playing guitar before he was nine years old after hearing a
Chet Atkins record for the first time called "The Guitar Genius". David
asked his mother to read the liner notes asking where the other guitar player is
and why didn't they credit him. His mother replied, "It's all one man - Chet
Atkins." From that moment on David had to be a guitar player and tried to copy
everything Chet did. By age 13 he was playing everything that "Mister Guitar"
was doing note-for-note. Chet was always David's idol and said that he would
meet Chet one day and play for him. He started writing his own songs at the age
of 14 - three of them published. By age 21, he was doing local concerts with
violin ensembles. David continued playing and made some of the best guitar
players in the world take notice.
"In
1982, David's dream finally came true. He got a chance to see Chet in person at
a concert in Poughkeepsie, New York. David was so eager to meet Chet that he
arrived three hours before the show toting a classical guitar with him. David
stood on the stage in the Poughkeepsie Civic Center Auditorium and proceeded to
sit on Chet Atkins' stool and started playing. He noticed on the left side of
the stage a man standing and listening to him play. About 3-minutes afterwards,
David thought he was going to be asked to leave since the man was approaching
him. So David quickly asked the man, "Are you a fan of Chet's?" The man replied,
"Oh yes, but I am Chet Atkins' manager." Next thing David knew he was in a
dressing room waiting for Chet to come in. Chet arrived, heard David play, got
out his guitar and soon they were doing one duet after another!
- Today David is recognized as one of the greatest finger style guitarists
in the world, not just for his playing ability but for his creativity,
producing, arranging, and most of all writing original pieces that makes you
think that Chet did it himself. Out of the twelve songs on this CD David
wrote ten, always remembering the great legacy that Chet left which cannot
be duplicated. We are definitely starting a new era that could leave David
Paul at the helm of this great music called finger style guitar!" --