Paul Greene, who represented Australia as a sprinter at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, played music from his early teens as a way of funding his burgeoning athletics career. After racking up the miles in a variety of cover bands in Australia and the USA he was discovered by Midnight Oil's Rob Hirst who encouraged him to pursue his career as a singer-songwriter. Together the pair would collaborate on the 2005 album 'In the Stealth of Summer' (ABC/Universal) under the guise of Hirst & Greene.
Since becoming a full time musician Greene has been given the thumbs up by The Waifs & Ani DiFranco, enthralled Kasey Chambers and inspired Ben Harper’s ‘Diamonds on The Inside’. He has sold nearly 50,000 albums independently in his native Australia (which, per capita, would be similar to selling 700,000 in the USA) however, until recently, his name was familiar only known to music industry insiders and an extremely loyal band of followers around the country. With the success of his latest CD ‘Distance over Time’ (on his own Whirl Records label, distributed by Australia’s leading distributor Shock Records) Greene’s music has reached a whole audience thanks to his constant touring, rave reviews and phenomenal live performances.
‘Distance over Time’ was ABC National Album of The Week late last year in Australia and has been a fixture in the itunes Roots Top 10 Albums since its release. The album is a wonderful showcase for Greene’s song writing skills, justifying the many critics who regard him as one of Australian music’s best-kept secrets. Radio station 3PBS’s tipped it as one of the Best Roots albums on week of release while Rhythms proclaimed “Paul Greene is one gifted musician. He sings like a friggin’ angel.â€
Sydney Morning Herald’s Bernard Zuel remarked how he moves effortlessly “from rustic folk-pop to unreconstructed rocker; from herbal roots ex-surfer type to intense singer-songwriterâ€. "Greene's genuine song writing stands above all else" proclaimed the Newcastle Herald; “You could be forgiven for thinking we may have our own Jack Johnson but Greene is more than that!†exclaims the Daily Telegraph. DIG radio says, “Paul Greene is growing into one of the best Australian singer songwriters†whilst the top rating radio network Nova called his music “refreshingly honest and as catchy as you like†before anointing him Australia’s best unsigned acoustic act in 2007.
In 2008 he scored the coveted national support for Patty Griffin's Australian tour and has become a regular on the festival circuit – in the past 12 months he has performed to hundreds of thousands of music fans at The East Coast Blues & Roots Festival (alongside the likes of Ben Harper, Lucinda Williams etc), Queenscliff, Toyota Muster, Festival Of The Sun, Coastfest, Deni Ute Muster, Caloundra Music Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and Peat’s Ridge.
Performing solo with stomp box, harmonicas, a battery of guitars and a ton of soul Greene's music defies categorization; his live performances defy description...