Billy Paul
Billy Paul (* December 1, 1934 as Paul Williams in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; † April 24, 2016 in Blackwood , New Jersey ) was an American singer and a successful representative of the so-called Philly sound - a special form of soul that has become Established in the early 1970s.
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His most famous song was Me and Mrs. Jones , which was No. 1 in the US pop charts for three weeks in December 1972 . At the same time, the song was the first number 1 for producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and their Philadelphia International Records label. With this song he won a Grammy in 1973 in the category "Best Male R&B Artist". Another famous song by him was Only the Strong Survive from 1975. Paul made a total of 23 albums. In 2002 he released a live version of the Prince song Purple Rain .
Private life
Billy Paul had been married since 1967 and had two children. He died in April 2016 at the age of 81.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1970 | Ebony woman | - | - |
US183 (8 weeks) US |
R&B12 (19 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1971 | Going East | - | - |
US197 (2 weeks) US |
R&B42 (18 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1972 | 360 Degrees of Billy Paul | - | - |
US17th  (27 weeks)US |
R&B1 (29 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1973 | War of the Gods | - | - |
US110 (26 weeks) US |
R&B12 (35 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1974 | Live in Europe | - | - |
US187 (4 weeks) US |
R&B10 (12 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1975 | Got my head on straight | - | - |
US140 (9 weeks) US |
R&B20 (10 weeks) R&B |
|
| When Love is New | - | - |
US139 (20 weeks) US |
R&B17 (17 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1976 | Let 'em in |
AT23 (4 weeks) AT |
- |
US88 (18 weeks) US |
R&B27 (17 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1977 | Only the Strong Survive | - | - |
US152 (4 weeks) US |
R&B36 (5 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1988 | Wide open | - | - | - |
R&B61 (7 weeks) R&B |
|
| 2002 | The Very Best Of Billy Paul & Bill Withers | - |
CH41 (7 weeks) CH |
- | - |
with Bill Withers
|
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More albums
- 1968: Feelin 'Good at the Cadillac Club
- 1979: First Class
- 1980: Best of Billy Paul
- 1985: Lately
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AT
|
 UK
|
US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1972 |
Me and Mrs. Jones 360 Degrees of Billy Paul |
- |
UK12 (9 weeks) UK |
US1 (16 weeks)US |
R&B1 (18 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1973 | Am I Black Enough for You? 360 Degrees of Billy Paul |
- | - |
US79 (5 weeks) US |
R&B29 (6 weeks) R&B |
|
| Thanks for Saving My Life War of the Gods |
- |
UK33 (6 weeks) UK |
US37 (17 weeks) US |
R&B9 (17 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1974 | Be Truthful to Me Got My Head on Straight |
- | - | - |
R&B37 (8 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1975 | Billy's Back Home Got My Head on Straight |
- | - | - |
R&B52 (7 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1976 | Let's Make a Baby When Love is New |
- |
UK30 (5 weeks) UK |
US83 (4 weeks) US |
R&B18 (13 weeks) R&B |
|
| People Power When Love is New |
- | - | - |
R&B82 (4 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1977 | How Good Is Your Game Let 'Em In |
- | - | - |
R&B50 (8 weeks) R&B |
|
| Let 'Em In Let' Em In |
AT10 (8 weeks) AT |
UK26 (5 weeks) UK |
- |
R&B91 (4 weeks) R&B |
||
| I Trust You Let 'Em In |
- | - | - |
R&B79 (3 weeks) R&B |
||
| Your song |
- |
UK37 (7 weeks) UK |
- | - | ||
| Only the Strong Survive Only the Strong Survive |
AT16 (8 weeks) AT |
UK33 (8 weeks) UK |
- |
R&B68 (10 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1979 | Bring the family back first class |
- |
UK51 (5 weeks) UK |
- |
R&B90 (3 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1980 | You're my sweetness |
- | - | - |
R&B69 (5 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1985 | Sexual Therapy Lately |
- |
UK80 (2 weeks) UK |
- | - | |
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More singles
- 1952: Why Am I
- 1952: You Didn't Know
- 1959: Ebony Woman
- 1960: There's a Small Hotel
- 1969: Bluesette
- 1970: Let's Fall in Love All Over
- 1971: Magic Carpet Ride
- 1972: Brown Baby
- 1972: This Is Your Life
- 1974: The Whole Town's Talking
- 1975: July July July July
- 1977: Without You
- 1977: Let's Clean Up the Ghetto
- 1978: Sooner or Later
- 1978: Everybody's Breaking Up
- 1978: Don't Give Up on Us
- 1979: False Faces
- 1980: Jesus Boy (You Only Look Like a Man)
- 1985: Lately
- 1988: We Could Have Been
- 1988: I Just Love You So Much
Individual evidence
- ^ "Me and Mrs. Jones" singer Billy Paul dies at age 81
- ↑ More information on this title in: Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 325
- ↑ a b Chart sources: AT CH UK
- ↑ a b Awards for Music Sales: US
Web links
- Literature by and about Billy Paul in the catalog of the German National Library
- Billy Paul in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Billy Paul at allmusic.com (engl.)
- Biography at Oldies.com (engl.)
- Billy Paul at PhillySoulClassics.com (Engl.)
- Grammy winner: "Me and Mrs. Jones" singer Billy Paul has died , Spiegel Online , April 25, 2016, accessed April 25, 2016
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Paul, Billy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williams, Paul (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 1, 1934 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 24, 2016 |
| Place of death | Blackwood , New Jersey |