Meet Paul Langford

Thanks for sharing your story with us Paul. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The beginning of my music education was sitting and listening to vinyl recordings for hours and hours on end as a kid. Artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, Carole King, George Benson, various movie soundtracks, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and many others. I started singing in choirs in middle school and sang solos in church, etc. But I didn’t read music or play an instrument. Sports was my main thing in high school, and music was kind of a secondary thing. Then came college, and music just seemed like the thing I wanted to pursue and study. But I still didn’t read music or play an instrument so I had a lot of catching up to do. I worked super hard during those years (on piano, voice, music theory, etc…) and had a few, very dedicated professors who gave me a lot of extra time and attention and help. I ended up graduating with a degree in conducting. The next year was spent practicing jazz piano 8 hours a day and waiting tables. Then I auditioned for and sang with an acappella group at the American Adventure at Epcot Center (Voices of Liberty). Then a music teaching job in New Jersey (where I met my future wife), then touring with a band for three years, then moving to Chicago area to be a church music director. I worked at two different churches and slowly started building a freelance music life on the side, and then in 2001 I went full-time freelance: recording, producing, playing piano, writing arrangements and orchestrations, singing, music directing, running my studio, working with various dance bands, etc. The highlights of my career include performing for three presidents and working with Celine Dion, David Foster, Michael Buble’ and many others. My greatest pride, though, is in my wife and two beautiful daughters. They are the best thing about me!

Performing for three presidents is quite the feat.  We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road at all. Nothing has come easily for me, and the further “up” you go in the music business you realize everyone is talented, so talent is really no distinction. It more comes down to things like work ethic, business sense, adaptability, marketing, hustle, professionalism, etc. A lot of my struggle, I would say, has to do with getting started late. Most people (in my view) who are professional musicians got their start when they were kids….playing piano (or some other instrument), or singing or whatever, and/or they had some kind of prodigious talent. I had neither. I started piano and really learning to read music at age 18, and, while I do have some talent musically, I would not describe it as exceptional or prodigious. So I just had to work harder at everything. I’ve been told “no” a lot, I’ve not gotten lots of auditions, I’ve had songs rejected by publishers more times than I can count, I have been “not selected” for so many situations over and over, and I’ve done poorly in certain situations for which I was ill-prepared or under-experienced. And I have gotten discouraged at times.

What else should we know about you, your work, the company and what your currently focused on?
My company is just me and my wife but I am multi-faceted. I have a recording studio in my home where I can produce music of all kinds. I can program midi tracks from R & B to orchestral, and I can produce and write for live instruments of all kinds. I can write songs. I can arrange other peoples songs, I can write orchestrations for full symphonies, big bands, and any other collection of instruments. I arrange/compose for choirs, acappella groups, church groups, school groups. I sing in a variety of styles, play piano, accompany singers, music direct live events, write for publishers, transcribe music from recordings. I can also conduct these groups in live settings as needed. I think what sets me apart from other musicians is the variety of skills and services I offer. If someone comes to me to make a recording, for example, they get keyboardist/singer/programmer/producer/engineer all in one.

My wife holds the whole thing together with her administrative skills. She handles the booking, the bookkeeping, invoicing, consults with me on every gig and encourages and supports me always. She’s incredible.

What were you like growing up?
I think I was always curious about stuff (still am). I liked to know how things worked behind the scenes and all the details. I liked to drawn and design things as a kid (cars, planes, vehicles, etc…). I always liked sports and competing. I always liked listening to music. I was (and am) generally regarded as having a sense of humor. I’ve always been told I’m intense and too serious at times. I was always passionate and quick to love. I always had a lot of friends. I loved playing with Lego and G.I. Joe. I loved jumping on the trampoline and riding my bike all over the neighborhood. I always loved girls (never had the cooties thing – I always new girls were amazing). I loved planes (I lived in a place near the airport so I saw big planes flying overhead about every 90 seconds).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.paullangfordmusic.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulLangfordMusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/plangfordmusic