In the decade before the far-reaching telephone call that started The Blues Band, Paul had been a hard-working actor, mainly in London's West End but also on Broadway (he lived in New York for a year).  But always at heart he was a bluesman.

Having declined Brian Jones' invitation to join the fledgling Rolling Stones in 1962, Paul accepted the very next offer, a job with the group which soon became Manfred Mann.  Later known as a pop group (Do Wah Diddy, Pretty Flamingo) they began as an R&B band, and would find themselves playing with Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Spann, and Matt "Guitar" Murphy.

Over the years, Paul's songs have been recorded by people like Ten Years After, Al Kooper and Carlos Santana - and the earliest line-up of Steppenwolf.  He has also written for films, television and commercials.  As a harmonica man, he has performed publicly and/or recorded with Memphis Slim, Alexis Korner, Henry Gray, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Susan Tedeschi, Eric Bibb, Otis Grand - hardly to mention the likes of Tina Turner and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

The list of guests on his programmes on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM is encyclopaedic, from Luther Allison to Axel Zwingenburger, and including B B King, Koko Taylor, Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Witherspoon and scores more.

On 11/4/01 on BBC television, Paul proved to be a popular recipient of the famous THIS IS YOUR LIFE big red book.