# Paul Gayten > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Paul_Gayten > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Paul_Gayten.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gayten > Source revision: 1160830319 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American pianist and songwriter (1920–1991)}} {{More citations needed|date=March 2013}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Paul Gayten | image = Paul_Gayten.jpg | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name =Paul Leon Gayten | birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|1|29}} | birth_place =[Kentwood, Louisiana](/source/Kentwood%2C_Louisiana), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1991|3|26|1920|1|29}} | death_place =Los Angeles, California, U.S. | genre = R&B | occupation = Musician | instrument =Piano | years_active =1940s–1970s }} '''Paul Leon Gayten''' (January 29, 1920 – March 26, 1991){{Cite book| last=Hoffmann| first=Frank| title=Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-hop| publisher=Facts on File Inc.| year=2006| page=[https://archive.org/details/rhythmbluesraphi00fran/page/104 104]| url=https://archive.org/details/rhythmbluesraphi00fran/page/104| isbn=0-8160-5315-4| url-access=registration}} was an American [R&B](/source/Rhythm_and_blues) pianist, songwriter, producer, and record company executive.{{cite web|last=O'Neal |first=Jim |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-gayten-mn0000751175 |title=Paul Gayten |website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) |accessdate=2013-03-11}} ==Career== Gayten was born in [Kentwood, Louisiana](/source/Kentwood%2C_Louisiana), the nephew of blues pianist [Little Brother Montgomery](/source/Little_Brother_Montgomery). In his teens, he played piano in local bands while also setting up his group, Paul Gayten's Sizzling Six, which featured future [bebop](/source/bebop) saxophonist [Teddy Edwards](/source/Teddy_Edwards). During the war, he led a band at the Army base in [Biloxi, Mississippi](/source/Biloxi%2C_Mississippi). He then moved to [New Orleans](/source/New_Orleans) and, with a new trio, established a residency at the Club Robin Hood. In 1947 the trio recorded two of the first New Orleans hits of the R&B era, "True (You Don't Love Me)", and "[Since I Fell for You](/source/Since_I_Fell_for_You)", the latter featuring singer [Annie Laurie](/source/Annie_Laurie_(musician)). Both made the top ten in the [US](/source/United_States) ''[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))'' [R&B](/source/Hot_R%26B%2FHip-Hop_Songs) [chart](/source/record_chart). Gayten also backed singer [Chubby Newsom](/source/Chubby_Newsom) on her [hit single](/source/hit_single) "Hip Shakin' Mama". In 1949, Gayten expanded his combo into a nine-piece orchestra and moved to [Regal Records](/source/Regal_Records_(1949)).{{cite book|title=[The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music)|editor=[Colin Larkin](/source/Colin_Larkin_(writer))|publisher=[Guinness Publishing](/source/Guinness_Publishing)|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=953}} There, Gayten wrote the number 1 R&B hit "[For You My Love](/source/For_You_My_Love)" for [Larry Darnell](/source/Larry_Darnell), and recorded "[I'll Never Be Free](/source/I'll_Never_Be_Free)" again with Annie Laurie. His orchestra toured widely, for a period adding saxophonist [Hank Mobley](/source/Hank_Mobley) and singer [Little Jimmy Scott](/source/Jimmy_Scott), and appearing on double bills with both [Dizzy Gillespie](/source/Dizzy_Gillespie) and [Charlie Parker](/source/Charlie_Parker). In 1951, he moved to [Okeh Records](/source/Okeh_Records). In 1956, he decided to quit as a touring bandleader and joined [Chess Records](/source/Chess_Records) as a talent scout, producer, promotion man, songwriter and part-time musician and recording artist. He discovered [Clarence "Frogman" Henry](/source/Clarence_%22Frogman%22_Henry) and produced his first hit, "[Ain't Got No Home](/source/Ain't_Got_No_Home_(Clarence_%22Frogman%22_Henry_song))", in 1956, later going on to co-write and produce his biggest hit, "[But I Do](/source/(I_Don't_Know_Why)_But_I_Do)", in 1961. At Chess, Gayten produced [Bobby Charles](/source/Bobby_Charles)' "[Later Alligator](/source/See_You_Later_Alligator)" and played the piano on [Chuck Berry](/source/Chuck_Berry)'s "[Carol](/source/Carol_(Chuck_Berry_song))", "Beautiful Delilah", and "Vacation Time". In 1956, he also had one of the biggest hits of his own career with "The Music Goes Round and Round", followed up by "Nervous Boogie" in 1957, "Windy" in 1958, and "The Hunch" in 1959. In 1960, he moved to [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) with his wife, Odile, to run the Chess operations there. In 1968, he set up his own label, Pzazz, which recorded [Louis Jordan](/source/Louis_Jordan), among others. He continued to live in Los Angeles with Odile after retiring in 1978, and died there aged 71 in March 1991. ==Selected discography (compilations)== * ''Creole Gal'' with [Annie Laurie](/source/Annie_Laurie) ([Route 66](/source/Route_66_Records), 1979) * ''Chess King of New Orleans'' ([Chess](/source/Chess_Records), 1989) * ''Regal Records in New Orleans'' with Annie Laurie ([Specialty](/source/Specialty_Records), 1991) * ''Ain't Nothin' Happenin' (Cool Jump Blues 1947–1957)'' (El Toro, 2010) * ''True (You Don't Love Me) – Early Recordings 1947–1949'' ([Jasmine](/source/Jasmine_Records), 2021) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070713045501/http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/PGayten.html More information] *{{Find a Grave|15156345}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gayten, Paul}} Category:1920 births Category:1991 deaths Category:People from Kentwood, Louisiana Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:20th-century American musicians Category:20th-century African-American musicians --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Paul Gayten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gayten) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gayten?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.