Paul Brandt

In the short span of a decade, his name has become synonymous with Alberta, independence, and quality. Paul Brandt is the voice of Country Music in Canada. But these accolades haven’t come without a few twists and turns along the way. Ask Paul Brandt, and he’ll tell you they’ve been the product of years of give and take, faith, and grace, words from the first single, “Didn’t Even See The Dust”, off of the 2008 Juno Award winning Country Recording of the Year “Risk”.

Paul Brandt was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and spent many of his formative years in Airdrie, Alberta, which at the time was still a very small town North of Calgary. He had an interest in singing from an early age, influenced by the Gospel music he heard at the church his family attended. At age 13, Paul picked up the guitar, and immediately began writing his own music, playing the songs he’d write for family and friends. While pursuing his dream to be a doctor, Paul entered talent contests as a hobby, including the “Youth Talent Showdown” at the World Famous Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. On his third try, he was awarded first prize at that contest, and went on to garner attention from Warner Brothers Records in Toronto, Canada. Not ready to quit his day-job as an RN at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the 22 year-old turned down Toronto’s offer of a record-deal, but told them he’d be interested in hearing what the Nashville office thought about his music.

“I still remember coming home to my parents place on that day”, says Paul, “My mom and dad were sitting, stunned, on the living room couch. My dad just pointed at the answering machine, and said ‘Push the button’.”

He pushed it. The voice they heard was that of Paige Levy, famed for discovering Dwight Yoakam for Reprise Records Nashville. She flew to Calgary to see Paul perform at the now defunct Longhorn Saloon. He was offered a development deal that evening, signed the next day, and began making trips to Music City USA, Nashville, Tennessee.

Within the short time frame of a year, Paul Brandt was making major waves internationally with his music. His debut album “Calm Before The Storm” was recognized as Billboard magazine’s Best Selling New Male Artist Album of 1996, and spawned hits “My Heart Has A History” and the #1 charting “I Do”, which went on to become a wedding standard. At the peak of the wedding song’s success, Paul met, fell in love with, and married the love of his life, and now bride of 10 years, Elizabeth Brandt. After a week-long honeymoon, the couple hit the road together for the next few years in the bus with their band, Liz singing background vocals on-stage with her husband. “I Do” was the first song to chart #1 by a male Canadian Country artist since the days of Hank Snow. 1997 was a banner year at the Juno Awards and Canadian Country Music Awards. The consequent seven albums created momentum that has continued to gather steam over the last ten years and set this multi-platinum selling artist apart as the most-awarded male Canadian Country Artist in history. Paul has toured North America and Europe, and his music and involvement with international aid organizations and support of the military has taken him to Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda, Chile, Belize, South Korea, Cambodia and Bosnia.

In 1997, Brandt, amidst record company and music industry turmoil during the advent of the Mp3 and online music delivery, left Reprise records due to creative differences, and ventured out on his own forming Brand-T Records and delivering 2002’s ground-breaking live-acoustic album “Small Towns & Big Dreams” producing hits such as “I’m Gonna Fly” and the title track. During the rise in popularity of ‘Small Towns’, In 2003, the Paul Brandt/Steve Rosen penned song “For You” was recorded for the Mel Gibson epic movie “We Were Soldiers” soundtrack as a duet by rock superstar Dave Matthews and the legendary Johnny Cash. This event, and the success of “Small Towns” continued to confirm Paul Brandt’s relevance to Country Music culture, and his contribution to the rich history of the genre. Now considered by some in the industry to be a “Nashville outsider”, such accusations only seemed to build Brandt’s popularity, especially with his rural fan following. The follow up, platinum-selling studio project “This Time Around” continued the landslide success for the start-up new label spinning off radio hits “Leavin’”, featuring Keith Urban on guitar courtesy of Capitol Records, “Rich Man”, “Alberta Bound”, and the re-make of the 1974 C.W McCall classic, “Convoy”. Both projects were co-produced by Paul Brandt and his long-time music partner Steve Rosen, and both went on to top honours in the CCMA Album of the Year category.

After a nine-year stint in Nashville, TN, the Alberta-born-and-raised artist, and his wife Elizabeth, made a path for home.

Spawning hits like “Come On & Get Some”, “Worth Fighting For”, “Risk” and ‘Didn’t Even See The Dust”, the momentum