Paul MacArthur
YEARS ACTIVE: 1972 – 1996 and 2018 – Present
Paul MacArthur was born and raised in Western New York. He is a Classic Rock and R&B singer, an actor, and a theater director. He is most noted for his Pop/R&B cover band Twilight.
Singing Career
Paul MacArthur began his singing career in 1972 with the Buffalo, NY-based Horn Rock band Shade. In 1973, MacArthur left Shade to form Twilight, taking John (guitar) and Dave (drums) with him. With the addition of Dan (keyboards) and Mike (bass), it didn’t take long for Twilight to develop a large following and become one of Buffalo’s best Rock/R&B bar bands in the Northeast and Southern Canada. However, by 1974 some animosity and hostility began between a few of the band members and MacArthur, which eventually forced MacArthur out, though he had founded the band. The group continued for a short while after his departure, not under the Twilight name.
After Twilight, Paul MacArthur moved on to become the lead vocalist in Tapestry (1974-76). Then in mid-1977, he joined the highly established American-Polish Polka band The G-Notes as their “American Pop” singer. The traditional Polish songs were sung by founding member and bassist Gino Kurdziel. MacArthur’s song “Round and Round” on the group’s Polka Nite Life album was a Regional Top 40 Hit for the band. Later that year the group opened up for Frankie Avalon at the Playboy Club in Great George, NJ.
Paul MacArthur’s stint in The G-Notes lasted nearly two years when he decided he wanted to get back to performing Rock and R&B. He was hired by 5 In A Row (1979-80) and was a headliner at the Niagara Falls Festival of Lights in December 1979. From early 1980 to the end of 1983, MacArthur took a hiatus from the bar music scene to concentrate on acting and directing. However, by mid-1983, Paul MacArthur felt the need to get back to singing Rock and R&B music. He reformed Twilight in early 1984, which did not include any members from the original group. Paul was introduced to Kevin (drums) by a mutual friend. Kevin then brought in guitarist Ken, while Paul brought in Susan (lead female vocals). Shortly thereafter, Mike (Bass) and Patty (keyboards) were hired to complete the band. With the addition of two female singers, the group had a completely different dynamic and sound compared to the original band. It didn’t take long for Twilight (Twilight II, as McArthur affectionately refers to it) to regain their following and popularity and to again become one of Buffalo’s top draw Rock/R&B bar bands in Western New York and the Northeast.
By the end of 1986, MacArthur decided to leave the music business and concentrate on acting. “I didn’t want to end up being one of those 50 or 60-year-olds doing the bar lounge scene across the States,” Paul replied when asked about his retirement. He continued, “I felt I went out at the right time. I don’t know if I could have topped Twilight at that time.”
 |
 |
 |
| Shade (1972) | Twilight (1973) | Tapestry (1974) |
 |
 |
 |
| G-Notes (1977) | 5 In A Row (1979) | Twilight (1984) |
Twilight (original) Reunion
In October 2018, MacArthur reunited with original Twilight bassist Michael along with David (guitarist), whom Mike played with in previous bands, for a one-off performance at the Irishman Pub. Having sold out the venue, another show was booked by request of the establishment’s owner. On May 9, 2019, Twilight played their second and last reunion show.
“I had no plans to keep doing more shows under the Twilight moniker. It was enjoyable but at that point, I didn’t have anything to prove,” Paul stated. “A long-time friend of mine,” he continued, “was encouraging me to get into the studio to record a solo album, and I was seriously considering it.”
Unfortunately in December 2019, COVID-19 began and in March, the outbreak was officially declared a pandemic in the United States and businesses were shuttered. Paul would not make it to the studio and had decided he no longer cared about doing a solo album. “If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I would have gone into the studio,” Paul confessed. “But it kept dragging on and at one point, somewhere in the middle of it, I felt my voice was no longer up to my standard and I just decided I wasn’t interested anymore.”
Back to the studio
the recording of Call Me: A Tribute to Sinatra, Bennett & Cole (2023)
Fortunately, it wasn’t truly the end of his recording days. “During the pandemic, my friend Ted kept on me about recording,” Paul stated. “He’d keep saying when the pandemic was over I needed to do a recording session. Every time he mentioned it, I kept telling him it wasn’t going to happen.” So what changed MacArthur’s mind? “In part,” MacArthur revealed, “he wore me down, plus there was a personal reason. But I told Ted, if I was going to do it [recording] it wasn’t going to be a Classic Rock/R&B album. I decided I wanted to do something to challenge myself… something different.”
In Early 2023, Paul MacArthur went back into the studio to record Call Me: A Tribute to Sinatra, Bennett & Cole. The album was recorded at Mark Custom Recording in Clarence, NY because it was where Paul had recorded Polka Nite Life with The G-Notes. This commercially unavailable album was given out to family, friends, and fans, and even making its way into Japan.
Recording, production
The 12-track album features a mix of recording songs by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Nat King Cole. The songs chosen by MacArthur not only reflected the best of the period but also were some of his favorites.
About the recording process producer Ted Sterns explained, “Once we got into the studio, I pushed him–a lot!” he confessed. “I would say, ‘That’s a great take Paul for a warm up. Now let’s do it again.’ We have a lot of respect for one another, so when I would say that he knew I was not trying to break his balls, but get the best out of him–and he gave it to me. I felt his version of The Good Life [Tony Bennett] was so amazing, that I decided to strip it down to piano, drums, and bass and add it as a re-arranged bonus track. He did an impressive job. But then again, I knew he would.”
The recording process took longer than expected due to arrangement changes MacArthur and producer Ted Sterns decided on during the recording session. However, most of the album was completed within a week, including the rough mixes. The final mix and mastering was done within a day. The bonus track of The Good Life [Jazz Trio Version] was done by Sterns and engineer Bishop in the studio while Sterns was simultaneously working on a different project.
The cover design for the album was a simple overhead shot of a piano with a trumpet on top to capture the romantic mood of the classic days of the Jazz Vocal era.
the recording of It’s Real (2023)
In November of 2023, MacArthur returned to the studio to record his first Classic Rock/R&B/Funk album since his early days with Twilight.
“I had barely finished the album [“Call Me”],” MacArthur said, “when Ted asked, ‘So when are we going to do the next one?’ I told him we’d see.”
“I think I wore Paul out in the studio during ‘Call Me’,” producer Sterns revealed, “That’s why he wasn’t jumping on my idea to do another album so quickly.” He continued, “I’ve known Paul for a long time, so I know what he is capable of. In the planning stages of the tribute album, I helped pick a few of the songs and together we worked out the arrangement ideas; some of which changed during the recording session. Paul always has great ideas for how he wants to approach a song. I thought ‘Call Me Irresponsible,’ would be a great fit for him. He wasn’t sure but said he’d give it a try. Well, it’s the opening track on the album.”
Recording, production
The album’s producer, Ted Sterns, had Paul limit his studio time to only a few days of basic tracking and three days of pickups and mixing. According to Sterns, the album was “done with a ‘live feel,'” to capture the energy of Paul’s singing. Adding to the liveliness of the album was studio engineer Dave “Call Me” Bishop adding a much cleaner and more powerful guitar solo on “Vehicle'” [Ides of March] than what was originally used, and a poignant violin solo on the remix bonus track of So Very Hard to Go [Tower of Power].
“After I heard the guitar solo on ‘Vehicle'” in the rough mix, I hated it. Bishop did his best to try and make it better sounding but even with his engineering magic, I still hated it,” Sterns confessed, and then added, “I knew Bishop was a classically trained violinist and guitarist, so I asked him if he could lay down the track. And that was a great decision… simple and clean but full of energy.”
The last track on the album So Very Hard to Go” (Heartache Mix) was a last-minute addition by the producer after the album received its final mix. It was done without MacArthur’s knowledge. The rough mix was done in producer Sterns’ home studio in New York City and sent to Bishop for a final mix at Mark Custom Recording. Sterns wanted to have Dave Bishop do the final mix after Bishop had agreed to add a violin solo to it.
“I had no idea what Ted was up to when he told me he had a last-minute idea for the album,” Paul said. “All he kept saying was, ‘Just trust me.'” Paul continued, “When he [Ted] sent me the rough mix, I wasn’t that impressed. But he said I needed to listen to the final mix in the studio when Bishop was done with it. When I listened to it, it wasn’t the same mix I had originally heard. Ted had changed it and Dave had added a violin solo in place of the original mixes’ horn solo. It completely changed the vibe of my originally recorded track. And I was totally pleased with the whole thing, so of course it had to be included.
The cover design for the album used a black muscle car in an empty parking lot at night to add “the mystique and a retro vibe for the period, when muscle cars were the rage and the airwaves were filled with the fusion of rock, funk, and jazz,” stated MacArthur.
After producing Paul MacArthur’s commercially unreleased 2023 studio album Call Me: A Tribute to Sinatra, Bennett & Cole, 13th Street Records founder Ted Sterns went back into the recording studio in November of 2023 to produce MacArthur’s new album It’s Real.
We are proud to announce that Paul MacArthur’s first American Rock/R&B album since his days with Twilight, we will be released in May. It’s Real will include 11 songs by recording artists Blood, Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, Rufus, Lou Rawls, The Ides of March, and Joe Cocker.
Acting & Directing Career
Paul MacArthur wasn’t just satisfied with signing, he also wanted to become an actor and theater director. In 1978, he was cast in Company as Larry, and the following year in Pippin as Lewis (Pippin’s not-too-bright half-brother, and, after Pippin, heir to the throne). In between the two acting gigs, Paul was hired by a suburban high school as the director of their musicals. His directorial debut was The Music Man.
MacArthur would go on to act in regional theater shows including Plaza Suite, Tony and Tina’s Wedding, and Fascinating Rhythm: A Tribute To Gershwin. The 1996 Gershwin tribute was one of the fastest sellout shows MacArthur performed in, quickly selling out the large capacity event space at the former Hearthstone Manor. He also continued to direct through 1981. Around this time, Paul MacArthur auditioned for the film Bobby’s Babies, a comedy spoof of Charlie’s Angels, directed by Robert Goll. MacArthur got one of the lead protagonist roles. Unfortunately, the film was never completed. 1983 brought MacArthur being cast as an extra in The Natural. He was one of the ballpark attendees, who was yelling at the umpire. “I yelled, ‘You suck!'” Paul reminisces. “Guess it didn’t fit the time period ’cause they cut it.”
| Acting
REGIONAL
1996 – Fascinating Rhythm: A Tribute to Gershwin
1995 – Tony and Tina’s Wedding – as Tony
1994 – On Golden Pond – as Charlie Martin
1990 – Plaza Suite – as Jesse Kiplinger
1989 – They’re Playing Our Song – one of the Voices of Vernon Gersch
1987 – Don’t Drink The Water – as the Ambassador/the Sheik/the Mad Bomber
1979 – Pippin – as Lewis
1978 – Company – as Larry
FILM
1984 – The Natural – a yelling spectator
1982 – Bobby’s Babies – a mob hitman
| Directing
HIGH SCHOOL THEATER
1981 – Funny Girl
1980 – The Hobbit: A Musical
1980 – Damn Yankees
1979 – The Wizard of Oz
1978 – The Music Man
