PAUL PORTER
Take a little bit of the soulful styling's of Al Green, a generous splash of that traditional Gospel quartet sound, add a pinch of old school R&B with a teaspoon of Urban grooves, stir them together with the silky smooth voice of Paul Porter and you have "A New Day", Porter's debut solo release. The legendary Christianaires front-man has experienced his share of trials as well as jubilant moments but each has prepared him for the very moment where he could say...this is a new day.
Not only has he been a great inspiration to others he also learned to trust God through his own storm to see that today is a new day. "Just as the diamond has to go through the fire to become a precious gem, so do we in our daily lives. This is a new day for me spiritually and physically."
The youngest child of Reverend Eddie Porter and Ora Porter, Paul grew up in Detroit, Michigan, August 20, 1962. With both parents committed to the work of the ministry, he shared in their vision to minister even at an early age, beginning his career singing in the church choir. "My mother started me singing on Easter Sunday when I was 3 years old. She put me up on the table at the church and I sung my first song," Paul shares. Under his father's direction, Porter led his first group at just nine years old and became known for his natural vocal ability.
After school Paul decided to follow his brother, Tyrone, to Sontag, Mississippi for a change of pace from the home of Motown. During their school days the brothers would sing in different quartet groups and together with their cousins, Ronald and Arnold, they formed the original Christianaires. "My father always wanted us to do a little quartet group because he was in a quartet group. He (my father) would get us in the basement and if we got out of key he would pop us upside the head," he remembers with a smile.
Before the Christianaires started a recording career, the group spent long hours touring, performing at churches and conventions, as well as doing concerts and spots on television. They completed their first national album, Ain't No Way I Could Lose in 1984. They later went on to record 10 additional albums most notably Reaching Out, Saints Hold On, Standing Room Only, and The Vision Becomes Clearer -- helmed the highly coveted, Grammy-nominated "Two Wings". During his busy schedule Paul also found time to engage in a solo tour around Europe and Canada. Visiting Germany, Finland, Italy, and the Canadian provinces, he gained international notoriety while continuing to minister to the people.
Throughout his time in the group, he lent his soulful, tenor voice to the albums of luminaries like the Williams Brothers, the Original Drifters, and the Jackson Southernaires. "I started with Melvin and Doug, and Frank Williams in Jackson, MS, and just around Jackson I ran into a lot of artists. I started playing guitar with the Williams Brothers when they needed a player on some of the same dates. I sang with the Mighty Clouds of Joy." Paul imparts, "I interacted with a lot of groups during my 30 year career," sharing the stage with the likes of Pastor Shirley Caesar, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Candi Staton, Kelly Price, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Williams Brothers, and many others.
