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{{Musician
| Name                = Paul Draper
| Img                 = PaulDraperAbbeyStudiosS.jpg
| Img_capt            = Paul standing outside [[Abbey Road Studios]]
| Background          = solo_singer 
| Birth_name          = Paul Edward Draper
| Born                = {{Bda|1970|9|26}} in [[Liverpool]], England
| Instrument          = Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Keyboard, Programming, Bass Guitar, Drums, Mellotron
| Genre               = Rock, Alternative, Britpop, Funk
| Occupation          = Multi-talentless Musician, Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Record producer, Studio Engineer
| Years_active        = Grind {{Start date|1991}}–1991<BR>Mansun {{Start date|1995}}–2003<BR>Solo Career/Producer {{Start date|2004}}–Present
| Label               = [[Sci-Fi Hi-Fi]]<BR>[[Parlophone Records|Parlophone]]<BR>[[EMI]]
| Associated_acts     = [[Grind]] * [[The Anchoress]] * [[Spooky Action at a Distance]]
| Notable_instruments = [[Rickenbacker 325]], [[Fender Telecaster]], [[Gibson Les Paul]]
| URL                 = Mansun Web-site http://www.mansun.co.uk <BR>Paul Draper Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pauldraperofficial <BR>Twitter https://twitter.com/PaulDraper <BR>Instagram https://instagram.com/pauldraper1970
}}


==Biography==

Paul Draper grew up on Garmoyle Road in Wavertree, Liverpool before moving with his family to Connah's Quay, Deeside, which Draper described as "the absolute nothing of Great Britain", adding "It's a horrible, horrible place. In Liverpool, if you're 15 and you pick up an acoustic guitar in school and play a song, then people would listen. But in my school when I tried to take in a guitar, I was just a poof and a queer, and that was that"

==Early Days==

Draper attended St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint and Thames Polytechnic (now University of Greenwich) where he formed [[Grind]] in 1991 with [[Steve Heaton]] and drummer [[Carlton Hibbert]] who regularly played around London and released one 12" single titled [[Thoughts/A Dying Man]] before splitting.

==The Mansun Years==

On 16 May 2006, Draper announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer during fourth album sessions at [[Rockfield Studios]]. After a blister appeared on his left hand middle finger that kept bleeding, Draper visited a local doctor who took a sample of tissue from the finger. He was informed that it was a malignant tumour known as a "Bowenoid Malignancy", and responded positively to five cycles of chemotherapy. However, he was unable to play for several months after the tumour was cut out and his finger swelled up following treatment

==Life after Mansun==
Paul has always been interested in the Studio Engineering side of things, so after Mansun disbanded he pursued a career as a Studio Engineer/Record Producer.

To date below is a list of Artists/Bands that Paul was collaborated, produced work worked with:

* [[Skin |'Skin' from Skunk Anansie]]
* [[Catherine Anne Davies]] / [[The Anchoress]]
* [[Paul Oakenfold]]
* [[The Joy Formidable]]
* [[Menace Beach]]
* [[You Animals]]

==Solo Projects==
Paul had been working on his own solo projects either during and after Mansun, he shelved his solo project and removed himself on social networks in order to refocus and concentrate on his career as working as a Studio Engineer and Record Producer.
<BR>
=== The Resurrection of his long awaited Solo album ===
In 2013 a facebook petition was created asking Paul to rethink his own solo project<ref name="pdlouderthanwar09Dec2013Interview">{{Cite/PaulDraperLouderThanWar09Dec2013}}</ref>, it gained huge support in a small amount of time and this plus the letters and messages he recieved during a [[Menace Beach]] live session at the BBC, persuaded Paul to resurrect his solo works.
<BR>For the full run down on Spooky Action check out the '''[[Spooky Action at a Distance]]''' dedicated page.

=== Lead up to Spooky Action ===

In January 2016 Paul announced that he was working on releasing an EP some time this year which may or may not be before the release of Spooky Action.<BR>It was rumoured that a single may be released also, and on the 25th February 2016 Paul announced that his debut solo single would be released on the [[Too Pure]] singles club, with Side B being a collaboration between him and Steven Wilson on [[KSCOPE Records]] (label-mates with [[Catherine Anne Davies]]).  It is not known what song will feature as the main track on Side A on the limited edition 7" Vinyl.

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Solo Music Gallery" widths="150px" heights="200px">
File:PaulDraperSingleTooPureSinglesClub.jpg|Cover art of Paul's debut single to be released April 2016
</gallery>

==Musical Inspiration==

* [[The Beatles]] and [[Paul McCartney]]
* [[Prince]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview">{{Cite/PaulDraperGigslutzDec2014}}</ref>
* [[David Bowie]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[Talk Talk]]
* [[Queens of the Stone Age]]
* [[Pink Floyd]]
* [[Depeche Mode]]
* [[The Smiths]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[Joy Division]]
* [[PJ Harvey]]
* [[U2]]
* [[The Stone Roses]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[Kate Bush]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[James Brown]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[Parliament]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[The Human League]]
* [[Harry Nilsson]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[Glen Campbell]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>
* [[Dolly Parton]]<ref name="pdgigslutzinterview"></ref>

Paul stated in an interview with [[Louder Than War]] that his favourite top album of all time is Revolver by [[The Beatles]].

{{QuotesC|
This is my Number 1 album of all time and again; it’s a coming together of stuff. For a start, it’s got 14 really short sharp tracks on it. It’s got a brilliant opening track in “Taxman” and a brilliant closing track in “Tomorrow Never Knows” – so a fantastic top and tail to the album and it’s just so varied
|author=Paul Draper
|source=Louder Than War<ref>{{cite |url=http://louderthanwar.com/top-10-albums-from-ex-mansun-frontman-paul-draper-number-1/ |title=Top 10 albums from ex-Mansun frontman Paul Draper – Number 1 |publisher=Louder Than War |dom=louderthanwar.com |date=2015-06-24 |accessdate=2015-06-24}}</ref>
}}

More recently Paul has been listening to:
* [[The Twilight Sad]]<ref name="pdhitthefloow2016interview">{{Cite/PaulDraperHitTheFloorJan2016}}</ref>
* [[Alabama Shakes]]<ref name="pdhitthefloow2016interview"></ref>
* [[Kendrick Lamar]]<ref name="pdhitthefloow2016interview"></ref>

==Trivia==

==Paul Draper Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="150px" heights="200px">
</gallery>

==References==
*Biographical information sourced from original wiki.org pages - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Draper_%28musician%29
<references/>


[[Category:Paul Draper]]
[[Category:Mansun]]
[[Category:Musicians]]