P. J. Olsson

Last updated

PJ Olsson
PJ Olsson Netherlands.jpg
PJ Olsson performing with Alan Parsons Live Project in Utrecht, Netherlands 2019
Background information
Birth namePaul Josef Olsson
Born (1969-07-13) 13 July 1969 (age 54)
Pontiac, Michigan
GenresAdult Alternative, Rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, producer, composer, Grammy winning Engineer audio engineer
Years active1990–present

Paul Josef Olsson (13 July 1969) is an American singer, most notable as being the lead singer for Alan Parsons Live Project. He has toured with various artists over his lifetime, including Deep Purple, Train, Muse, Simple Minds, Rufus Wainwright, Earth, Wind & Fire, Wyclef, Nelly Furtado, Beth Orton, and Placebo.

Contents

Biography

He was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family. His father had a DMA in choral music and was an avant-garde 12-tone composer, A&R executive for Motown Records and later a professor at Michigan Tech; [1] his mother was a music/voice major and schoolteacher. [2] He started playing violin at age 6. [3] PJ caught the attention of Columbia records, who in mid-2000 released the album Words For Living which received positive reviews in the United States. Olsson also made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman , [4] and his song "Ready for a Fall" was included on the soundtrack album for the television show Dawson's Creek . [5]

In 2002, Olsson joined the Alan Parsons Live Project, becoming their lead singer. [6] He has performed with many other notable acts, including Kid Rock, Muse, Train, Rufus Wainwright, Iggy Pop, Beth Orton, Bob Geldof, Something Corporate, Ben Harper, Nelly Furtado, Placebo, and Michelle Branch. [4] [3] In 2007 Olsson teamed up with Salman Ahmad to record a remake of the Nick Lowe song, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", as the theme to The CW television show Aliens in America . [7]

Discography

Solo

with Alan Parsons

Studio albums
Live albums
Singles

Compilation appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alan Parsons Project</span> British rock band

The Alan Parsons Project were a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompanied by varying session musicians and some relatively consistent session players such as guitarist Ian Bairnson, arranger Andrew Powell, bassist and vocalist David Paton, drummer Stuart Elliott, and vocalists Lenny Zakatek and Chris Rainbow. Parsons and Woolfson shared writing credits on almost all of the Project's songs, with Parsons producing or co-producing all of the band's recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufus Wainwright</span> Canadian singer-songwriter and composer

Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set Shakespeare's sonnets to music for a theatre piece by Robert Wilson.

<i>Want One</i> 2003 studio album by Rufus Wainwright

Want One is the third studio album by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released through DreamWorks Records on September 23, 2003. The album was produced by Marius de Vries and mixed by Andy Bradfield, with Lenny Waronker as the executive in charge of production. Want One spawned two singles: "I Don't Know What It Is", which peaked at number 74 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Oh What a World". The album charted in three countries, reaching number 60 on the Billboard 200, number 130 in France, and number 77 in the Netherlands.

<i>Rufus Wainwright</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright is the debut studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released in the United States on May 19, 1998, through DreamWorks Records. The album was produced by Jon Brion, with the exception of "In My Arms", which was produced and mixed by Pierre Marchand, and "Millbrook" and "Baby", which were produced by Brion and Van Dyke Parks. Lenny Waronker was the album's executive producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Wainwright</span> Canadian musician

Martha Wainwright is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released seven critically-acclaimed studio albums.

<i>Eye in the Sky</i> (album) 1982 studio album by the Alan Parsons Project

Eye in the Sky is the sixth studio album by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in May 1982 by Arista Records. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards in 1983, Eye in the Sky was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album. In 2019, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Folklore</i> (Nelly Furtado album) 2003 studio album by Nelly Furtado

Folklore is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, released on 5 November 2003 through DreamWorks Records. While the album did not match the success of her previous album in such markets as the United States and Australia, it did however become a success in several European countries. Folklore spawned five singles: "Powerless ", "Try", "Força", "Explode" and "The Grass Is Green". As of 2008, the album had sold 2 million copies worldwide.

<i>A Valid Path</i> 2004 studio album by Alan Parsons

A Valid Path is the fourth solo album by English rock musician Alan Parsons. The record was released on 24 August 2004 via Artemis label.

<i>Martha Wainwright</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Martha Wainwright

Martha Wainwright is the debut album of Montreal singer Martha Wainwright, released on April 12, 2005. The album received generally favourable reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Thompson</span> Musical artist

Teddy Thompson is an English folk and rock musician. He is the son of folk rock musicians Richard and Linda Thompson and brother of singer Kamila Thompson. He released his first album in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Parsons</span> English audio engineer, musician, and record producer (born 1948)

Alan Parsons is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer.

<i>Release the Stars</i> 2007 studio album by Rufus Wainwright

Release the Stars is the fifth studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released through Geffen Records on May 15, 2007. Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant was the executive producer; the album was mixed by Record producer Marius de Vries and Andy Bradfield. Wainwright's most commercially successful album to date, Release the Stars charted in 13 countries, reaching Top 10 positions in Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and was certified gold in Canada and the UK. The album generated three singles: "Going to a Town", which peaked at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart, "Rules and Regulations", and "Tiergarten".

<i>Mi Plan</i> 2009 studio album by Nelly Furtado

Mi Plan is the fourth studio album and the first Spanish-language album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released independently on September 11, 2009 by Furtado’s own record label Nelstar Entertainment with distribution by Universal Music Latino. This marks Furtado’s first independently released album. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2008 to 2009. The album was produced primarily by Furtado with other contributions made by James Bryan, Lester Mendez, Salaam Remi, The Demolition Crew, Julieta Venegas and Brian West. Furtado described the songs on the album to be "simple love songs".

<i>Milwaukee at Last!!!</i> 2009 live album by Rufus Wainwright

Milwaukee at Last!!! is the seventh album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released in the United States on September 22, 2009. The album consists of live recordings from his August 27, 2007, performance at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in support of his previous studio album, Release the Stars (2007). Documentary film director Albert Maysles recorded a film of the same name for DVD, also released on September 22 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Is Young</span> 2010 single by Nelly Furtado

"Night Is Young" is a song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado, Salaam Remi and StayBent Krunk-a-Delic, and produced by the latter pair for Furtado's greatest hits compilation album, The Best of Nelly Furtado (2010). The song follows a dance and electronic style, which Furtado said that she is happy with because she never had a straightforward dance-pop song. The lyrics to the song were written by Furtado, who said it is "not necessarily a love song" but is about "having a good time and enjoying life."

<i>Rufus Wainwright: Live from the Artists Den</i> 2014 live album by Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright: Live from the Artists Den is a live album by American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released by Artists Den Records and Universal Music Enterprises on March 3, 2014. The album was recorded at a concert on May 17, 2012 at the Church of the Ascension in Greenwich Village, New York City, which was originally filmed for the PBS program Live from the Artists Den.

David Minasian is an American film producer, screenwriter, director, and a musician, singer and songwriter. Since the 1980s, he has worked for various motion picture production companies in the Los Angeles area as a freelance producer/director. In addition to his work on music videos and concert films for artists such as Three Dog Night, English progressive rock band Camel, Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward and The Alan Parsons Project co-founder Alan Parsons, Minasian has produced and directed over 60 documentary films including The Passion Behind the Passion, a behind-the-scenes documentary filmed on location in Rome chronicling the making of Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ. Minasian is also a classically trained pianist. His symphonic rock album Random Acts of Beauty was released in 2010 to critical and public acclaim and features a rare guest appearance on the album's 12 minute opening track "Masquerade" by Camel guitarist Andrew Latimer.

"One Man Guy" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. It originally appeared on his 1985 studio album I'm Alright, and was included on his 2009 compilation album Essential Recordings: One Man Guy.

<i>Unfollow the Rules</i> 2020 studio album by Rufus Wainwright

Unfollow the Rules is a studio album by Rufus Wainwright, released on July 10, 2020. It marks Wainwright's ninth of original material, his first since Out of the Game (2012), and his first under BMG. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom, and other contributors include Matt Chamberlain, Jim Keltner, and Blake Mills.

<i>Alan Parsons Symphonic Project, Live in Colombia</i> 2016 live album by The Alan Parsons Symphonic Project

Live in Colombia is a live concert performance by the Alan Parsons Symphonic Project released on double CD, triple vinyl and as a DVD on 27 May 2016 on the earMUSIC label. The show was recorded live in the Parque de los Pies Descalzos in Medellín, Colombia on 31 August 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Hochman, Steve (3 June 2000). "A Quiet Approach to an Explosive Landscape". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "PJ Olsson". Avenue Communications. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "P.J. Olsson: Vocals". The Alan Parsons Project. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 "P.J. Olsson". LetsSingIt. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Nichols, Natalie (1 July 1999). "Singer PJ Olsson Is Building Career, One Club at a Time". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Viau, Scott (27 February 2014). "PJ Olsson to hold Rock Camp fundraiser concert". The Mining Gazette. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "What's So Funny 'Bout 'Aliens in America?'". starpulse.com. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "P.J. Olsson - P.J. Olsson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
  9. ↑ "Words for Living - P.J. Olsson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
  10. ↑ "Beautifully Insane - P.J. Olsson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
  11. ↑ "American Scream - P.J. Olsson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
  12. ↑ "Lasers and Trees by P.J. Olsson on iTunes". 14 February 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.