Paul Sommer

    Guitar...

    It's been a few years (we estimate around 35) since I've seen Paul. Our mutual friend, David Rabiroff, turned me on to Paul's web-page about their old band Blue Mountain. But even before, Blue Mountain, Paul played in a band called The Gathering Storm, which then changed it's name to Syren. That band, if memory serves, which it sometimes doesn't, lasted a couple months, played a couple gigs and was the first band I was ever in... which gives Paul the dubious distinction of being the absolute FIRST guitar player ever to be in the All Night Rhythm Band.

    After checking out the Blue Mountain page, I wiped the nostalgic tears from my eyes and decided to email Paul and say 'Hi'. Here's his kind reply:

Danny, 

Wow. How long has it been? More like 35 years? 

A little history.... After Blue Mountain split up in 1972 I was in a band in SF called the Hayden Project (the lead singer was a guy named "Big Mitch") and then I got a real job. I worked at Banana Records in Palo Alto and was the manager there while going to school. After getting my BA at SF State I went to Foothill College to study music. I was managing the record store and teaching guitar at Gelb Music in Redwood City. In 1978 I became the store manager at Gelb where I stayed until 1988 to leave to work for LP Marketing, an independent rep firm in the Bay Area (Shure, Mackie, dbx and others). In 1989 I accepted a position as Area Representative for Peavey Electronics for the Northwest and my wife, Laura, and I moved to Seattle.

As the rep for Peavey I traveled all over the Northwest and serviced music dealers and sound contractors in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska and for a time, North Dakota and Moorehead, Minnesota. Whew. In 1997 I left Peavey to be the District Sales Manager for KORG USA, representing KORG, Marshall and VOX. You can find a picture of me at www.korgnorthwest/paul_sommer.htm (along with Kerry King and Zakk Wylde), I'll send you a few others too.

We live on Mercer Island, about 15 minutes from Seattle with our two daughters, Lauren (12 1/2) and Sasha (10). We love the Northwest and visit the Bay Area in frequently. I was in a blues band in Seattle when the girls were little but now I only play guitar for fun and during work. 

Paul Sommer 
District Sales Manager 
KORG USA 

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