Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Paul Allen: Genius, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, ROCK STAR: Hear His ‘Lost” Album with Chrissie Hynde, Heart, Derek Trucks

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Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen– who died yesterday at age 65– was many things– genius, entrepreneur, philanthropist. But the one thing the New York Times left out of its obit today was any mention of Paul wanting to be a rock star. He did, and he was.

In 2013, Allen– after years of performing with his rock band The Underthinkers– released an album on Sony/Legacy. “Everything at Once” didn’t get much press, and didn’t sell many copies– a stunning 215 according to BuzzAngle. I’d never heard of it until yesterday.

Still, there’s some nice stuff on the album including a country song sung by Chrissie Hynde called “Rodeo.” There are plenty of other guests including Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson (before they fell out), Ivan Neville, Derek Trucks, and Joe Walsh. (You can hear it below on Spotify.)

Knowing Paul, he wouldn’t do publicity for the record, and I’m sure whatever proceeds there were went to charity. He was rich enough to fund the project. But good for him– he LOVED playing rock and blues. He knew from 1982 his life wouldn’t be long, so he just did what he wanted.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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