Paul Holmberg
Paul Holmberg is an authentic Alaskan of Aleut and Swedish descent born in a Widgeon amphibious airplane 35 miles southeast of Chignik Alaska 2000 feet in the air. He has been a commercial fisherman all of his life, turning to the guitar and country music to relax from the high stress of skippering a limit seiner off the capes of the Shumagin Islands.
Holmberg’s new CD, Sing Me Back Home, Again, is a mixture of traditional country and gospel music. It is heavily influence by the old country records he grew up listening to in the fishing villages of Sanak and Sand Point. Artists like Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Rodriquez had a huge influence on his musical style.
Paul met Rueben Hillborn, “The Singing Fisherman”, early in his life. Rueben’s “Missionary Pilot”, is included in this CD, a tribute to the mentoring role he played in Paul’s formative years. Missionary Pilot is one of my favorites because of my childhood memories flying with Ken Hughes Sr. and Jr.
As a fan of traditional country music myself I really enjoyed, “Back Home Again”, and “Sowin Love”. This is a happy soothing album. The kind of music that relaxes me and puts me in a good mood. Much of the new so called “country” tends to have the opposite effect.
I listened to this with a good set of headphones allowing me to enjoy the quality of the musicians in the background. These pickers have played for some of the best and their skill is obvious. The picking of Harold Kennedy and Ronnie Stewart lend a finishing depth to the whole album.
Very nice album. I’ll be looking for the next one.
You can order music directly from his website at Paulholmberg.com
