Originally, Paul Dateh was only supposed to be a violinist. Beginning his violin studies at the age of four, it seemed that Dateh’s future in the classical industry was set in stone. But, on his first day at The University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, Dateh suddenly dropped his major in Violin Performance and enrolled in the Jazz Studies program instead. The move shocked his colleagues as it was hard to understand why anyone would walk away from fourteen years of classical training to begin learning an entirely new musical discipline. But, Dateh knew that he wanted to be more than just a classical musician; his goal was to become a musician, in every possible way.
Since first appearing on the music scene two years ago, singer and violinist Paul Dateh has gone on to garner millions of views on the web as well as national exposure on television and in print. Now, Dateh has teamed up with guitarist Ken Belcher to create “The Good Life” – a concept record that offers a fresh and original take on acoustic urban folk music.
“The Good Life” is a seven-song EP that follows the life of a man living out his adulthood. Classic, well-known stories of finding happiness in each moment and the search for love are presented in new ways with Dateh’s pure voice and lush string harmonies filling in the lines while Belcher punctuates each sentence with the soulful strumming of guitar.
Being fully trained in both Classical and Jazz styles, Paul Dateh & Ken Belcher’s influences are extremely diverse. Some of their influences include Bela Fleck, Stephane Grappelli, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Stevie Wonder, and The Clientele.
In preparation for the release of “The Good Life”, Dateh and Belcher have been touring throughout the United States performing to sold-out crowds while also continuing to build a solid following online. The duo also made their first five-week tour in Japan in November of 2009.
[photos & video by the bui brothers]
Recent Performances (Partial List)
* NAMM Show 2009
* SXSW 2009 – PBS Engage
* Dakota Live Music Lounge
* Rheinkultur Music Festival
* Dour Music Festival
* Whisky A Go Go with B-Real of Cypress Hill
* Henry Fonda Theater/Music Box with Living Legends and Blu & Exile
* CTIA Wireless 2008 exhibiting for Sony Ericsson
* Playboy Mobile 2008 at Palms Hotel, Las Vegas
* Playboy’s Rock the Rabbit Spring Break Festival in Cabo San Lucas
* Opening with DJ Johnny Juice for Public Enemy & DMC – Hard Rock Las Vegas
* CES 2008 – Las Vegas, Nevada
* Knitting Factory LA – Hollywood, California
* Temple Bar – Santa Monica, California
Scoring (Partial List)
* Seed Magazine’s Revolutionary Minds – http://revminds.seedmagazine.com
Online Press (Partial List)
*3,000,000+ views on YouTube – http://youtube.com/pauldateh
* 1,000,000+ combined views in 3 months – Hip Hop Violin with Inka One
* 1,113,000+ views in 8 months on YouTube alone – Hip Hop Violin with Inka One
* 38,000+ views in 4 weeks on YouTube – Hip Hop Caprice Video
Media Appearances (Partial List)
* PBS – PBS Engage 2009
* ABC News “i-Caught” – August, 2007
* JETSET Show/EPIC-FU – June, 2007
YouTube Account Rankings (Partial List)
#8 – Most Linked – Music
#26 – Top Favorites – Music
#36 – Most Viewed – Music
#50 – Top Rated – Music