Folk Roots Radio Episode 429: In Conversation with… Paul Mills – A Career In Music Part 1

Folk Roots Radio Episode 429: In Conversation with Paul Mills Part 1

Feb 13 2019

Episode 429 of Folk Roots Radio features the first half of a very special two-hour conversation with musician, music arranger and producer Paul Mills. (Find Part 2 of this conversation on Episode 430 of Folk Roots Radio). Paul Mills has been part of the Canadian folk music scene and recording industry for over forty five years, and produced or engineered over 200 albums including recording all but one of the albums by folk icon Stan Rogers. As the time has come to hang up the headphones and shut down his production studio, it’s the perfect opportunity to look back at his career. So settle down and enjoy Paul Mills in conversation on Folk Roots Radio, alongside music from some of the great artists who joined him in the studio including, on this episode Stan Rogers, John Allan Cameron, Sharon, Lois & Bram, J. P. Cormier, April Verch, Cathy Miller and Paul Mills himself. Check out the full playlist below.

Interview

Paul Mills has been working in music for over 45 years as a musician and arranger, and the producer/engineer of over 200 folk music recordings including albums by Stan Rogers (all but one of Stan Rogers’ albums were produced by Paul), Sharon, Lois & Bram, Terry Kelly, Ron Hynes and John Allan Cameron. Paul actually went to university in London to become a chemical engineer, but after his interest in music was sparked by visits to coffee houses like Smale’s Pace in London, he re-evaluated his career choice, in favour of audio engineering and music production. After graduation in 1972, Paul took a job as a music producer at the CBC before moving into a variety of management roles. In 1996 he left the CBC to start his own production company, Millstream. Paul Mills was awarded the Estelle Klein Award by the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (now Folk Music Ontario) in 2011. The award recognizes the work of an individual who has made significant contributions to Ontario’s folk music community. He was also named as a Member of the Order of Canada in June 2017. Paul Mills joined us in the Folk Roots Radio studio for an in-depth conversation about his career. For more information about Paul Mills, visit millstream.com. Photo credit: Paul Mills – Live on location to capture the music.

Listen

You can listen to this episode again on Soundcloud by following the link below. You can also listen to episodes of Folk Roots Radio, on demand, via iTunes, Stitcher and Tune-in Radio. (Click on the highlighted link to reach your chosen platform.)