Paul Carrol Binkley visits WU, sings during concert
Guitar chords, piano notes and the strum of the bass guitar filled the Goodwin Performing Arts Center on Feb. 20, where students and guests from the community gathered to enjoy the musical talents of a well-known Nashville guitarist.
Paul Carrol Binkley has been playing music since he was 8 years old and has known since then that making music was his life-long desire.
Now a professional guitarist, composer and musical theatre director, Binkley was enthused to share his work and passion with attendees.
“I had been working on some new arrangements of my music with two of my favorite musicians in Nashville and was excited to be able to share them with Waynesburg University and guests on Thursday night,” said Binkley.
Binkley did not perform a traditional concert though, as he did not sing at all during his performance.
“I played only instrumental music on Thursday, and it may have been challenging in that aspect to listen to because it’s different from what students listen to these days,” said Binkley. “I find myself drawn towards the sounds of music, but I never listen to the lyrics – I know no lyrics to any songs. Part of that for me is my own natural instinct. I’ve always been attracted to the natural sounds of music.”
Students and guests, including Edward Powers, director of the theatre program at Waynesburg University, enjoyed Binkley and his band’s performance as it proved to be an unfamiliar musical blend.
“His music was a mix of several styles; beautiful melodies, very spiritual and thought provoking,” said Powers.
Powers arranged for Binkley to perform at Waynesburg through a friendship that has lasted throughout the years.
“I met Paul in 1987; we were both doing some professional summer theatre in my hometown of Clarksville, Tenn.,” said Powers. “I was an actor and Binkley was the music director, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Binkley shared not only his music on Thursday evening but personal stories about his life in between each song.
“I had the opportunity to share experiences and information that students aren’t going to learn in school. There are lots of things that I would have liked to have known about the business of music when I was younger that I had to learn the hard way,” said Binkley.
“When you’re on the road there are a lot of things that seem really glamorous and some things that aren’t so glamorous. I enjoy any opportunity to pay it forward, especially keeping in mind the gratitude I feel to the people who helped me along the way.”
Binkley said he composed each song with great care, writing each piece as a reflection on a specific time or event in his life. He believes this method makes his work unique and personal.
“I am most proud of somehow managing to stitch together an unbelievable wide array of musical experiences into what has so far been a life-long, professional career, from playing for tens of thousands of people with the country super group Alabama, to working with Jerry Lewis to premiering Marvin Hamlish’s last score of a Broadway musical- all the while managing to keep composing and recording my own music in a way that’s creatively satisfying,” said Binkley.
Students who attended the concert expressed that Binkley showcased his unique musical flair.
“The concert was good; it was unique because it was a mix between blues and soft rock, which is something that I usually don’t hear,” said Brittany Semco, junior public relations major. “Binkley did a great job explaining what every song meant to him and how it all related back to his life.”