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Howard Paul
Professional jazz guitarist and President/CEO of Benedetto Guitars, Inc.
About Me
Howard Paul, President/CEO of Benedetto Guitars, Inc. readily
acknowledges that he is fortunate to combine his vocation and
avocation. A highly respected jazz guitarist who detoured along the way
to study political science, serve in the military, and rise in corporate
management, his enthusiasm for his company is infectious. Today, he
strikes a delicate but exhausting balance between performance at jazz
clubs and concert halls, lectures at universities and music schools,
collaborations with artist/endorsers, and running the day-to-day
business of manufacturing and sales at the 9,000SF Benedetto Guitars’
workshop located on the south side of Savannah, GA.
His business partner Robert Benedetto founded Benedetto Guitars in
1968. Following years of international acclaim as creator of a modern
renaissance period in guitarmaking, Benedetto briefly licensed Fender,
the world’s largest guitar manufacturer, to build his instruments from
1999 to 2006. Howard Paul joined forces with Benedetto to establish
their new, independent company in March 2006. Today Benedetto sells
around the world, building over 300 handcrafted guitars a year ranging
from $3,000 to $50,000+ each. Their workforce of highly skilled luthiers
is among the best in the business, applying from around the globe to vie
for a spot on the Benedetto workbench.
Howard grew up in Atlantic City, and has been playing guitar since the
age of four, jazz from age ten, and began working in both small and big
bands at 13. At 17 he joined the prestigious Judy Cahill Trio while
teaching music as an adjunct faculty member at Atlantic Community
College in N.J.
He stopped playing full time to obtain a BA in Political Science from the
UNC Greensboro from 1980-1984 and enlisted in the Army in 1986,
completing Officer Candidate School before serving in Europe, the
Middle East (Desert Storm), Somalia and the U.S. over the next nine
years. He left the Army at the rank of Major in 1995 to work for the
Olympics before joining Chatham Steel Corporation from 1996-2006.
As a musician, he has performed/recorded with jazz guitar legends
including Bucky Pizzarelli, Jimmy Bruno, Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins,
Joe Beck, Joe Negri, Frank Vignola, Andreas Oberg and small group
performances with bassist Ben Tucker, flutist Ali Ryerson, vibraphonist
Chuck Redd, bassist Phil Flannigan, Oliver Nelson, Jr. and pianist Bob
James. He has lectured at Duquesne, University of Southern California,
San Diego State University, University of South Carolina, University of
Louisiana, Furman, Winthrop, Berklee College of Music, and Musicians
Institute.
Howard is a recurring clinician for the National Guitar Workshop,
contributing editor to Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, and has twice been a
featured artist at The Smithsonian Institutions’ Jazz Café. His most resent
release is a duo recording with pianist Bob James titled Just Friends: The
Hamilton Hall Sessions. In 2011 Howard was inducted into the Savannah
Jazz Hall of Fame. Previous honorees include Johnny Mercer, James
Moody, Irene Reid, Ben Riley, and Ben Tucker.
He lives in Savannah with his attorney/clarinetist wife Patricia, and son
Andy.