Family Man
Despite radio hits and a Dove Award, Paul Colman was struggling financially and losing touch with his family. So his band broke up, Colman went solo, and now things are looking up.
by Maryann B. Hunsberger | posted 3/28/2005
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Paul Colman started off as a solo artist in his native Australia before forming the Paul Colman Trio. The band moved to America, released two albums (with Essential Records), had five radio hits and earned a Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 2003. But the band wasn't making much money, and all that time on the road was brutal on family life. So the trio broke up last year, and Colman returned to his solo roots, recently releasing Let It Go (Inpop). Colman talked with Christian Music Today about life as a solo artist in a new country, the challenges his family faced, and his new album.
Growing up in Australia, who were your earliest Christian musical influences?
Paul Colman My dad was involved with Christian music in Australia in the '70s, so I grew up hearing it. When I was 19, I got to open for Larry Norman and be in his band. It was an incredible moment. Larry Norman was my hero, my idol, and I loved his music. Barry McGuire wrote "Bullfrogs and Butterflies" in my home. Leon Patillo had dinner at our house. That was my introduction to Christian music and they were my earliest influences.
How did you decide to come to the US from Australia?
Colman I wanted to play on the stages of the world and visit every country I could, singing my music to different cultures. The largest market for the world in music is America. I figured if we based ourselves in America and got the group signed to an American label, it would be easier to reach the rest of the world.
What changes were the hardest to get used to when you came to the US?
Colman Little things like the food, the metric system and the weather are things you miss. It's been financially tough. We have two of everything, a home and a car in Australia and also here. Health care is expensive here. The hardest thing has been the impact on my family. It's been difficult for my wife. I took her away from all her friends. Sometimes I ask myself, "What am I doing to my wife and kids, dragging them around the world? Is this what I'm meant to be doing?" It's not the glamorous life that people think it is. It's a much easier life to have a 9-to-5 job and live in one place.
Having said all that, I feel blessed to be a person who can travel the world doing what I love. This life keeps me from being complacent about what I'm doing. If I didn't have a wife and kids, I'd do this for no money and sleep on the floor. I just get concerned for my family. If it gets too tough on my wife, I'll have to make some pretty big decisions. My dad was a full-time actor who was very popular in England. At 37, he gave it up for his family. In the end, most of his contemporaries ended up losing their marriages for their careers. I won't do that. So, it is tough in some ways, but what's tougher is to live knowing you never gave it a go.
Is your family in the US right now?
Colman My wife and our two little girls live here, but we go home for Australian summer every year. I normally come back a few weeks early to get everything sorted out. We don't always have the same place to live in. Right now, we don't have a place. My family is coming from the other side of the earth so I can pursue my dream, and I have to get this worked out. I'm staying with a friend until I find a place.
Did the traveling lifestyle play a part in why the Paul Colman Trio broke up?
Colman The family side of it was a huge part of the decision to break up. We traveled four to five days a week. Despite our success, we weren't making much money, which meant we had to travel even more. When people get paid $10,000 a show, maybe they can do only one show a week and get by. But, when you get paid $3,000 and there are three of you, plus the employees traveling with you and all of your families to feed, that $3,000 doesn't go far. We had to be away a lot and it was insanity. It wasn't working. The drummer, Phil, came to us and said he couldn't do it anymore because it was too crazy being away from his kids and wife. It was crazy, not just for him, but for me, too.
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