empty cell Paul Gayten
Paul Gayten was an American R&B pianist, songwriter, producer, and record company executive. Born in Kentwood, Louisiana, he was the nephew of blues pianist Little Brother Montgomery. In the 1940s, he led his own group, Paul Gayten's Sizzling Six, and during the war, he led a band at the Army base in Biloxi, Mississippi. After the war, he moved to New Orleans, where his trio secured a residency at the Club Robin Hood. He later became the local A&R manager for the De Luxe label, helping many artists and musicians get into the studio to record their first tracks. His own trio and big band recordings for that label included many major hits that are foundational to R&B. In the 1950s, he produced tracks for Bobby Charles and played piano on Chuck Berry's recordings. In 1960, he moved to Los Angeles to run Chess Records' operations. In 1968, he founded his own label, Pzazz, which recorded artists like Louis Jordan. After retiring in 1978, he lived in Los Angeles until his death in 1991.