Paul Zollo

Paul Zollo is a songwriter, author and music journalist. His most recent book is Hollywood Remembered, An Oral History of Its Golden Age (376 pp. Cooper Square Press). The Kirkus Review called it "pure gold" and "a human sunrise." Zollo is also the author of Songwriters On Songwriting, Expanded Edition (656 pp. Da Capo Press). It’s a collection of 52 in-depth interviews he conducted with many of the world’s greatest songwriters, crossing over all genres and generations to provide insightful discussions with everyone from Pete Seeger and Sammy Cahn through Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, R.E.M. and even Madonna. Gavin Martin, writing in Vox magazine, gave it four stars and called it "a veritable goldmine." In MOJO, Barney Hoskyns wrote, "Zollo’s songtalk provides a feast." A new fourth edition of this book, with ten added interviews, will be published this year.

All of the interviews in Songwriters On Songwriting were when Zollo was the editor of SongTalk, the journal of the National Academy of Songwriters. While at SongTalk, Zollo was awarded the John Bettis Fellowship Award for his work at the magazine, which included conducting Bob Dylan’s first interview in more then ten years.

Between 1999 and 2001, Zollo was a contributing writer and Managing Editor of Performing Songwriter magazine. His first book, The Beginning Songwriters Answer Book, was published in 1990 by Writers Digest Books, and is a manual on all aspects of songwriting, from the creative to the commercial. He is currently working on a new edition of this book, which will be entitled The Elements of Songwriting, and will be published by Cooper Square Press. Zollo was a contributing writer since 1989 for Musician magazine, and has also written for Acoustic Guitar, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, L.A. Style, Grammy Magazine, Sing Out!, Performing Songwriter, American Songwriter, Music Connection, Total Guitar, The Oxford American, Video View and others. He has written CD liner notes for many albums, including Paul Simon’s CD boxed set Paul Simon 1964/1993, Laura Nyro’s The Best Of Laura Nyro - Stoned Soul Picnic, Les Brown and His Band of Renown’s Swing Alive! and albums by Dan Fogelberg, Townes Van Zandt, Thom Bishop, James Coberly Smith and others.

Between 1989 and 1993, Zollo was the writer for the National Academy of Songwriters annual "Salute To The American Songwriter" concert (and co-producer in 1993), an event that honored such songwriting legends as Goffin & King, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Bacharach & David, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Webb and Smokey Robinson.

Zollo has written for the program of the annual Grammy presentations, awarded by NARAS, contributing the copy for the "Best Song Of The Year" nominees every year since 1997. Between 1982 and 1984 Zollo wrote more than a hundred educational radio scripts and radio dramas for the Hollywood Entertainment Radio Network. He is also the founder and original host of the Acoustic Underground, a Los Angeles acoustic music showcase.

As a songwriter, Zollo has collaborated with many artists, including Steve Allen, Darryl Purpose and Severin Browne. He released one eponymous album with his band The Ghosters, and as a solo artist released the album Orange Avenue, which features a duet with Art Garfunkel.