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Paul Cardall
From MormonWiki
Paul Cardall considers himself a new age pianist, but his work transcends that nomer. He says that his albums have been autobiographical, each set of music choices reflecting a period of his life. Paul is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon or LDS Church.
By the time he was in his late teens, Cardall was playing piano at Nordstrom and the Red Roof Restaurant at Temple Square.
His first big breakthrough came with a CD of music inspired by "The Christmas Box" book and movie. But he's done solo piano, vocals, orchestral pieces, jazz, pop, LDS hymns and Christian rock.
A recent CD of LDS hymns actually went to No. 4 on the Billboard New Age charts, he says. "It's probably the first time 'Joseph Smith's First Prayer' hit the Billboard charts. A lot of my fans didn't know exactly what they were getting, but they just liked the music."
Paul's recent release is a two-disc set, titled "Living for Eden." He considers this CD his most personal. For one thing, Eden is the name of his daughter. For another, music is his Eden-place; the way he finds his own peace and comfort.
Cardall has his own recording label: Stone Angel Music.
Paul was born with a congenital heart defect and was not expected to survive infancy. He had his first heart surgery when he was just 22 hours old and continued to receive treatments and surgeries through his youth. At age 36 in 2009, he was on the waiting list for a transplant, growing ever weaker. He received his transplant in September, 2009, and even received a visit from the M.D. who attended him as an infant. This very great challenge, plus the normal vicissitudes of life, have made music his refuge (Deseret News). Cardall considers himself the recipient of miracles. (Read about this by clicking here.)
The year was full of ups and downs for Cardall. While he was waiting for a transplant donor, Cardall's brother was tasered by police and died. They attribute Brian Cardall's bout of bizarre behavior to bipolar disorder. Cardall's grandfather also passed away that year.
Update, September 2010
In 2009, when Cardall's health was at its lowest, he recorded a CD called Sacred Piano, putting together some of the most meaningful things he had done up to that point. It is his favorite of the 13 albums he's produced. "Sweet Escape," a song from the album, ranked #1 on ReverbNation's global Christian/Gospel music chart.
Every three weeks Cardall undergoes a heart biopsy to ensure that his body is not rejecting his new heart. He will ever have to take anti-rejection medications. However, he has been able to hike Mt. Olympus in Salt Lake County. He is publishing a book about his experiences, Before my Heart Stops.
Updates
At the beginning of 2011, Paul Cardall’s new album with Shadow Mountain Records, “New Life” became the #1 album on the Billboard New Age Chart, beating Yanni and Enya for the top spot.
More at MormonMusic.org
