On fiddle he is a stylistic chameleon‚ channeling Kenny Baker‚ Johnny Gimble‚ or Stephane Grappelli in turn. As a mandolinist he calls to mind Jethro Burns or Tiny Moore in one instant‚ then Bill Monroe or Sam Bush the next. On guitar he also speaks with many voices; from a snaky Delta blues fingerstyle to Django-fied swing to searing open-tuned slide Stratocaster. And that’s just instrumentally speaking. In his singing and songwriting he shifts from mountain soul bluegrass to smooth urban swing to Haggardesque country and back again.

Paul Kramer is a jack-of-all-trades; forget the "master of none" part. And having forged a successful career as a highly respected sideman to the stars‚ he is now stepping out as an artist in his own right‚ and in several directions at once!

Some might think it strange that one so steeped in Southern roots music should hail from‚ of all places‚ suburban Chicago. And yet in high school‚ after a twang-deficient childhood‚ Paul and a few pals discovered bluegrass on vinyl and never looked back. Paul attended and graduated from the University of Illinois with highest honors‚ including the highest GPA in the Deparment of History‚ all the while nurturing his passion for music.