Information/Write-up
A masterful guitarist with a tone instantly recognizable to anyone who has heard him onstage, Paul has been playing since the age of ten, shaping his style around the electric-blues greats—Hendrix, B.B. King, Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan—and transforming those influences into something unmistakably his own. His solos carry both precision and emotional weight, and it isn’t unusual for audiences to respond with a mix of cheers and stunned disbelief. Fellow musicians often comment on his touch, his dynamics, and his ability to shift from explosive phrasing to quiet lyricism without ever losing the thread of the song.
Born and raised in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Paul joined his first band, Legal Tender, at sixteen. Although he played bass in those early years, the guitar was always his true voice, and after moving north for work he recommitted himself fully to the instrument. For nearly a decade he played the western Canadian club circuit, sharpening both his guitar and vocal chops in the demanding six-night-a-week environment that shaped so many great regional players. These years connected him with musicians from Prince George to Winnipeg, building the network that would later become the backbone of his own band.
In 1993, Paul formed Texas Flood with drummer Jerry Adolphe—already a fixture in the Vancouver scene through Chilliwack, Jim Byrnes, and countless studio sessions—and longtime club mate Simon Hardman. Through the 1990s, Texas Flood became a powerhouse on the B.C. blues/rock circuit, known for tightly executed sets, fiery improvisations, and the kind of road-hardened chemistry that can only come from constant touring. Their break came in 2000 when the band secured the legendary Monday-night house-band slot at Vancouver’s Yale Hotel, the city’s most important blues room. For three years the weekly residency drew packed crowds, touring musicians, and countless blues fans, with Texas Flood sometimes backing visiting American artists and becoming known as one of the most reliable and exciting live bands in the region.
One of the friendships forged at the Yale was with Canadian rock icon Jerry Doucette, who invited Paul to join the Doucette band as second guitarist. Their onstage interplay—Doucette’s fiery attack paired with Paul’s melodic strength—became a draw of its own, earning praise from fellow players and fans who made a point of catching the band whenever they appeared together. Paul continues to perform with Doucette’s group, and the two developed a mutual respect that lasted well beyond the Yale era.
The year 2000 also saw Texas Flood accompany Chicago lap-steel legend Freddy Roulette on a full festival tour—including sets that introduced Roulette to a new generation of blues fans in western Canada—and culminated in a long-imagined trip to Austin, Texas, where the band played a series of shows in the birthplace of much of Paul’s musical inspiration.
After relocating to Alberta in 2004, Paul kept Texas Flood active, building a new audience in Calgary and the surrounding region while continuing to return to B.C. for shows and festival dates. The band released Long Time Comin’ in 2014, an album that reflected both their years on the road and the tight, intuitive chemistry forged through decades of playing together. The record earned strong word-of-mouth among blues-rock fans and reaffirmed Paul’s reputation as one of western Canada’s most compelling guitarists.
Texas Flood remains committed to keeping high-energy rock-blues alive, and Paul continues to perform with the same fire that first brought him onto the stage as a teenager in Abbotsford. With a career now stretching across generations of the western Canadian scene, he stands as one of its most respected and quietly influential guitar players—a musician whose mastery is matched only by his dedication to the craft.
-Robert Williston
Paul Kype: guitars, vocals
Jerry Adolphe: drums
Miles Hill: bass (tracks 3, 4, 7)
Tim Hearsey: bass (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6)
Mike Kalang: Hammond (tracks 3, 4)
Lee Oliphant: bass (Live at the Yale tracks)
Larry Thompson: backing vocals (tracks 3, 4, 7)
Don Thompson: backing vocals (tracks 3, 7)
Arranged by Paul Kype and Jerry Adolphe
Produced by Jerry Adolphe
Recorded by Don Thompson at Studio 56, Langley (tracks 3, 4, 5)
Recorded by Tim Hearsey at Stelliamusic Studio, Vancouver, British Columbia (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6)
Live at the Yale tracks recorded at the Yale Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia by Doug Shultz and Danny Latham
Mixed and mastered by Commodore Perry Barrett at Dark Horse Productions, Vancouver, British Columbia
Yale tracks mixed by Doug Shultz
Executive producers: Peter Mills, Al Thompson, Paul Kype
Texas Flood thanks Pearl Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Cindy, Joe and Elizabeth Adolphe, Keith, Janet, Melanie, Autumn and Darren at the Yale Hotel, Nick and Joyce Kaip, Leslie and Mike MacMillan, Fran, Riley and Allison McDougall, Henry Geddert, Steve Blair, James Rodgers, Ray Ayotte, Risa Jackson, James Rodgers, Bryan, Moira, Taylor Adolphe, Al and Margo Thompson, Peter and Pat Mills, Scott and Kim Perry, Monika Karpinska, and Leah Christensen for the love and inspiration.
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