This artist's name is bound to come up in a variety of contexts, from western swing to the history of the electric guitar. Paul Howard, a vintage country performer associated with the glory days of the Grand Ole Opry, has claimed to be the first picker to aim an amplified guitar at the Opry audience, an event that apparently went down quite smoothly compared to similar electric transformations such as Bob Dylan's infamous Newport Folk Festival concert. Yet the early use of the electric guitar in country was hardly as radical as the introduction of folk rock. Howard additionally was among the first to present two and three-part fiddle harmonies, a vital part of the western swing aesthetic, on the Opry stage.

Howard's family background was a combination of English, Irish, and Cherokee, making him a perfect candidate for the eclectic musical politics of western swing. As a teenager he learned guitar, appearing professionally for the first time on Phoenix, Arizona radio stations in the early '30s. Prior to performing full-time, he worked in careers such as farming, mining, and sales. Howard's reputation grew considerably as a result of a series of radio program stints, beginning with the #Barn Dance, broadcast out of Kentucky in the mid-'30s and continuing on the Opry and NBC's #Shower Of Stars.

As a songwriter, Howard came up under the guidance of important songwriter and publisher Fred Rose. The Howard songwriting catalog is as salty with tears as any in the sentimental country genre, listeners have the option of weeping along with titles such as With Tears in My Eyes, Torn Between True Love and Desire, The Fiddler With the Patch on His Pants, You Left a Red Cross on My Heart, Rock Candy Heart, or I'm Sending You Red Roses. Good-natured instrumentals such as Texas Boogie and Cherokee Shuffle are also part of the Howard canon. He fronted his own band known as the Arkansas Cotton Pickers during the Opry years, leading to his nickname of "the Arkansas Cottonpicker."

With the Opry losing interest in western swing during the '50s, Howard became involved in radio broadcasting in Louisiana. He worked in management and program directing as well as doing disc jockey shifts. Over the ensuing decades, he was quite often brought back to the Opry to be presented as part of various "old-timers" features. At 75, Howard was continuing to front a version of the Arkansas Cotton Pickers when he died of heart failure. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi